Assignment
DECIDING ON ADOPTING GREEN RIVER ORDINANCE
Putnam, a county-seat town with a population of 14,593, is located in the agricultural area of a midwestern state. Farms in the surround- 68 The consumer ing country side are prosperous; they specialize largely in wheat, soya beans, and hogs. Putnam serves as the major trading center of a circle roughly 35 miles in radius. Approximately two-thirds of the retail sales of Putnam merchants are made to farmers in the surrounding area. The town has, among others, two hardware stores, a general drygoods store, two building material firms, three farm supply stores, several men's and women's clothing stores, two jewelry stores, three drug stores (which also handle agricultural chemicals and veterinary supplies), and several food stores. Throughout World War II and the years immediately following, retail sales were excellent.
In 1952, they dropped slightly below the 1951 level, and showed an appreciable further drop for 1953. In a meeting of the Merchants Association toward the end of 1953, this decline in sales was discussed. Several of the retailers attributed it to the drop in the price level of farm products. Most of the retailers, however, blamed the decrease on their loss of business with out-oftown firms who sent in sales crews to solicit business on the basis of house-to-house canvassing. It was pointed out that one firm had sold substantial quantities of sterling silver tableware through such houseto-house selling. It was known that one contracting firm had sold five house painting contracts, and ten jobs of re-siding dwellings with asbestos shingles. It was known that two men had been selling socalled custom-tailored men's suits, that the representative of a firm manufacturing a new type of power lawn mower had made a number of sales. Although the figures were based largely on guesses, the consensus was that 1953 sales for Putnam merchants would have exceeded the high point year of 1951 if they had been able to get the business that had gone to out-of-town firms on the basis of houseto-house selling.
A petition was therefore drawn up, and signed by all but three of the Putnam retailers, asking the Putnam Municipal Council to enact the Green River Ordinance. This ordinance had been enacted in several hundred small towns throughout the United States since it was first passed by the Green River, Wyoming, Town Council in 1931. Whereas it had been declared invalid by state courts in some eight states, it had been upheld in others, and had not been tested in the courts of the state in which Putnam was situated. The wording of the ordinance which had been followed almost literally by a great many of the towns adopting it was as follows: The Merchants Association of Putnam -69 "Ordinance No. 175 "Be it ordained by the Town Council of the Town of Green River, Wyoming: "Section 1. The practice of going in and upon private residences in The Town of Green River, Wyoming, by solicitors, peddlers, hawkers, itinerant merchants and transient vendors of merchandise, not having been requested or invited to do so by the owners, occupant, or occupants of said private residences, for the purpose of soliciting orders for the sale of goods, wares, and merchandise, and/ or for the purpose of peddling and/or hawking the same, is hereby declared to be a nuisance, and punishable as such nuisance as a misdemeanor. "Section 2. The Town Marshal and Police Force of the Town of Green River are hereby required and directed to suppress the same and to abate any such nuisance as is described in the first section of this ordinance. "Section 3.
Any person convicted of perpetrating a nuisance as described and prohibited in the first section of this ordinance, upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not less than Twenty-five ($25.00) Dollars or more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), together with costs of proceedings, which said fine may be satisfied, if not paid in cash, by execution against the person of anyone convicted of committing the misdemeanor herein prohibited. "Section 4. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed. "Section 5. It being deemed by the Town Council of the Town of Green River that an emergency exists, this ordinance shall be in force and effect from and after its passage and approval. "Passed this 16th day of November, 1931."
Putnam, a county-seat town with a population of 14,593, is located in the agricultural area of a midwestern state. Farms in the surround- 68 The consumer ing country side are prosperous; they specialize largely in wheat, soya beans, and hogs. Putnam serves as the major trading center of a circle roughly 35 miles in radius. Approximately two-thirds of the retail sales of Putnam merchants are made to farmers in the surrounding area. The town has, among others, two hardware stores, a general drygoods store, two building material firms, three farm supply stores, several men's and women's clothing stores, two jewelry stores, three drug stores (which also handle agricultural chemicals and veterinary supplies), and several food stores. Throughout World War II and the years immediately following, retail sales were excellent.
In 1952, they dropped slightly below the 1951 level, and showed an appreciable further drop for 1953. In a meeting of the Merchants Association toward the end of 1953, this decline in sales was discussed. Several of the retailers attributed it to the drop in the price level of farm products. Most of the retailers, however, blamed the decrease on their loss of business with out-oftown firms who sent in sales crews to solicit business on the basis of house-to-house canvassing. It was pointed out that one firm had sold substantial quantities of sterling silver tableware through such houseto-house selling. It was known that one contracting firm had sold five house painting contracts, and ten jobs of re-siding dwellings with asbestos shingles. It was known that two men had been selling socalled custom-tailored men's suits, that the representative of a firm manufacturing a new type of power lawn mower had made a number of sales. Although the figures were based largely on guesses, the consensus was that 1953 sales for Putnam merchants would have exceeded the high point year of 1951 if they had been able to get the business that had gone to out-of-town firms on the basis of houseto-house selling. A petition was therefore drawn up, and signed by all but three of the Putnam retailers, asking the Putnam Municipal Council to enact the Green River Ordinance.
This ordinance had been enacted in several hundred small towns throughout the United States since it was first passed by the Green River, Wyoming, Town Council in 1931. Whereas it had been declared invalid by state courts in some eight states, it had been upheld in others, and had not been tested in the courts of the state in which Putnam was situated. The wording of the ordinance which had been followed almost literally by a great many of the towns adopting it was as follows: The Merchants Association of Putnam -69 "Ordinance No. 175 "Be it ordained by the Town Council of the Town of Green River, Wyoming: "Section 1.
The practice of going in and upon private residences in The Town of Green River, Wyoming, by solicitors, peddlers, hawkers, itinerant merchants and transient vendors of merchandise, not having been requested or invited to do so by the owners, occupant, or occupants of said private residences, for the purpose of soliciting orders for the sale of goods, wares, and merchandise, and/ or for the purpose of peddling and/or hawking the same, is hereby declared to be a nuisance, and punishable as such nuisance as a misdemeanor. "Section 2. The Town Marshal and Police Force of the Town of Green River are hereby required and directed to suppress the same and to abate any such nuisance as is described in the first section of this ordinance. "Section 3.
Any person convicted of perpetrating a nuisance as described and prohibited in the first section of this ordinance, upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not less than Twenty-five ($25.00) Dollars or more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), together with costs of proceedings, which said fine may be satisfied, if not paid in cash, by execution against the person of anyone convicted of committing the misdemeanor herein prohibited. "Section 4. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed. "Section 5. It being deemed by the Town Council of the Town of Green River that an emergency exists, this ordinance shall be in force and effect from and after its passage and approval. "Passed this 16th day of November, 1931."
QUESTIONS
1. Should the Putnam Municipal Council adopt the Green River Ordinance?
2. What are some of the problems that the city will face if the ordinance is adopted?
3. Give the pros and cons of this kind of ordinance.
4. Do you believe the ordinance is for the best interest of the people of Putnam? Why or why not?
5. If such an ordinance were adopted throughout the United States, what would be some of the economic implications
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.