The Washington times., 1894-08-23
POLICE WINK THEIR EYES.
Many BARRIERS Complain that Their Riyals
in Hotels Are Allowed TO Keep
Open Sunday.

Many of the BARRIERS of this city have a
grievance which they propose to lay before
the Commissioners. They claim that their
swell rivals in the hotels enjoy, through the
money blindness of the policemen on beats
which include tho hostelries. the privilege
which is denied them, of performing on Sun
day tonsorial tasks.
Years ago in Mayor Emorys time rigid
law was passed absolutely prohibiting all bar
Der shops from doing business on Sunday.
Up to the last few months 1t was carried out
TO the letter. The unshaven commercial rrav-
eler who arrived here late Saturday night or
Sunday morning was forced TO pass the day
with scraggy growth of beard on his face.
The times have changed now and the drum
mer has no trouble in finding an open shop at
almost any Of the hotels. The BARRIERS who
run the street shops say it is because the po-
liceman on the beat winks both eyes, and some
of the proprietors hint vaguely at bribes and
all sorts of unfair practices.
AT any rate the traveller has no difficulty IN
finding the shop of almost any prominent
hotel in town doing business behind pair OF
green baize curtains The proprietors OF the
street shops and some of the most prominent
members of the BARRIERS union say it is be-
cause the hotels have pull with the po-
lice They say il is unfair TO them and i'm
pDSSlJlC iOl lnCuls WIN tIi0ll udliOM plOilLS.
to indulge in any such luxury as the payment
of bribes.
Recently the Sunday business OF the hotel
shops has become so extensive that it is max
ing sad inroads on the receipts of other shops,
and has caused several of them to close up.
The shops in fashionable localities are the
greatest sufferers. In all of the shops open
on Sundays 25 cents is charged for shave,
and yet the shops are nearly always crowded,
The situation has become such a serious
one that the proprietors of the street shops
have finally decided TO lay the matter before
the Commissioners.
John Wilson, the proprietor of the shop at
No. 70i L street northwest is at the head OF
the movement looking to the enforcement oil
the law. Mr.. Wilson says his business has
been seriously affected by the Sunday shops.
Leaving the wisdom Of the law said Mr..
Wilson to The TIMES reporter, entirely out
of the question. the partiality of the police
for the hotel shops cannot fail to impress
itself upon everybody. Some of the shops in
the hotel make as much money on Sunday
morning before noon as the street shops do in
an entire week, and it is not difficult to do
this with crowd at % cents shave. If one
shop is allowed to do business on Sunday all
! should be allowed to open. We ara going TO
! appoint a committee and lay the matter
! before the Commissioners in day or two
! and We are confident that justice will be done
/ Us. Ihefe are hunuFeus Oh genuetneh IN the
! city who would rather shave on Sunday
morning and don't mind paying % cents for it.
There are many gentlemen" Wilson went
\ on TO say. with boards that grow like thistles
! in Scotland. who acquire unwelcome hirsute
/ adornment Sunday evening if shaved on Sat.
! urday night, whereas when shaved Sunday
morning their faces are clean and presentable
! TO lady-loves all day.
This fact tends to throw a large busines:
1 in the houses of the barber in the hotels on q
/ Sunday morning"
Another scheme OF the barber in the favored
/ hotel is to send one of his men around to the
rooms OF the guests. In this way he can very
readily evade the law Most of the strict bar
/ bers are inclined to throw the blame in the
matter on the police. Others say that power:
higher than the police have ordained that the
! hotels may allow their guests TO be shaved OF
/ Sunday.