Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-19
An Attempt TO Secure Its Sale to
be Made During the Coming
Meeting of the Legislature.
DRUGGISTS THINK 1T NECESSARY,
Especially in a City That Has so Few
Drinking Fountains and Such Hot
Weather as Pittsburg.
TIE NECESSITY FOR TOILET ARTICLES,
And Some Hard Remarks Made About the City by
Strangers Who Pass Through.

Among the reforms which the next Legis.
lature will be asked to institute is modi-
fcation of the Sunday law so that ones
thirst can be gu enched with temperance
drinks on the first day of the week as well
in Pittsburg as in other cities of its class.
The arguments advanced by those who
have the matter in charge are varied. They
claim that the sale of soda and other min
eral waters with or without nom
intoxicating syrups, lemonade and ice
cream and other cooling bever-
ages and foods, would greatly decrease
the habit Of home drinking of beer or some
thing stronger; that the law was passed at a
time when the cities were less thickly popu-
lated, and when the heat was more endura-
bic than it is in such thickIy settled dis
tricts as Pennsylvania can now boast; that
other forms of Sunday labor other than that
of drawing and selling soda water, and
which come under the law fully as much,
have from the exigencies of modern times
become dead letter, and that there is no
reason why soda water fountains should not
flow seven days week as well as six.
But the principal reason advanced by
Shose who do not consider it wrong to pur-
chase and drink glass of soda or mineral
water on the Sabbath is the lack of drink
ing fountains and places where ice water
can be procured, on Sunday or any other
day.
VIEWS OF THE DRUGGISTS.
With view of ascertaining the present
public opinion on this subject, DISPATCH
reporters yesterday interviewed a number
of gentlemen interested, with some interest
ing results. The first spoken to was Mr.
Alfred Rankin, the druggist, of 40 Sixth
street, who said:
II think there is a general feeling in IA
vor of the repeal of the Sunday blue laws,
SO far as they relate to the sale of soda and
mineral waters on Sunday. That this feel
is not confined to the druggists and other
persons owning soda fountains is shown by
q conversation had a few DAYS ago with a
Bishop of the Episcopal Church. L felt
sorry, Sunday said the Bishop to me, for
those persons who were unable to get a
drink of soda water Are you in favor of
its sale on that day?' 1 then asked him. Il
certainly am he said. Then, Bishop, if
you would make your opinion known among
the people of your diocese it might have
some influence in bringing about repeal
of the law
81 do not want the Sunday to be made a
day of business continued Mr.. Rankin.
''The only difficulty, it seems to me, in the
way of repeal of the law, is that it might
make a precedent, so that, perhaps, my
neighbor might think be had as much right
to sell pair of pants as druggists to sell
soda water. But there ought to be enough
good judgment in the Legislature to rem
edy that difficulty. The sale of soda and
mineral waters, without the sale of toilet
articles, would do very well.
THE RIGHT AND WRONG OF 1T,
1.-THE right and wrong of the law was
never brought so forciply to my mind as
when was an apprentice in Philadelph
My employer there was strict PRESBYTERIAN,
and it was against his rule to permit
the sale of beverages in his store on Sun
days. One Sunday, while he was at church,
brother of DR.. Kane, the Arctic explorer,
and particular friend of nv employers,
came into the drugstore. He said he was
thirsty, and as there was no ice water. he
asked me to draw him a glass of soda, |
You know it is against our rules said. |
Hoh, it's no harm, be replied, and L began |
to draw the soda.
'Just then my employer entered the |
store and asked me what 1 was doing 1 |
told him, and he took the glass and spilled |
its contents on the floor, saying that he |
would make Mr.. Kane glass OF ice water. |
A few moments afterward, when about to go |
out, Mr. Kane turned to my employer and |
said: BY the by, I'm going away, and have |
forgotten my tooth brush. VIII you sell me |
one% My employer sold him one and Mr..
Kane laughingly asked If there was any |
difference between the sin of selling soda |
water on Sunday and selling tooth brushes, |
but my employer did not see fit 10 reply"
Mr.. Rankin said he was not speaking |
sel6shly when he said that soda water ought |
TO be permitted to be sold on Sunday, but |
that the necessity of the people demanded it. |
NEARLY CHOKE WITH THIRST.
Mr.. W. P. Martsolf, manager of McKeu-
mas drugstore, at 431 Market street, said. |
III tell you what think of this law in |
two minutes. l think it an internal out
rage If the city was provided with |
drinking fountains it might be other
wise. People come in here Sun
days nearly choked with thirst. and
ask for soda or mineral water. We are
bothered especially, Sunday after Sunday,
by transients who are making trains When
we refuse them their request, they in variably
say this is blankety-blank town, and tell
us to put fence around it. Our Sunday
hours are from z A. N. to II P. NJ, and we
have to remain all that time in the store to
fill few prescriptions. If person who is
catching train should forget his powder,
or toothbrush, or comb, he must go without
one. The Sunday blue law was made away
back In '72, and it is high time that such an
obnoxious law as it now is should be re-
pealed.''
Mr. c. F. Kirkendall, manager of Kim
mel's drug store, No. 9O1 Penn avenue, was
decidedly opposed to anything like a repeal
of the Sunday law. I'VE are the servants
of the public" A" Mr.. Kirkendall said. "and
it is our desire TO please as much as possible.
But it is Just as well to let the law remain
as it is. Public drinking fountains should
be provided for the people BY the city. No
city in the country is so far behind time in
this respect as Pittsburg. But 1 do not
think it is the proper thing to sell soda or
mineral water on Sunday. am religious
man. and 1 always have been. and believe
in strictly conscientious observance of the
day.
TOILET ARTICLES A NECESSITY.
"Aloug with prescriptions and drugs,
think" Mr.. Kirkendall said, that combs,
soaps, brushes, tooth powders and such
toilet articles as druggists, in their discre-
tion, might consider absolutely necessary,
should be allowed to be sold. A cake of
soap is as indispensable to a traveller as a
meal of victuals, if he wishes to keep him
self clean. No true conscientious druggist
would make commercial place of his store
on Sundays, and beside that, would like
to see law that would prevent scamps from
sneaking around trying to catch us selling
piece of soap or a comb Otherwise 1 think
the'law is good enough as it stands"