Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-18
The Sunday Closing of Saloons.

To the legal voters of the city of Los Angeles:
GENrLEMEN-There are in this CITY
IL 1894 registered voters. Of these voters
69S5 by written petition recently asked
the council to enact an ordinance for the
closing of saloons on Sunday. 1t is there
fore evident that a decided majority OF
our voters favor such an ordinance. The
council has appointed an election, to be
held next Tuesday, the 18th inst, at
which the question, divested of party
considerations and the personal influence
of candidates, may be formally passed
upon by every voter voting for or against
Sunday closing of saloons. Should a
majority at the polls be found favorable,
we have reason to believe that the coun-
Gil will, over all opposition, pass the
ordinance. The citizens committee of
the Sunday closing movement solicit the
cooperation of our fellow-citizens, and
this we do for the following reasons:
l. Commercial justice requires the
Sunday closing Of saloons. Workmen
are here generally paid on Saturday
night. In its race for a share OF the
wage-earners' revenues the saloon has a
great and undue advantage, being open
On Sunday, when other forms of bust
ness, by well-nigh universal consent,
suspend operations. In many an in
stance no small portion of the laborers'
earnings, which for the general CONNER
c:al prosperity of the community, and
for the well-being of his family and his
own well being, should be devoted to
the purchase of meat, bread, groceries,
dry goods and boots and shoes, are di-
verted into the Golfers of the saloon.
2. The employers interests demand
the Sunday closing of saloons. The
manufacturer, the contractor and the
merchant have right to sober en-
ployees on Monday and Tuesday. The
open Sunday saloon too often robs them
of this right.
5. The safety of large number of
homeless young men demands the Sun
day closing of saloons. The concurrence
of leisure day, full purse and an open
bar brings peculiar and unnecessary
temptations to degrading excess. No
community can afford not to save, so far
as possible, its young men from physi-
cal and moral ruin.
4. The interests of large numbers of
wives and children demand the sunday
closing of the saloon. Sunday is gener-
ally the only day in the week which the
workingman can spend with his family.
But through the temptations of the sa-
loon many family is either robbed of
the Sabbath presence of the father or,
worse still, is cursed by the presence OF
a drunken father.
5. The security of life, property and
purity demands the Sunday closing of
saloons. The meeting of liquor and
leisure too often means mischief. The
Sunday closing of saloons in other cities
has reduced the number of Sunday ar
rests from one-half to seven-eighths. AS
taxpayers. as we'll as from higher con-
siderations, we are interested in the re-
duction of crime.
6. The good name of this city and the
prosperity OF large class of wage-earn-
ers, demand the Sunday closing of sa-
looms. The address to the council of
the petitioners for the open Sunday sa-
loon characteiizes her movement as an
attempt to ''blight the prosperity of this
city, as with the bosom of destruction"
etc. On the other hand, observe the at
titude of the Denver Real Estate Ex-
change concerning a similar movement
in that city. This exchange adopted the
following preamble and resolution:
Whereas, An agitation now exists for
the closing of saloons on Sunday and
Whereas, In our opinion such result
would add to the already good name of
the city, aid our wage earners in saving
money, and thereby conduce to their
buying homes and more family comforts,
lessening our criminal dockets and hence
our taxes, and rebound to the benefit of
our city; therefore, be it
Resolved, That we heartily approve of
the desired object, Sunday closing, and
that we urge upon all voters at the pend
ing election to see to it that they vote
for only such candidates as will carry
out such plan, if elected, and that we
will do all we can, as individuals, to aid
in this laudable purpose"
If we were anxious to invite the bum
mer element from eastern cities, the
closing of the Sunday saloon would
doubtless tend to thwart our purpose );
but if we would attract substantial men
men of capital and principle-with
their families, we must remember that
some of these men are not willing to
pitch their tent toward Sodom, and
their families toward perdition.
Z. The Sunday closing of saloons
would involve no infringement of the
saloon-keepers' rights. Every business
must be prosecuted in subserviance to
the interests of the community, and it
is for the majority to determine what
is and what is not compatible with the
welfare of society. The legislation of all
our states proves that the liquor traffic
is one which peculiarly needs, and has
had, restrictive and regulative enact
ments. The ordinance now contemplated
would be in the nature of a police regu-
lation, and in keeping with such laws as
forbid the sale of liquor to minors, or to
habitual drunkards, or on election day,
or near religious camp-meetings, or edu-
cational institutions. The supreme
court of this state has declared such reg
ulations as we propose within the right
full power of the proper public authori-
ties.
s. This movement of Sunday closing
of saloons must unite good and right
minded men as almost no other move
ment could. 1t commends itself to true
men of all political parties; to every
Christian as aiming to protect the Sab
bath from desecration to every He
brew as seeking effective police regula-
tions to every temperance man as en-
deavoring to restrict the sevils of the
liquor traffic; to every friend of homeless
young men as seeking the removal OF
perilous Sabbath temptations; to tax
povaro O q loOkiuC toward the reduction