St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-17
Rights and Privileges of Those
Who Toll After Mid
nights Hour.
How the Administration Has
Place a High Board Fence
Around Them.
Why Should They Be Prohib.
tied Any More Than Their
Fellow Day Workers?
An Eesy Remedy Pointed Out
-. That Will Prove Salts
factory to All.

some and eneryating than work by day
light
ST. Paul is metropolitan city. and
employs somewhere between one and
two thousand night workers.
Why should not the man who earns
livelihood by working at night have the
same privileges and benefits that the
day worker has.
These points have all suggested them
selves by some of the recent orders is
sued by the reform administration. The
particular one which works a hardship
on that class of people who are COM
PEELED to be out nights. not as matter
of choice, but to earn their daily bread
for themselves and families, and rem
edy for which is in easy reach of the
common council ard will be pointed out
later OH in this article. is the II o'clock
closing order. Many years ago, when
st. Paul was "a little village
of thirty to forty thousand
| inhabitants, and no one was compelled
to be about town after that hour, this
order was in force and probably worked
no hardship to any one. But since then
st. Paul has grown to sucn an extent
that nearly one-fourth of the business
is transacted at night, and it is business
of such a nature that it cannot very
we'll be transacted in the day time.
There is large business institution on
men and over, and they are at present
contemplating putting on night force,
as they cannot we'll afford to invest an
immense amount of capital in a new
building simply to make room for more
workmen. when they can just as we'll
run double force of men. This is only
one of many cases that can be clted.and
will be used as an argument along with
others.
The average citizen who is not out
nights after 10 or IL o'clock has no con-
ceptiOn of the large number OF people
who are compelled to work nights that
lie may enjoy the comforts and privll-
eyes that he would otherwise be COM
PEELED to 20 without. Probably the
largest of this class are the newspaper
workers. which, in all its branches,
numbers over 800 people. Without their
Work no business man could have his
morning paper at the breakfast table
and go down to his business prepared
with information from all parts OF the
world and be able to conduct his bust
ably.
The next largest class of night work.
ers is the telegraph operators, amount
ing to nearly 200 people; and the same
argument made for the newspaper
worker applies equally we'll to them.
| AbOnt One-half of the business messages
| of the country are sent at night time,
both in order to secure the night rates,
as we'll as to be prepared for business
4 ,lan,x
! pected. These operators are compelled
| to be out nearly the entire night. and
| should be allowed the same privileges
/ as their brother day workers.
| Another class which cuts consider
| able figure in the comfort and welfare
! of those who can take, their rest at
4 night time, are the bakers, without
whom the early morning worker would
bave to depart for his business without
! his customary fresh rolls or nice loaf of
| Vienna bread. Neither would the res
| taurant or hotelkeeper be able to lay be-
| fore his customers the freshest and best
| of the staff Of life. These workers are
! all human beings and ask for and desire
| the same privileges accorded their more
| fortunate neighbors, who are taking life
| easy at the expense of their hard Work.
Besides all those mentioned above
| are numerous railroad employees, who
| are compelled to be out nearly all night,
| night clerks, night bOoEkeepers, night
watchmen and hundreds of individual
| employees whose business can not be
| performed in the daylight. All these
| people are performing duty, and one
| that is absolutely necessary, and not as
| matter of pleasure or of their own vo-
lition. They all have the same habits
| and desires as day employees, land should
certainly be entitled to the same privi-
ieges. Their hours are nearly as long,
| and they are barred from all the enjoy
ments which other people have at their
command, such as evening strolls, So
cial visits. entertainments or an
evening at the opera house.
comforts and necessaries that go far to-
ward making their otherwise hard lot
bearable. And why should it not be
granted? Especially when it can be
| granted w;thoutinjury to any one and
| the city at the same time reap snb
stantial benefit by filling the public
| treasury and relieving the overbur-
dened taxpayer about which this re-
form administration has made such
a cry.
The closing of the saloons at IL o'clock
is probably a good move in one sense of
the word--that of closing places that
are productive of crime and low dog
gerys that are patroniZed by the Wis
| ciOus classes. But it must be remen-
bered tina: there are many saloons
that are conducted by people of
good business standing in the
| community; that are conducted
on business basis and that supply a
demand which emanates from nearly
two-thirds Of our. citizens. The. past
administrations have seen the necessity
of these places and that their closing
would work hardship Oh citizens who
were compelled to do their duty at night
time and have allowed them to keep
open under surveillance and control.
The new administration had to do some
thing that would satisfy all element that
they seem TO think had something to do
with their election and SO they issued
this order. Now that it is issued, and it
is undoubtedly according to the law, it
seems as though this same admlnistra-
ton should take some steps to remedy
the evil they have put in force. This
can be done and in manner that will
undoubtedly prove satisfactory to ALL
The city of st. Paul has the right to
enact by ordinance special license for
a special class, just as they do in the
case of peddlers. green grocers. fruit
vendors and all the other classes of
special licenses that are aud have been
1 lSSuGl lTDiu llliIt W ltiuCs alfu WHY IOt
Issue a special license to those saloon
men whO wish to keep open all night
and cater to the wants of those who are
compelled to do night duty? May sa-
loon men who have been interviewed
on this point express themselves as ia
yorable to it, and further say that it
would be good thing, as it would for
ever settle what has always hereto
fore proven very vexatious ques-
ton. no matter what administra-
ton was in power. An ordinance
might be passed putting this special
license at say 500. but a committee OF
the council could be appointed to coulter
with those interested and settle upon
whatever reasonable amount they could
agree upon. The man purchasing this
special license could then conduct his
business without fear or favor of any
one, while the man who did not have
this license would have no cause for
complaint. for if he desired the privilege