The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-13
THE SUNDAY SALOONS.

Chief of Police PAUL, under the direction
of the mayor, gave notice to the saloon
keepers that. beginning with last Sund ay.
they must keep their places OF busine SIS
closed on the first day of the week. 1t was
radical departure from the rule which
had so long prevailed here, and the saloon
men were naturally struck with conster-
nation. Sunday had come TO be big day
with them. their doors were kept on the
swing, and no attempt was made to hide
the fact that bars were open and liquor
sold as freely and publicly on the Sabbath
as on other days of the week. 1t has even
been said that policemen themselves in
full uniform, not only winked at the viola
ton of the law, but were in the habit Of
drinking at the bar on Sunday as on other
days. The last administration did not have
the courage, if 1t had the desire. to attempt
TO enforce the ordinance, and recent devel-
opments demonstrated pretty plainly that
the late head Of the police department was
hardly the man to think about doing any
thing in the interest of morality and de-
cency.
We think better of Captain PAUL. and
evideL ly the saloon keepers think worae
Of hin, for whilst they very generally
needed his orders and 'shut up shop, -
they are saying harsh things. and threat
ening to Gefeat him in mis- efforts to make
the ordinance mean something. It is com
mon talk that the saloon men propose,
first to demand of the mayor and chief of
police that the Sunday closing order be re-
~ tod
''innocuous desuetude," and il the event
Of an uEfavorable response, then to enter
upon contest with the municipal authorl-
ties to beat the law. The demand will be
based upon the fact that the saloon element
elected the present government and should
therefore be recognized by q lenient admin
istration of theordlnances, in other words,
by permission to disregard the law in the
interest Of the liquor sellers. The propo-
sition is an insult to the mayor and his
chief Of police, in that it is q reflection
upon their honesty and integrity. 1t says
to them that they SHOULD regard their obli-
cations to party as higher than theic re-
spsct for the law and their oaths of
Office. We don't believe the demand
viii have any effect upon Mayor BAsK1N
or Captain PAUL. Rather or we OF the
opinion that these officials are in earnest
in the matter OF closing the Sunday saloons
and relieving the city from the scandal in
this matter under which IL has rested for
more than two years. Furthermore, what
right have the mayor or the police chief to
say that this or any other law shall not be
enforced The fact that their predecessors
were weak and cowardly, aud bowed
humbly to the whisky element does not
give the present officials the power to re-
woke or nulllfy an ordinance.
So far as a legal fight against the law is
CONCERNED, that is the saloon mems right
If they want to fee lawyers and spend
money in the courts, it is their privilege to
do SO, but we win suggest 10 them the I'M
wisdom OF such course. inasmuch as the
courts have already declared the Sunday
ordinance valid. and inasmuch also as the
courts are understood TO be in full SYM
pathy with the decent sentiment OF the
community. which says that saloons should
be closed on Sunday.
THE HERALD viii not assume to say that
the opinion Of the better portion OF the
public win have any influence with the
mayor and the chief, but we can say that
that opinion heartily approves the closing
order and will stand by the officials
through whatever contest may be provoked
by the effort to make Salt Lake a decent
city.