The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-07-30
DR.. WASS0N ASKS
SOMMER WHY NOT
ENFORCE ALL LAWS
In Open Letter Says: "Why Do
You Pick Out Sunday Sa-
loon-Closing Law ?"
PUTS FOUR PERTINENT
QUERIES TO SHERIFF
Wants to Know if He Didn't EN-
ploy "Beardless Boy" to
Obtain Certain Evidence.

IN a long pubic letteT the nov Ii.
E. A Wasson, rector of ST. Stephens
Church. asks Sheriff Sommer why he
enforces the Sunday saloon CLOSING law
while he permits the violation of other
Sunday laws After expressing his
doubt that Mr.. Sommer could be re-
elected sheriff, DIR. Wasson cites in his
letter, which is printed in The Crown
today, the New Jersey statutes, still In
force, which prohibits practically
everything on Sunday except going to
church. Even railroads are prohibited
from operating more than one train a
day in each direction.
When Sheriff Sommer was shown a
copy of THE EVENING STAR contain
ing DIR. Wassons letter, he said:
Il am always interested In reading
DR.. Wasson's letters, but 1 have no
statement to make today"
DR.. Wasson asks Sheriff Sommer to
publish the specific items in his recent
bill against the county for securing
evidence by which he attacked cer-
tain evil. The minister desires to know
II it is true that he employed men to
break the law with the violators OF that
law. if he sent these men into dens OF
vice. to conspre to degrade themselves
and to compound the crime they were
employed to suppress.
shertff's "Contrndictory Attitude
"The chief difficulty, however, in the
way of many who think well of you
as all official is your seemingly contra
d,ctory attitude in rotation to the Sun
day saloon on the one hand and other
Sunday illegalities on the other" DIR.
Wassun writes 1T looks as though
you specially selected one Sunday law
for enforcement, and condoned the vio-
la ton of many others. Your course in
this matter Is remarkable because it
involves a radical departure from the
practise of your predecessors. AS you
know, they ignored all these Sunday
laws impartially; yet they were no
doubt good men and good citizens, as
men and citizens go. But their con-
ception of their duty differed from
yours and many good citizens, here
and elsewhere, would approve their
conception rather than yours.
"Now, the law of the State requires
saloons to be closed on Sunday, and
always has required 1t. And your oath
obliges you to enforce the law. Is not,
then. your duty plain? Have you any
option? Should not the odium, If any,
be visited on the law and the legislator
rather than on the public servant. who
only does what he has sworn to do? 1t
IS commonly said, indeed, that this is
your justification of your course. If
you don't like the law, change it, you
are reported to have answered.
The Broad View.
''Is your position, broadly. this: That
is your duty, under your oath, to
,nforce, so far as your resources will
permit (even to the employment of pri-
rate agencies) the laws as you find
hem on the statute book and else
where, without discrimination among
those laws, and whether they are popu-
ar or unpopular? If so, remark that
that is an Ineligible and rational posi-
ton. / do not say that 1t is. or that 1t
is not, the only ineligible and rational
position. Indeed 1t Is not In fact the
common position. There is another that
is actually held, though little is said of
ii in words. 1t is that the laws are to
be enforced with regard to the sense
and preferences of the citizens to whom
the official is primarily responsible, who
have put him in office, and whose bread
he eats. AS good citizens as can be
found anywhere have entertained this
conception of their duty as public citi-
zens. For instance, Mr. Seth Low was
one such He made no effort whatever,
either as mayor of Brooklyn or as
mayor of New York. to enforce the
Sunday closing law, and he let it be
plainly understood that he would not
interfere with the Sunday saloon. as
long as it was orderly. Governor
Hughes, of New York, In practise takes
that view; for he knows that in New
York city, where he lives, the saloons
are open on Sunday.
Fails to Enforce Many Laws.
your conception of your office. how
ever, differs from that of this class; for
you enforce law that is obnoxious TO
the community that elected you. You
do not take the position that you are
under oath bound to enforce all laws, |
so far as your agencies permit. without
reference to what people think of them.
I am positive that that is not your con-
viction, for you do not put 1t into prac-
tise. That Is, there are laws, and many |
of them. of which you are aware, that
are hagrantly, openly, notoriously, and |
universally violated, and yet which you
make not the slightest effort to enforce. |
Now with many other acts. Sunday
baseball Is certainly forbidden by this