Evening star., 1924-11-02
Capital Sidelights

"The American spirit is to serve
America" This was emphasized in
an address to foreign-born citizens
by President Coolidge in his office in
the White House, who called atten-
tion that their first and greatest pur-
pose should be to serve America.
There is no better American spirit
than that which is exhibited by many
of those who have recently come to
our shores. the President pointed out,
insisting that those who live here
and really want to help some other
country can best accomplish that re-
suit by making themselves truly and
wholly American.
'I mean by that" Mr.. Coolidge said,
giving their first allegiance to this
country, and always directing their
actions in course which will be first
OF all for the best interests Of this
country. They cannot help other ma
tions by bringing Old World race
prejudices and race hatreds into ac-
ton here. In fact, they can best help
other countries by conspicuously
avoiding any such motives"
This helpful gospel to our adopted
citizens is being carried among the
foreign-born element throughout the
country by such organizations as the
National Founders Association as an
offset to the red flannel mouth ora
tory of some socialistic and bolshe-
vistic fanatics, some few of whom
have not even the saving grace Of
being foreign-born.
John w. Davis, about whom most
American citizens have heard con-
siderable during the last month or
two, started out to earn his way in
life by being college professor and
was so successful in that field that
he was repeatedly urged to make it
his lifework, but he had a mind of
his own and was determined to be a
lawyer, as his father before him.
He consulted his father about put
ting professional advertisement in
the local newspaper. 'Ill write it
for you" said the elder Davis, turn
ing to his trusty old caligraph ma
chine. and after pecking away for
few minutes with his two forefingers,
he handed his son slip of paper
which read: Davis and Davis At
torneys at Law" This was the only
partnership contract that held the
firm together for nearly a quarter Of
century.
Davis first case involved the ques-
ton of ownership of a turkey COB
bier and eighteen turkey hens. His
fees during the first year aggregated
1890. Most of this came from writ
ing deeds and taking dispositions,
which were then done in handwrit-
ing, and. as he was a good scrivener,
he was in some demand for such
work.
The old story that Eugene V. Debs
Of Mr. Tka, to- al; is
not literally true, although Mr.. Debs
gained his freedom through a 400
word brief prepared by the young
West Virginia attorney. 1t happened
this way:
One of his early court cases was a
suit for writ of habeas corpus to
gain the release of eight striking coal
miners. who had been arrested while
marching down a lane near a colliery
while an injunction against picket
ing was in force. About the same
time two other groups of labor men
were arrested under similar circum
stances, Debs among them, and the
three cases coming up in the same
court it was agreed that. they should
be joined in one decision. which was
favorable TO the laborers principally
because of Davis brief.
:: x X
Here's another slant on the Silent
CAL sebriquet:
While he was governor, Mr.. Cool
idge submitted ii statement he had
prepared to a newspaper caller (who
is now a Washington correspondent,
asking his opinion on It. The polit-
ical writer answered: It's all right
if you think you ought to make a
statement, but / think its fifty
ought
say anything or not.
Cal took back the statement and
tore it up. saying: Il never got into
trouble yet for anything / didn't
say"
Blue laws and blue law advocates
are almost as old as this country. ac-
cording to Charles S. Longacre. ma
tional secretary Of the Religious
Liberty Association, with which is
affiliated the Atlantic Religious Lib
erty Association.
Mr.. Longacre has established. at
least to his own satisfaction. that in
those rigid days of the New Englan
Puritans A man who kissed his wife
on Sunday was very likely to land
in the stocks. Prohibition was un
known then, but the blue law sup
porters had other interesting activ-
tiles. Mr.. Longacre points out.
"Rlue law advocates frequently deny
that any laws forbidding a husband to
kiss his wife on Sunday were ever
enacted in the New England colo
MES" he says. '1n looking up the
historical and legal facts on this
point, we have found the following
statute enacted in 1856 by the New
Haven Colony:
"1f any man shall kiss his wife,
or wife kiss her husband, on the
Lords day, the party in fault shall
be punished at the discretion of the
court of magistrates
This law is taken from Massa-
chusetts Sunday Laws Together With
time Blue Laws From the Records
of Massachusetts, and Connecticut
which were published in 1887 by the
Dwight Printing Company, SPRING
field. Mass.
I'VE have also found in looking UP
the records of the Boston Court of
the Massachusetts, Bay Colony that
a Sunday blue law was passed in
that colony prohibiting unseemly and
lascivious conduct on Sunday and we
have found that under this statute
the court records of Boston disclose
that two sea captains were fined and
put in the stocks for kissing their
wives as they greeted them on Sun
day morning, upon their reurn from
an extended trip to Europe.
'1t is useless for the blue Sunday
advocates to deny the facts of his
tory and of the law. There were blue
laws in We olden time, and there are
blue law advocates with US even to-
day."
X X X
A couple of years ago one of the
banks in Rhode Island which was a