Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-08-05
SOME SINGULAR OLD LAWS,
Back Number Statutes That Have Never
Been Repealed.

Back Number Statutes That Have Never
Been Repealed.
"Uncle Joe" Brown of the county
clerks Office is one of the quietest men
In the courthouse and also one of the
best informed. Whenever any question
of an especially puzzling nature comes
up for settlement and no one else can
answer it the seekers for information go
back to the room where ''Uncle Joe"
works, and he explains it to their salts
faction. This sort of procedure, says
the indianapolis News, is matter of
daily occurrence and the old gentleman's
encyclopaedia fund of knowledge is
proverbial.
The other day after delegation Of
information seekers had learned what
they were in search of they hung
around "Uncle Joe's' desk to hear some
of his "reminiscences which their ques-
tons called up fresh to his memory.
cit is strange how the old laws cling
to the statute books" he said, medita-
lively. "In the eastern states many of
the strict colonial laws stand unre-
pealed on the books. Of course, where
they conflict with the more advanced
Ideas Of to-day they have become dead
letters. was the victim of an attempt
to revive one of the old statures myself
when I lived in Washington. City good
many years ago. was the manager OF
the Washington gas works and some
religious enthusiasts brought prose
cution against me for violating the Sab
bath by operating the works on Sun.
day. knew that unless the works ran
on Sunday there would be no gas on
Monday night, and on the ground Oh
public necessity felt sure I would be
sustained in the suit.
'To my surprise found the law not
only exactly against me, but learned
that it was supplemented with severe
penalties. For the first offense the
penalty was heavy fine, and for each
succeeding offense term of imprison
ment. / finally had to settle the case
out of court by the payment of con
siderable sum OF money and the grant
ing of some concessions. That law still
stands on the books, but l have hearC
of no attempt to enforce it since my I'M
happy experience.
Tobacco is a legal tender in Wash
ington at the present time, thanks tx
another of the old colonial laws Ii
the days when Virginia had plenty O.
tobacco and very little money, a law
was passed which made the weed 6
legal tender for debt. If I were il
Washington to-day, and had debt tx
pay, could trundle load of tobacco
down to my creditors place of business
and pay the debt, and he would have nc
right to refuse the offer. It would be
surprise to the members of congress
some fine day if they should find theh
salaries paid in long green Wher
this law was made, what is now the
District of Columbia was part of Vir
ginia, and when it was ceded to the
general government it retained the ole
statutes.
''The queerest of the ancient laws
repealed in the District of Columbia is
one which makes it crime to deny be.
lief in the Holy Trinity, and fixes the
punishment at imprisonment. If that
law were suddenly put into force to,
day it would cause lively agitation. II
was on the books when John Quincy
Adams was president of the United
States and he was a pronounced Uni
tartan. Every Sunday he would go to
the little Unitarian church down on
Sixth street and lead in the singing.
There was strange spectacle during
all that administration of the president
of the United States living in open
violation of the law"