The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-26
PwURITANICAL LAWS
Inconsistencies of Old New
Jersey Statutes Pointed
Out.
DEAD LETTER ACTS ON THE BOOKS
Odd Attempts to Restrain Personal
Liberty-Laws for the Slaugh-
ter of Wolves.
DEAD LETTER ACTS ON THE BOOKS

IA
There are many people In this States
| respectable men and women, who persist
| entity, although ~involuntarily. violate the
laws of the Commonwealth, says the
| Newark Sunday Call. So sweeping ana
p~uritanical are some of our oid-time en-
actments that 1t is wcll-nigh Impossible
for a mortal man, especially in this
broad-minded age. to observe them ALL
The laws for Sunday observance, as an
example, besides forbidding fishing Gun
der o penalty of $14). racing, frequentihg
of tippiing houses, any interiudes or
| plays, or playing at football. quoits or
long-bullets. expressly forbids all travel
ing, worldly employment or business, or
binary OF servile labor or work, either
upon land or water. ION hi Christian
Sabbath or first day of the week, COM
monty called Sunday"
Some of these old laws are still on our
statute books, and are very proper IN
substance and effect. although rather
ludicrous in wording. The eighth section
of our Vice and immortality act COM
menees: Whereas. public shows ex-
hibitions of diverse kinds have OF late pc
come very frequent and common IN Inns
State. whereby many Stranger ana
worthless persons have unjustly gained
and taken to themselves conslderapie
sums of money; and it being found, on
experience, that such shows and exhlpl-
ions tend to no good or useful purpose
to society, but, On the contrary, to coliect
together great numbers of idle ana IN
wary spectators. as well as children and
servants to crafty vain and useless cur
iosity. loosen or corrupt the morals OF
youth and straighten and impov-
erish many poor families" After
this rather long-winded preface, the
law goes on to forbid (uniess
licensed by three justices sof the
~peace), "any interludes, farces or
plays of any kind. or any games, tricks,
Juggling or sleight-of-hand, or any bear
batting or bull-baiting, or such like shows
or exhibitions under a penalty OF Slo
for each offence.
Very few persons are aware that 1T Is
forbidden by law in this State to sell,
give or in any way dispose of spirituous
or malt liquor within three miles OF a
place of public worship while services
are being held. This law, to be sure. does
not apply to licensed tavern-keepers, but
it bears the spirit and language of a
sterner age han ours.
AMONGST OLD ENACTMENTS.
1t is not, however. until we reach the
very old enactments that we find matter
of great interest. The laws that Were
passed from the time of the planting of
the colony until about the year 1920 are,
many of them, interesting to the histor-
ian, the student of human nature and
the ~antiquary; they reflect very accurate
ly the conditions of life in which our
forefathers lived, as we'll as some of the
hardships and dangers with which they
had to contend. Among many others was
enacted a law making 1t a crime for chill
dren above the age of IA to strike or
curse their parents. and to the stern
MIND of that day so heinous was this
crime that it was punished with death.
Frequent statutes were passed regulating
intercourse with the Indians, the people
were exhorted to convert. their negro
slaves and h Indians to the Christian
ammunition: trade with the savages was
regulated, and 1t was forbidden to sell
them liquor except under certain amposea
Cornbury, written in 1747. Queen Anne
used the following language: 'Forasmuch
as great Inconvenience may arise by
the liberty of printing in our said pro-
vince, you are to provide, by all neces-
sary orders. that no person keep, any
press for printing, nor that n book.
be printed without your special leave and
license first obtained" tyranical and
unjust as this law may seem, 1T is
passed by the legislature at an earlier
period. On the 26th day of May. 1858,
the Legislature met, consisting of the
ernor. seven of the council and ten bur
Elements Of Bergen. El~isabethtown; New
IL 4x.N~ IOnn16ri6c A
MiddIetown and Shrewsbury. On the
both of that month they passed a law
| e~mbodying all capital offences and other
s ssver mnrder pun false witness fitness. was as MADE me,s
punishable by death, as was also
any conspiracy or public attempt
te to la1aae fort e or so FORTS within ahg 'f THIS
enactment is the Following: "Ifem-If
either snE ps msls OF BE fem IS a they se 81 shai 4 s wi5 paft
to deatll.e This law was r~e-enacted in
1878, and was u~nrepealed until 1796.
both. It was, moreover, declared: IF
any man shall wilfully or fnrcibly steal
away any mankind, he shall be put to
THE SLAUGHTER OF WOLVES.
Rather an amusing thing is shown by
the laws encouraging the slaughter of
wolves; In e 1919 was aI passed eSs i q law apn r9Hmihs is
at any pains or cost for killing of wolves
\ within the bounds of any of the towns
| of this Province: for every grown wolf
SO killed fifteen shillings out Of the coun-
ty treasury" This lazy was
the animals that in 1899 the reward was
doubled. This must have encouraged the
| Nirnrods of the day, for after O period it
was enacted, that all former laws on
| this subject be repealed and that each
town and hamlet should pass its WI
laws for the exterminatfon of the pest.
Perhaps the most remarkable law ever
passed on the 18th day of June, 1893. 1t
was Just after the War of the Revolu-
ton had come to q successful ter1nina-
ton the States had shaken off the
British ynke, but could not cure them
selves of the prejudice against the moth
anote in ull,shows. 1t reads as follows:
aBe 1t enacted that no adjudication. de-
cision or opinion made, had or given in
any court of law or equity of Great
i Britain. or any cause therein depending
nor any printed report or statement
thereof, nor any compilation, comment
ary : digest lecture, treatise Or
the common law since the Attn
our Lord onn thousand seven hundred
and seventy-six, in Great Britain, shall be
received or read IN n court of law
l. or equity in this State as law, or evil
/ dance of the law, or elucidation or ex-
plantation thsreof any practice, opinion
used, entertained or expressed to the
i contrary hens1pf Notwithstanding.
This 4aws when we consider that the
English common law, is the basis OF all
r. the, law hi this country. IS q most mar
roW n1i4ndsd and foolish snsstEaent ana