The weekly Thibodaux sentinel. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1898-1905, 1900-05-05
Mayor Capdevielle on tns Sunday
Law.


New Orleans was interviewed by the
Times-DelnOcrat reporter in regard to
various matters, and, among other
things, in regard to the Sunday Law.
The Mayor is reported to have SAID,
that every law should be enforced,
out that when it was founi that a
law was lmpracticable, and could not
be enforced, it should be repealed.
He said that it had been demonstra-
ted that the Sunday law, so far as
the city was concerned was an i'm
practicable law, but he did not think
that the country member. would vote
for its repeal. He had been informed
that the law could not be enforced
and he regarded it as an impracticabIe
measure.
With part of the statement of the
new Mayor We agree, and that is
where he states that when law can
not be enforced, It should be repeal
ed. If the Mayor had stopped there
IN his interview, we would not have
disputed his proposition, but the evi.
dent anImus of the chief executive
of the Crescent City manifests Itself
very clearly AS being an enemy of
the observance of Suudsy, when he
gives expression to the disingenuOus
statement, that the Sunday law Can
not be enforced in New Orleans. He
should have been manly enough to
have said openly, that he did not
propose to enforce the law. True, if
he stated the matter in those broad
terms, he would have proclaimed
himself AN official who has no regard
for his official oath, when that oath
comes in conhict with his hostile at
tltude to the Sunday law, but Mr..
Capdevielle would have appeared as
man at least who has The courage
of his convictions.
1t WAS pretended, heretofore, that
the Sunday law could not be enforced
In New Orleans by reason of the fact,
that no juries could he found to
convict, SO unpopular Was the law
considered by the majority of the
people of the city. This was Ger.
talniy reflection On the character of
the men who are called upon to
discharge jury duty IN the criminal
courts of New Orleans, and We have
always refused 10 believe that the
majority of the jurles empaneied III
Sunday law violations could be found
to so perjure themselves as TO disre.
gard The law Of the cases presented
" them when the facts justified
conviction. We can not believe 1t
possible that more than two or three
juries at the most can be found in
New Orleans, 80 destitute of the
moral sense as to disregard their
solemn Oaths as to acqult Sunday
law vioatOrs when their guilt Was
clearly established. We have always
thought that the real reason why the
Sunday law was not enforced in New
Orleans was because the District
Attorney had not the courage to
offend the element opposed to the
Sunday law by fearlessly prosecuting
each aud every one who violated the
law, We are satisfied that if the
District Attorney had acted accord
ing to his oath of office, he would
have announced that he was deter.
mined to enforce the law even if he
had to submit his cases to every man
in the city Of New Orleans liable to
jury duty. If lie had done that,
there would have been no trouble in
enforcing the Sunday law, and it
would have been producing the bene-
ticent effects for the city of New
Orleans that it is having here in the
parish of LSfourche and various
other portions of the State where We
have Judges on the bench, determin-
ed to enforce every law, whether it is
unpopular or not.
The objection that no jures can be
found TO convict IN case of viola.
ton of the Sunday law is no longer
tenable, for the Constitution of the
State empowers criminal courts to
try all misdemeanOrs without jurles.
AS Sunday law offences are nothing
but misdemeanOrs, all that is needed
is to file an affidavit or an informa.
ton against any one violating tn.
law, and try the cases before the
criminal courts. If the criminal
Judges of New Orleans are true to
their oaths of office, they will very
soon see to it that the Sunday law is
enforced in their jurisdiction.
Mayor Capdeviclle is right when
he says that the legislature will not
repeal the Sunday law, for, as he
says, the country members are op.
posed 10 its repeal. The country
members have the welfare of their
constituents at heart, and hence,
believe it to be their duty 10 vote
against any attempt to abolish what
has worked 50 we'll in practice in
their parishes. They are not so
illogical as to believe that if the
Sunday law Is good thing for their
constituents, 1t must be an equally
good thing when applied to the con.