The record-union., 1892-08-24
SOME QUEER OLD LAWS.
Many Strict Colonial Laws Yet Stand
Unrepealed in the East.

Uncle Joe" Brown, of the County
Clerks Office in Indianapolis, is one OF
the quleteSt 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 in
formation go back to the room where
Uncle Joe' works and he explains it TO
their satisfaction. This sort of procedure
IS matter OF daily occurrence, and the
Oh gentleman'S encyclopedia fund OF
knowledge is proverbial. The other day,
alter i delegation of Information seekers,
including an indianapolis NetCS reporter
had learned what they were in search of,
they hung around "Uncle Ioe's' desk to
hear some of his "reminiscences which
their questions called up fresh to his
memory.
1T is strange how the old laws cling to
the statute books" he said, neditatively,
In the Eastern States many OF the strict
colonial laws stand unrepealed ON the
books: Or course, where they conflict
with the more advanced ideas of to-day
they become dead letters. [ was the
victim OF an attempt TO revive one of the
Ola statutes myself when lived in Wash
lngton city good many years ago
was the manager of the Washington Gas
Works, and some religious enthusiasts
brought prosecution against me for vio-
latlng the sabbath by operating the works
on Sunday. / knew that unless the
works run on Sunday there would be no
gas on Monday night, and, on the ground
OF public necessity, felt sure that | would
be sustained in the suit. 10 nav surprise
found the law not only exactly against
me, but learned that it was supplemented
with severe penalties. For the first Of
tense the penalty was a heavy fine, and
for each succeeding otfenSe term Of inn
nrlSOnn w. oI tn FL,
case out of court by the payment of a
considerable sum of money and the
granting OF some concessions. That law
still stands on the books, but have heard
OF no attempt to enforce it since my I'M
happy experience.
Tobacco is legal tender in Washing
ton az the present time. thanks to another
of the old colonial laws. In the DAYS
when Virginia had plenty of tobacco and
very little money, law was passed which
made the weed legal tender for debt If
l were i'll Washington to-day and had a
debt to pay, L could trundle load of to-.
bacco down to my creditors place of
business and pay the debt, and he would
have no right to refuse the offer 1t would
be surprise TO the members of Congress
some tine day II they should find their
salaries paid IN long green When this
law was made, what is now the District
OF Column bla was part of Virginia. and
when 1t was coded to the General Gov
eminent it retained the old statutes. The
queerost OF ancient law, which has been
allowed to remain unrepealed in the Dis
trict of Columbia. is one which makes it
crime to deny belief in the Holy Trim
lty, and fixes he punishment at impris-
onment. If that law were suddenly put
into force to-day it would cause a lively
agitation. 1t was on the books when
John Quincy Adams was President OF the
United States, and he was pronounced
Unitarian. Every Sunday he would go
to the little Unitarian Church down on
Sixth street and lead in the singing,
There was a strange spectacle during all
that administration OF the President of
the United States living in open violation
OF the law"