Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1915-06-25
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ARE WE LAW ABIDING CiTiZENS?


there has been great deal of uncaledfor agitation
IN Beach recently over the closing of the moving pic
ture shows on Sunday. see for any agita-
tion on this question The law is plain and to conduct
would be to conduct prize fight bull fight, gamb-
ing house blind pig There is why any =
particular person set OF persons should be given IL
to disregard laws and openly violate them =
There may be question in the minds Of as to =
whether this particular law is good law but that
is not the question deal with The question which =
have to deal with is smp ply whether are law =
abiding citizens of North Dakota-or are we outlaws? -
1t will be remembered that only few years ago the *
attorney general was called Beach and prose-
cute people in midst for operating blind pigs and
houses of i'll fame; and will also be remembered that
there those at that time who protested on the
ground that the prohibition law was bad law and the
other necessary evil. In spite of these unthnkng
protests these laws have been enforced not only in
Beach but through the state, and today those who
formerly protested against these laws now realizing
that they good laws and should have been enforced
long The Sunday theatre law is being enforced
throughout the state, in Grand Forks Fargo Valley
City Jamestown Bismarck Mandan and other cities and
there is why Beach should be exception as
long within the borders of the and under
the jurisdiction of its laws.
= If the law is bad law it should be killed by the leg
islaure, but nasmuch own legislators made no
effort to kill the law they should be criticised anyone
" " is to be blamed for its being on the statutes
= When took my oath of office as MAYOR of Beach
took oath to uphold the laws and enforce hem and
as long as it is within my power stop law violation
= and prevent crime, going to do that 1t is better
to prevent crime than to punish the criminal after the
cine has been committed 1t is better to prevent the
motion picture shows from operating on Sundav than it
: is to pull the roplietors into and punish then, at
the expense of the public. 1t doesn't cost anything to
prevent the shows from running but it would cost con
y siderable to conduct criminal action in the courts
y And further have desire to make public EXAMPLE
" OF anyone, unless wishes to break into ia
and he do that without the assistance of the
- II he insists attempting operate show house on
= the Sabbath :
y am that there are attorneys in Beach who 10
: not agree with in my of enforcing this law
Naturally they want to get opportunity to get into
court and air their vews-not only the Sunday the
" atre law, but on the mayor WE'LL 1t means money for
the lawyers when they go court but as means un-
y necessary to the public do not propose to en-
ter into any unnecessary suits simply for the benefit of
= the lawyers.
1t is violation of specific law in this state to op
" crate show house the Sabbath and propose to en-
force that law as long remain in the navors office
" and it is within my power do so And appreciate
the cooperation of the states attorney and sheriff i;
law enforcement matters
1t it is an Unpopular thing in North Dakota to prevent
crime and enforce state laws, then take great
y" pride in being unpopular ]. w. BRINTON Mavor.
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