The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-05-17
SUNDAY CLOSING
!. IN DIES MONIES
SIXTY ARRESTS MADE YEsTER-
DAY FOR BLUE LAW VIOLATION
ARE MOSTLY JEWISH PEOPLE
No Attempt Was Made to Interfere
With Sale of Periodicals or Daily
Newspapers. Amateur Base
Ball Not Molested.

Ball Not MoIested.
Des Moines, May 14.--Smaller VIC
laters of the Sunday blue laws" cam
paign generally pleaded guilty in po-
lice court today and were fined one
dollar and cost.
Theatres operators pleaded not gull
ty however and trial was set for next
Thursday.
Thomas Fairweather owner of the
local western league baseball who is
accused of defying Attorney General
LAWYERS command was also arraigned
for Thursday.
These two classes of cases are likely
however to appeal to the highest
courts in test of the Sunday closing
laws.
First Blue Sunday.
Des Moines' first Blue Sunday"
proved to be up to its advance notices
L. was plenty blue but bluer ones may
follow. 49,
For the most part, business men of
the city who operate establishments
usually open on Sunday obeying the
law to the letter, and closed their es-
t3blishments for the day.
The police, however, made more
than sixty arrests during the day on
charges of violation of the statute. By
far the greater portion of these. arrests
were those of citizens of Jewish reli-
gion who declared that the blue law
is an infringement upon religious lib
erty, and declined to, close their places
of business. Few were taken to the
station, the criminals" being merely
notified OF their arrest and ordered to
appear. .~..
Moving picture men, theatre owners
and the local Western league baseball
team decided to test the law. The pro
prietors of all moving picture ano
other theatres who were open for bust
ness were either arrested or notified tc
appear in Police court. The theatres
Kept on running. The baseball game
of about 1000, gathered in some hope
of seeing excitement, HAD to satisfy
themselves with the ball game without
law enforcement trimmings.
State Agent Urban Crawford, Chief
OF Police c. c. Jackson, and Commits
sioner Ben Woolgar of the department
of public safety, were among those
who witnessed ball game. Tom Fair
weather, owner and also city com
missioner, was present as usual.
Aside from the movies, restaurants
and theatres, downtown Des Moines
was closed tighter than drum. Cigar
stores, drug stores, soft drink and can
6y establishments fruit stands etc
closed Saturday night and stayed clos
ed all day. Ice cream sodas couldn't be
bought, cigars had to be borrowed anC
fruit was off the market.
Those restaurants generally open on
Sunday did business as usual, but solo
no cigars or candy from the counter.
Cigar stands at all the hotels were
closed. The Kirkwood drug store,
which has been open every hour of the
day for years, closed up at midnight
Saturday and reopened at midnight
this morning.
Garages and service stations gener
ally observed blue Sunday" although
there were exceptions.
No attempt was made to interfere
with the sale of periodicals or daily
newspapers, and newsstands remained
open Amateur baseball also was not
molested.
Havner Closes Home County.
Iowa county, where Marengo, the
home of Attorney General Havner is
located, was closed up even tighter
than Des Moines, MA Havner himself
was present in Marengo and ordered
County Attorney Roller to enforce
the laws. AS result all commercial
establishments save ice cream parlors
were closed up all over Iowa county
The ice cream men were permitted tc
remain open because they had already
ordered their supply for Sunday, but
they too, will be closed up next Sun.
day.
The action of Attorney General Hav-
ner in ordering endorsements of the
blue laws in Iowa county is regarded
as a sure indication that the enforce,
ment will be made statewide in nature,