The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-03
TWO NEW PENAL LAWS
SALOON KEEPERS AND VAC
 RANTS MUST BE wATCHrUL.
Alabama Statute Striking at Idlers Becomes Effective Today and Whiskey Dealers Must
 Close on Sunday.

Vagrants and saloonkeepers must be watchful of law officers after to-day. Penal laws passed by the last Legis- lature became effective at midnight last night under the constitutional provision
 requiring lapse of thirty days after
 adjournment of the Legislature for them
 to become operative.
 The two most important of these laws
 are the new vagrancy statute and the law restricting or prohibiting the sale of liquors on Sunday
 The vagrancy law being sweeping in character. is again published for infor- nation of law officers and the public. It is as follows:
 "Section L Be it enacted by the Leg islature of Alabama, That any person wandering or strolling about in idleness. who Is able to work. and has no property to support him, or any person leading an idle. immoral or profiigate life. hay Ing no property to support him, and who is able to work and does not work; or any person able to work having no property to support him. and who has no visible or known means of fair, honest and reputable livelihood; the term visible and known means of fair. honest and reputable livelihood above used shall be construed to mean reason able. continuous employment. at some lawful occupation. for reasonable com- pensa ton. or a fixed and regular in come from property or other investment.
 which income Is sufficient for the sup port and maintenance of such vagrant) or any person having a fixed abode. who
 has no property to support him. and who lives by stealing, trading or barter ing stolen property; or any person who Is a common drunkard or a professional gambler. living in idleness; or any able
 bodied person who is found begging Tor
 ,rA F. n leaves his wife and children without
 means of subsistence. or any person who Is able to work. and who does not work,
 but hires out his minor children and
 lives upon their wages: or any person
 over l6 and under 2 years. able to work and who does not work. and has no prop
 erty to support him. and has not some
 known and visible means of fair. honest and reputable livelihood. and whose par
 ents are unable to support him. and who Is not in attendance upon some educa- tonal institute; or any person who Is a prostitute or a keeper of a house of pros- titution. and who has no honest employ ment whereby to maintain herself. is hereby declared to be vagrant and must on conviction he fined not more than five hundred ($500) dollars and may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than six months. Provided, that shall be sufficient defense to the charge of vagrancy under any of the pro- visions of this act that the defendant has made bona fde efforts to obtain employ ment at reasonable prices for his labor and has failed to obtain the same. The
 provisions of this act shall not apply to persons who are idle under strike orders or lockouts.
 "Sec. 2. Be 1t further enacted, That | it shall be and is hereby made the duty | of the sheriff and constables of every | county the police and town marshals or other like officers of every town and
 city in this State to give information un- | der oath to any officer now empowered
 by law to issue criminal warrants for all vagrants within their knowledge or | who they may have good reason to sus- | pect as being vagrants in their respec- l tive counties, towns and cities, and there- upon 1t shall be the duty of said officers 1 to issue a warrant for the apprehension of the person alleged to be the vagrant,
 making the same to be returnable to | some court of the county, having Juris-
 diction in misdemeanor cases.
 Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That | Section 652S of the Code, and all other laws or parts of laws in conflict with
 the provisions of this act be. and the same are hereby repealed"
 At the county jail yesterday it was | Sal0 that no pTOVlSiOH Wdo IOI HO- tifying persons who are daily violating
 the vagrancy law that 1t would become | operative to-day. It was said. however, that the law would be enforced
 "The police of Montgomery" said Po-
 lice Chief A. S. Gerald. "cannot under take to enforce all of the State laws. expect to have a conference with Sheriff w. R. Waller. and reach some under standing about the vagrancy law before
 I issue an order to patrolmen. It strikes at a class of offenders that Is almost | impossible to control with our limited force"
 Next Sunday. 1t is believed. every
 whiskey saloon in Montgomery will be
 closed. Saloon keepers are familiar with provisions of the new law. It imposes
 heavy penalty for selling liquor on
 Sunday On the second offense. the sa- loon keeper forfeits his license