Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-12-12
THE SUNDAY

Justice Bergen's charge to the December grand jury concerning
Sunday movies ought to come pretty near putting an end to the
agitation in this city to have the picture theatres open on Sunday, IL
the matter has not already been dropped. The Justice designates
Sunday picture shows as a public nuisance"
"a place of resort maintained for the continued exhibition of
public shows on Sunday, in open violation of the law, which the pub
lie are invited to, and do attend" he says, sis manifesuy injurious
to the public morals, for it breeds a contempt Of the law and is a pub
lie nuisance. Therefore if you have proof of such public exhibitions
on Sunday it is your duty to present an indictment against any per-
son who habitualy violates the law, for maintaining a dlsorderly
house. And | distinctly instruct you that a municipal license or per-
NIT is no excuse for a municipality cannot license an illegal act, and 1T
ought not to attempt to do So"
Nothing could be more explicit than this. Any permit that a
movie theatre operator might secure from a mayor IS a mere scrap
of paper it does not save him from indictment and the Court distinct
l directs the grand jury to present such indictment.
The charge of the Justice does not affect Perth Amboy as there
are no continuous Sunday shows in this city. In all fairness, how
ever, the Sunday shows in other cities ought to be closed in com
pliance with the Justices charge. The local moving picture proprie-
tors have been up against unfair discrimination in this particular for
some time. AS far as New Jersey is concerned, and particularly Mid
dlesex county, this discrimination ought now to end.
But a Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey has no juris-
diction in New York and as long as the movie" houses in Totem
vile are allowed to u full blast on Sunday due to the wide-open
policy of conducting the Greater City, the Perth Amboy theatres must
continue to meet unfair competition.
There isn't any doubt in the minds of the average person that II
the matter were put to a popular vote here, the verdict would be
overwhelmingly in favor of opening the moving picture houses on
Sunday. There are a great many church going people who believe
in the sanctity of the Sabbath who are liberal minded enough to be-
ieve that under proper restrictions Sunday movies would not
be Objectionable. 1t is significant that the grounds on which Justice
Bergen declares Sunday movies a public nuisance re that sit
breeds contempt of the law Manifesly, therefore, the one solution
is to have the law prohibiting Sunday movies" repealed or changed
so as to permit shows under certain regulations. Thus far all at
tempts to do this have failed.
But there are going to be many changes when the boys get back
from the front. They have been highly entertained in the camps and
cantonments. Along with the religious services there have been inno-
cent sports and amusements. The ideas of a great many have been
broadened by their experiences with these boys There is reason to
believe that when all these boys r back they will insist upon having
many of the privileges that were s. generously provided for them
while they were in the service and with these thousands of voters be-
hind them there will not be so much hestancy on the part of the leg
islature to comply with the demand.
In the meantime Justice Bergen has laid down the law as far as
New Jersey is concerned and his instructions to the Middlesex grand
jury ought to put an end to all agitation for Sunday shows and close
up those that are now operating.