Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-19

paper falling due or maturing on such
holiday day s shall be deemed as having matured
on the Saturday previous
Still Further Amended.
On June is, 1888 (25 Stat, 1850, said sec
ton $685. R. S. d. c., was further amended
by adding to the days therein declared to
| be holidays within the said District, tina;
day upon which the President of the
United States is inaugurated, other
WISE WISE Ca called ed inauguration day. and
| the purposes mentioned in said section"
| On August l, 1888 (25 Statutes, 35D the
| "oth day of May in each year, usually call
| ca decoration day, was made holiday in
| the District of Columbia as fully and in all
! respects as are the days mentioned as
mondays in section $685. Revised Statutes,
| District of Columbia
| On December y, 1892 CT Statutes 400,
saturday was made a half holiday for
banking and trust company purposes in the
| DlStrlct of Columbia. and on February Is.
1898. said act was amended. ION Statute
| 1859
On June %. 1894 C2s Statute, 96). Labor
DAY was made legal holiday in the fol-
| lowing words:
That the first Monday of September in
each year, being the day celebrated and
known as labor's holiday, is hereby made
a legal public holiday to all intents and
purposes, in the same manner as Christ
mas. the 1st day of January, the I'D day
| OF February, the Both day of May, and the
4th day of July are now made by law pub
| lie holidays"
ject of holidays is the act approved July 4,
| 1886 g Statute, 112). This relates ex
| clusively to the transaction of public bust
ness in the offices and bureaus of the gen.
eral government, and is as follows
That from the LIST day of the month OF
| October until the 1st day of the month of
! April, in each and every year. the general
| land office and all the bureaus and offices
| therein. a well he
| of the Treasury, War, Navy, State and
! General Post Office shall be open for the
| transaction of the public business at least
| eight hours in each and every day, except
| Sundays and the 25th day of December and
from the 1st day of April until the LIST day
| of October in each year all the aforesaid
| offices and bureaus shall be kept open for
the transaction of the pubic business at
| least ten hours in each and every day, eX-
cept Sundays and the 4th day of July"
Two Joint Resolutions.
| There are two joint resolutions of Con-
gress also which relate to the pay of per
| diem employees Of the general government
at Washington, or elsewhere in the United
States, viz:
1. Joint resolution approved January g.
1885 f23 Statute $50, which reads as fol-
lows:
That the employees of the navy yard.
government printing office, bureau of print
ing and engraving and all other per diem
employees of the government on duty at
Washington or elsewhere in the United
States shall be allowed the following holt
days, to wit: The LIST day of January, the
22d day of February, the 4th day of July,
the 18th day of December and such days
as may be designated by the President as
days for national Thanksgiving, and shall
receive the same pay on other days"
Joint resolution approved February %,
1887 GA Statute GID, which reads as fol-
lows
That all per diem employees of the gov
eminent, on duty at Washington or else
where in the United States, shall be allow
as Memorial or Decoration day and
the 4th of July of each year as holidays,
and shall receive the same pay as on other
days"
joint resolutions were affected by the code
of law for the District of Columbia which
expressly excepted from repeal in its con-
Guiding chapter:
lating solely to the departments of the gen.
eral government in the District of Columbia
or any of Them
Repealed by Former Act.
| But not so the remaining aforementioned
acts of Congress; being general and per-
| manent in their nature, and applying solely
to the District of Columbia, they were, in
| my opinion, repealed by section 1886, which
reads follows:
"All acts and parts of acts of the general
assembly of the state of Maryland, general
and permanent in their nature, all like acts
and parts of acts of the legislative assem-
| bly, of the District of Columbia, and all like
| acts and parts of acts of Congress applying
| solely to the District of Columbia in force
| in said District on the day of the passage
| Of this act are hereby repealed, except,
| ETC.
| If L am correct in this view of the re-
| pealing clause of the code, then it follows
! that the only provisions for holidays in the
| District of Columbia, outside of the above
| mentioned provisions respecting the offices
| of the general government, are those found
| in said section 1883 of the code, which, un-
amended. restricted said holidays to ''holi-
| days within the meaning of this section;"
and the amendment may have been intended
| to remove that restriction.
Whatever its purpose may have been, its
| legal effect was to place all of the desgnat-
| ed holidays on the same footing. AS above
| indicated, the amendment to this section,
| now under consideration, was a departure
in phrase from the other amendments to
the chapter; the change of phrase appear
| ing to have been made eX industrial
If the intention had been to make every
Saturday after u o'clock noon a hiliday
| only for purposes relating to negotiable in
| done by declaring every Saturday half
| holiday within the meaning of this chap
ter"
| Same Sense as Other Days.
I am, therefore, of the opinion that by
| reason of said amendment to the code
| every Saturday after y o'clock noon is
| a holiday in the District of Columbia in
| the same sense and to the like extent as
| the other days enumerated in said section
| 1889.
| 1t will be observed that the only business
| Of any character prohibited by the code on
| these holidays relates to matters concern
| ing negotiable instruments.
| These holidays, therefore, are not to be
classed with Sundays, which, at common
| law, was dies non juridicus.
| Speaking of holidays, the Supreme Court
| Of the United States in Richardson agt.
| Goddard (23 How. 2O said
| Formerly the courts sat even on Sun
| days: nor were contracts made on that day
| considered illegal or void until the statute
| Of % ChaS. H. was enacted whereby no
person whatever Is allowed to do or exer-
| else any worldly labor or work Of their