The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1906-07-28

liable to arrest and prosecution therefor" !"
SHERIFF SEALS REPLY.
Gulfport, Miss, July 26, 1906.
/ To the Biloxi Herald:
Section t29t, Revised Code, reads:
"If anv person on the first day of the
week, commonly called Sunday, shall
himself labor at his own or any other
| trade, calling or business, or shall employ
| his apprentice or servant in labor or
other business, except it be in the ordi-
nary household offices daily of necessity
or other works of necessity or charity,
he shall, on conviction, be fined not
more than twenty-five dollars for each
offense, deeming every apprentice or
servant so employed as constituting a
distinct offense; but nothing in this Sec
ton shall apply to labor on railroads or
steamboats,
Judge Hardy claims that a broad, lit
eral Interpretation of the above would
except dealers in ice, soda water, coca
cola, meats, and licensed hacks, etc. ,etc.
In my dense ignorance | thought that
the only exemption from the operation
of the above would be the exemption
named, to-wit: "labor on railroads and
steamboats,"
If selling ice, fish, meat, bread, etc.,
come under the head of "other work of
necessity" then l see no reason why
the corner grocery should be restrained
from selling green shoulders, red beans,
ETC., such commodities being as neces-
sary to the poor man as sirloin steak is
to the rich.
| have been under the impression that
drug stores could be kept open for the
sale of the medicine only, and not Of
pencils, perfumery, papeties, playing
cards, soap, knives, candy, ice cream
and soda water, and for the good reasons
that stationery stores, carrying many OF
these articles, are closed hard and fast.
Section 1892 prohibits ''a merchant,
shopkeeper, or other person, from keep
ing open store, or disposing of any
wares or merchandise, goods or chattels,
on Sunday, or selling or bartering the
same"
And the custom, in many parts of
Mississippi, of dispensing of nothing on
Sunday, and especially so in our neigh
boring county, Jackson, led me to be-
lieve that a strict Interpretation of the
Sunday law had brought about such G.
termination.
OF course, | am no lawyer and have
no right to construe statutes, but abso-
Lutte fairness to all demands that should
endeav1r to be ius6 to evary one.
We have lately had long, wearisome
term of the circuit court, presided over
by learned Judge, who, impressively
and learnedly, in his charge, called the
attention of the grand jurors to the
many violations against the laws.
An intelligent grand jury, at great
expense to the county, investigated all
the matters mentioned in the charge
and vet. for some reason, not an indict-
ment was found against Sunday viola =
tors.
If the persons who complained to the
Judge about the various infractions of
the law had gone before the grand jury
and disclosed what they knew, no doubt
many indictments would have been
found.
felt that, in calling my attention to
baseball players and saloonkeepers only,
it was narrowing things down to too fine
point, and resolved that | would n OF
be party to any such proceeding.
However, as these questions are now
virtually decided, and we are at last en- =
| lightened as to what the Sunday law
really means, [ shall, in the future,
shape my conduct in strict conformity
with this late Interpretation.
F. SEAL.