The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-25
BALTIMORE BLUE LAWS.
business Houses of Every Dcscrip-
ton Must Close on sunday.

BALTIMORE. Jan 24.-Next Sunday
will be Blue Sunday. Before the day OF
rest arrives shopkeepers all over the city
will be notified that they must close up
tight on Sunday. The duty of notifying
those who have been keeping open and
those who close up as well will dcvolve
upon the police of Baltimore After tue
dealers have been notified the police viii
be pressed into service as detectives, and
they will receive instruction to get evidence
against all violators Of the law. This evi-
dence will include lists OF witnesses upon
whom the grand jury will call for evidence.
The agitation OF the Sunday law viola
ton has been going on since 1890. No ae-
ton was taken at first toward the enforce
ment of the law as il stood on the books.
but in 1891 the grand jury wrote Letter
to the Board OF Police Commissioners ask
ing that all offenders be reported The
letter was written by General Berry when
he was foreman of the grand jury. Then
followed three or four Sundays when the
city OF Baltimore was like a mausoleum on
the Sabbath. Cigar shops, soda water foun
tains, candy stores, ice cream saloons, and
every place that usually kept open on Sun
days was barred and bolted.
Another grand jury came in and failed
to prosecute the offenders. Since that time
when the subject has been brought to the
notice of grand juries they have over
looked it. and the matter has passed on.
A week or so ago the clergymen of Bal
timore VINO were interested began to wri.e
letters to the police board. The ministers
asked that the law in the Sunday closing
matter be enforced. The letters became so
numerous and the agitation became so
great that the Board OF Police Commits
sioners made statement. in which they
set forth that they were powerIess to act
in the matter without the cooperation of
the grand jury. In view Of the number of
letters that they received from clergymen
the board indited a message to the grand
jury for the January term, in which they
asked the jury about their position in the
matter The following letter was received
this morning;
To the Board Of Police Commissioners:
Gentlemen-In response 10 the request made by
YOUR board last week that this Jury make known
to you its wishes in regard to making arrests for
violations Of the Sunday laws. in order that YOU
might cooperate with NJ intelligently. we will
say that our oaths as jurors require us to enforce
all laws on the statute books without respect of
persons; and to quote from the charge TO the
jury: '"rhe good or bad policy OF any system Of
law IS matter for the Legislature; you (wr)
having neither the pardoniug nor the dispensing.
power The former is the prerogativc OF the
executive alone. while the right to dispense with
valid existing laws is nowhere to be found in
our form OF government"
We find the Sunday laws existing upon
the statute books, and therefore, jurors we
expect in compliance with oaths, to present
for tril' all persons violating their enactmeuts
upon presentation to us Of proof sufficient in
our opinion to secure conviction But in making
arrests under these laws we desire TO call youf
attention to the fact that certain exceptions have
been made to their applieation-viz.: the sale OF
milk and OF ice and the hlfing of doctors pre-
seriptions and we will order nc presentments in
such cases.