The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-03-21
UNJUST THINGS
Done UNDER Law
Many hings' it Sanctions are
Foolish and Unfair
Some Instances.
eLeslie's weekly.)

E.I"
The man who breaks the law should
be punished. That is what everybody
says and most people believe It, Yet
some things done under the sanction
OF the law are foolish, unfair and un.
just.
Not long ago an cutlery was heard
against the English sparrow. Straight
way a Law was passed. in one Of our
leading states imposing a fine Of S.
on anybody p might feed a spar
row. Under this law a child who
threw crumbs to the birds in the park
might be arrested and fined IL a spar
row were among them. This under
the law!
Recently several newspaper editors
and a number Of merchants in a lit.
Tie MISSOURI town We're arrested by a
with violating the lottery law, be-
cause they advertised a series Of sales
of merchandise with drawings of
premiums in gold. Not lon~ ago The
United states government openly adj
vertised a drawing of public latds by
lottery and the names of the winners
or the lucky prizes were printed in
A prominent. business BUR.
chasing goods abroad of a certain
grade. was suddenly asked to paw thu
emitted states government a large
amount of money for custom dues on
the ground that the goods imported
were of a higher grade than that un.
der which they had been entered. The
found that the agent employed to pur-
chase the goods had entered them at
the custom house as low grade and
they had been sold as such, accorG-as
to the books. They were really OF
higher grade and the employee had
conspfred with. a dealer to purchase
some profit. which the dealer divided
with the unfaithful employee. The
concern was not a beneficiary to the
fraud. 1t dismissed and took Inn
mediate steps to prosecute him. Il
pointed out to the government that
the goods had been examined by the
custom house appraisers and passed
as low grade. and that it val unfair,
therefore. to impose a penalty. The
government admitted all this, but
wrung a large amount Of one out
OF the importers on threat Of prose.
cution. This was unde~ the law.
A merchant on the Mexican border
accepted a number of silver dollars
IN trade. believing them to be genu-
Inc. They contained as much silver
as the standard United States dollar.
which H. worth. intriEsically. about
half its: face value. It was disclosed
that they had been manufactured. out
Of Mexican dollars by a counterfeiter.
n merchant was an innocent party.
When the government seized the dol.
lars and melted them into silver bull
lion he asked that the bullion be re-
turned to him; +as he had paid for it.
He was told that this was Impossible.
He had to stand the loss. This was
under the law!
A prominent magazine printed an
advertisement Offering watches at a
reduced price. It directed the reader
to cut out the advertisement, send it
with the necessary amount and he
would receive the watch. The pub
lished was notified. hat the entire
edition Of his magazine was held up
in the postofice. and could not be
delivered because q regulation had
been adopted %forbidding the cutting
out of an advertisement or coupon
in such a hammer After much delay
the postoffice department permitted
the magazine to be delivered on prom
Use that the offense would not be re-
peated. This was under the law. So