Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-13
'0USTER. LAW" FORCED
ON VIRGINIA BY SENATE.
refused to Adopt Measure Designed
Solely to Enforce New
"MoraI" Acts.
Now SWEEPING IN TERMS
applies Principally to Sabbath Day,
Owing to Liberal Interpretation
Heretofore Given in Cities of
Statutes Governing Sunday Labor.

statutes Governing Sunday Labor.
IL there Is any real danger of the
custer laws interfering with Sabbath
day conveniences which have come TO
be regarded by the people az necessary.
the House of Delegates of Virginia
may virtuously shift the burden of
blame TO the upper house. which alone
VAS responsible for broadening the
law to make 1t apply to every case
in which local or State officials have
been found guilty of failing to enforce
the statutes.
The ''ouster-bill' chapter of the pro-
ceedinRs OF the last General Assembly
is an interesting one. Late last Janu
ary when the Mapp prohibition bill
was introduced In the Senate. announce
that there would follow shortly an
custer bill designed to strengthen the
enforcement of the prohibition, anti
vice and antiEambinG laws.
At that time it was not contemplated
10 make the custer law general in it's
application. 1.-The right arm of prohi-
hilton" is what the dry" leaders cali
cd the bill. Its very language limited
II In application TO officers charged
with the nonenforcement OF the So
LAW MADE UNIVERSAL
IN IT'S APPLICATION
IN this form II was reported By the
senate Committee on Moral and So
cial Welfare on February IA. On Feb
ruary %, when the bill came up on it's
passage. the Senate attached the
amendment which made the law uni
vevsal In application and which now
threatens the State with n reason Of
blue law enforcement reminiscent of
the days Of the Puritan fathers.
1T would make us the laughing
stock Of the Senate" said Senator Can
non, Of Richmond. on the fateful Feb
ruary IS, Ito solemnly sit here. and.
b" i'm piication. put the stamp of our
approval upon the reimbursement OF
other laws, provided officers did their
duty in the enforcement OF these ape-
cial statutes. II to have such
law. BY all means make II general
IN it's application"
There was no evading the logic of
. this argument, and the Senate proceed
ed TO amend the right arm of prohi-
bitlon' by making II also the right
and left arm OF the Code Of Virginia.
The Code. be Il remem bered. is quite
bulky. Among other things. IL for
bids labor on Sunday except the limit
ed activities rendered necessary by
ones household duties and others that
are exempted under the head Of works
ot necessity" or charity"
The long-headed House Committee on
Moral and Social Welfare apparently
had vision Of the storm that would
follow the enactment Of the Senate
measure and promptly cNc!sed Tho
broadening amendment. leaving the
bill as IL was originally introduced, APP
plying only To officers charged with
the acknowledgements of the moral
laws. The House itself passed the bill
as IL came from the committee and it
went back 10 the Senate for concur
10
CONFERENCE SUsTAINS
sENATE'S CONTENTION
Had the Senate agreed TO the House
amendment, the Commonwealth would
not be convulsed to-day in dipestiug
the drastic pellet that Governor stuart
finally gave his approval The upper
house fatty refused to agree 10 the
Topping of Of the broadening" amend
ment and sent the amended custer bill
back with the reques, Cor /. confer
cnCe
That vas late in the session-a day
or two before adjournment. There was
no time TO waste in further pickering.
\ conference committee sustained the
Serates contention and the House
PASSED the bill as II stands to-day.
In this manner Was passed the famous
right arm Of prohibition" which
has delivered n Knockout blow for the
time being at least. 20 the States
peace of mind.
While the law is expected TO affect
most directly officers who fail to en-
force strictly the laws against the
violation of the Sabbath nowhere In
the act is this class OF law violation
specified. The law is in the most
general terms and applies with equal
force 10 the officer who falls inten-
tionally TO arrest an, offender who
violates any State law on Tuesday and
The officer who is similarly delinquent
m the holv Sabbath
ICE CREAM MAY BE
DELIVERED on SUNDAY
Every Sabbath law-with the eXcep-
ton of one-that IS on the statute
books now. was there years before the
custer law vas passed The last GeiI-
eral Assembly added a new law, de-
claring to be work OF necessity the
delivery OF ice cream on Sunday. where
such cream was manufactured on a
week day. Otherwise there has been
absolutely no change In the code gov
crning the observance of the Sab
bath.
The fact that the Sunday laws have
been given "A liberal Interpretation in
Richmond and other cities of the State
accounts for the present uncertainty
rs to the tightness with which the lid
Will he screwed down. Only with refer
ence to the Sunday laws have the police
in many cities tacitiy assented to nom
observance. Therefore. it is with re-
spect to these laws chiefly. that the
custer law" Is expected to exert its
most potent influence