Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-04-18
ENFORCEMENT OF BLUE LAWS
At PRESENT OFFER MANY,
DIFFICULTIES.
BASEBALL PROBABLE
DURING ENTIRE SEASON
Courts Have Not Passed on Question
Of Legality OF Sunday Ball and
Months Would BE Required to Push
Test Case to High ceurts-Attorney
General Out Of State.

Des Moines, April 1S.--Iowa follow
ers of Sunday baseball moving pic
ture shows and theaters will, probably
not be deprived of the opportunity to
onloy these amusements on the Sab
bath for some weeks at least.
So far no movement has been started
by the attorney generals office to put
on the Sunday lid, altho the assistant
attorney general Is making study of
the court decisions on these subjects
in view of any contingency which may
develop.
\ Attorney General Havner has gone
to Cincinnati for week, and until his
return at least no drastic action by the
state officials is expected.
No Iowa Decision.
However. the shutting down of Sun
day baseball promises to be a long
and difficult task If attempted. There
Is no Iowa supreme court ruling upon
the question OF whether Sunday base
ball Is violation of the Iowa laws or
not. Sunday baseball is not specific
ally mentioned In the law, and de-
aClSiOHS III NdIIouS SNulSS dAS uiNtNSs' 'sN'
to whether baseball comes under sun
day restrictions where 1t is not
specifically forbidden.
It probably would be very difficult
to put stop to Sunday ball of the
professional type If the, proprietors
were to make a fight.
It would be possible, probably, ac-
cording to Mr.. Robbins. to arrest every
member Of baseball team and arraign
them in court A trial by jury could
be demanded. and upon conviction a
: fine OF not to exceed IS for each offense
might be assessed.
An appeal, however, might tie up
the whole matter indefinitely, and it
will take some time to get a supreme
court ruling.
Movies Hard to Touch.
II has already proven very difficult
to enforce the Sunday closing laws
against moving picture shows. In
Mason City 1t was found almost i'm
possible to get convictions at a trial
by Jury. and finally a practical license
system was agreed upon whereby
proprietors were technically arrested"
appeared in police court and paid the
SIS fine, and repeated the proceeding
the next Sunday.
Attorney General Havner himself
realizes the many difficulties in the
way of enforcing the laws. He drafted
substitute blue law" bill which was
offered In the Iowa house by Repre-
sentative Turner last week. permitting
me ls0alizinG of Sunday ball \. and
movies by city ordinance, but pro-
viding for the use of the injunction
against premises where the law was
violated This would have permitted
the enjoining OF baseball parks movie
shows .theaters and other places where
the Sunday laws were violated
The house voted this proposal down
by q big majority, and left the law as
1T was with maximum penalty of SIS
for each offense.
Might Bar Sunday Papers.
Mr.. Robbins has also been studying
the laws relating to- the publication of
Sunday newspapers. Pennsylvania de-
~cisions have held that this is a viola
ton OF the Pennsylvania law, but other
rulings hold that newspapers are
necessary and may be published and
sold on Sunday as well as any other
day.