The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-11
LIPPINCOl'p'S CHARGE.
Attention Drawn to the Dugan
Incident nt-Water and Sun
day Rum.

Judge Lippincott opened the December
term of court this morning. on the
bench was a large vase filed with lilies
and white chrysanthemums and two
portraits. one of the late Judge Knapp
and the other Justice Lippincett These
we're the gifts of Counsellor Harry
Wells, who also put an ivy leaf INTO
Bible. with one of the pages turned
down at that interesting chapter headed
..IElinhaz accuses Job of divers crimes.
Whether or not the author of the gifts
meant this as a joke, did not appear
1t is more likely he turned down the
wrong page, because the next one Is
headed, Jobs innocency," more sulta-
BILE allusion.
Justice Lippincott took a long sniff at
the flowers, admired the portraits, and
erinned when he read the Biblical al
lusions and proceeded Immediately to
call the calendar for the new term.
Meanwhile downstairs in the Grand
Jurv room the members of the new
Grand Jury were convening. An hour
later they notified the Court that they
were ready, and Justice Lippincotf in-
terrupting the reading of the calendar,
returned word that he would be pleased
to see them and talk to them
Headed by Foreman Frederick M.
Lockwood they marched in, and after
the usual oath taking, ETC., Justice Lip
pincott delivered this charge:-
Gentlemen of the Grand Inquest:-
The Grand Jury of the September term
adjourned yesterday, and I assume that
the current public business usually com
ing before a Grand Jury has been quite
well disposed of.
list of prisoners now confined in
Jail will be laid before you, and the Court
desires that you give attention to those
cases at once that the Jail may be
discharged of as many of them as pos
sivle as speedily as possible.
SUNDAY LIQUOR SELLING.
The violation of the law on the Illegal
sale of Intoxicating liquor on Sundays
continues In 1876 l remember listening
to an emphatic charge Of the late Mr..
Justice Redle on this subject. He le-
peated the charge nearly every term of
court while he was on the bench After
him the late Mr. Justice Knapp charged
the Grand Jury to indict the offenders
against these laws MIR. Justice Werts
each term whilst here also charged the
Grand Jury to nQlcl. nave uOuS 81
each term for the last two years.
In every instance the charge has been
direct and emphatic as to the duty of the
Grand Jury The Grand Jury has as
regularly refused to indict well known
perpetrators of the offense of selling
Intoxicating liquors on Sunday / think
it is time to say that the courts have
signally failed in this county in their
attempts to enforce this law, and it is
either because the Sheriffs cannot ind
Grand Jurors who will indict upon the
evidence presented or ebtainable, or else
1t is because public sentiment is adverse
to the enforcement of this law. The
Court is fully aware of the situation and
the use which both political parties make
Of it. The duty of the Court Is plain
and that duty is to do its utmost to ems
force the law which remains on the
statute books; but it cannot go any
further than to earnestly invoke you to
indict the Offenders, and save the State
the inaignity of preserving laws upon
the statute books which 1t cannot or