The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1902-03-25
SERMON FOR TAXPAYERS.
Rev J. II. Wood Gives Some Data on mu-
uieipaI Fine Collecting.


At the NJ. f. church last Sunday Rev.
j. II. Wood preached sermon especially
of interest to the friends of the schools
of this city and county and the taxpay-
ers at large. He took his text from
Proverbs IA: "a: righteousness Ex-
alteth Nation but Sin is Reproach to
any People," After dwelling on this
text at some length the speaker called
attention to the municipal affairs of
| North Yakima and the manner of en-
forcing the law.
Law, he said, is the disqualification Of
public sentiment. Our laws are good
and we would be much better by oDserv-
ing them. Anarchy is the offspring of
lawlessness, and the violation of the law
is the father of the anarchist. If the
laws were observed we would not see
streets graded on Sunday, open saloons
on Sunday, "bowery" inside the city
limits, and the gambling that ruins the
young men would not be allowed. Fur
thermore, crimes would not be COM
mitted in the municipal government of
the city. Take the anti-slot machine
law for instance, which says:
Section Amy person or persons who
shall conduct maintain or operate, either
as owner or owners, proprletors, lessee
or lessees, employe or employees, agent
or agents, any nickel-in-the-slot ma
chine, or other device of like character
wherein there enters an element OF
chance, whether the same be played or
operated for money, checks, credits, or
any other thing or representative OF
value, shall be guilty of misdemeanor,
and upon conviction, shall be punished
by fine of not less than ten or more
than one hundred dollars, and in default
of payment of the fine imposed shall be
imprisoned in the county Jail one day
for each two dollars thereof
Sec. 2.-For the purposes of trial and
conviction under this act the possession
of any such machine or device or keep
ing the same in any place accessible to
the public shall be "prima facie' evil
dence against the person in possession
thereof of guilt under this act.
Sec. 3.-Any fine imposed under this
act shall be paid into the county treas
urv of the county wherein such convic-
ton was secured, for the benefit of the
school fund.
Under the provisions of the constitu-
ton of this state, this act went into full
force and effect, and became the law,
which all persons within the state of
Washington must obey, ninety days
after the adjournment of the Legislature.
1t must then have become operative
about the lst of July, 1901, and all pro-
ceedings thereafter; in the matter OF
these gambling devices, in the courts of
this state, must be in accordance with
its provisions, as to procedure, the
amount OF the fine mposed-neitherle less
nor more, the disposition of the fine
after collected-payment into the
county treasury for the benefit of the
school fuud-and the punishment of the
offender in case the fine imposed is not
paid.
The laws OF this state, including civil
and criminal procedure are collated in
two large volumes, known as Ballingers'
Code of the State of Washington.
In Volume of Ballinger's Code is
found the following: "Section 2. If any
person having the knowledge OF any
crime, shall take any money, gratuity,
reward, or any engagement therefor,
upon an agreement or understanding
expressed or implied, to compound OF
conceal such crime or not to prosecute
therefor, he shall on conviction thereof
be imprisoned in the county jail for any
length of time not exceeding one year OF
be fined in any sum not exceeding one
thousand dollars"
In the same volume of this code is
found the following: Section 47S6
The term person may be construed to
include the United States, this state, OIL
any state or territory, or any public Oh
private corporation, as well as individ
ual" Hence in the eyes of the law, the
City OF North Yakima, public corpora
ton, is ''person."
1t is a we'll known rule of law that il
cases of felonies there may be principals
and accessories, but in cases of misde
meanors all OF those who would be ac
cessories before the fact in case of q
felony, those who counsel or abet the
Z ~, l.