The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-12
MITCHELL A BOOZE Man,
He Makes Oakland Churches
Take Out Music-Hall
Licenses.
WAS CALLED A HIGHWAYMAN.
The License Inspector Will Collect
in Future for All CONNER.
cial Concerts.
WAS CALLED A HIGHWAYMAN.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL,

OAhLaNp OfFltE DAN Il RANClSCO CALlI, I
9OS Broadway, Nov. IL.
The First Methodist Church of Oakland
enjoys the distinction of being the first
place of worship in Oakland to pay mu-
nicipal license for the purpose of holding
an entertainment. Owing to the lack of
permanent places of amusement, nearly
all the churches OF this city have been
hired for dramatic readings, concerts and
entertainments several nights in each
week. The owners of halls objected to this
some months ago and thought that where
an entertainment was gwen for profit
there should be no discrimination between
halls, whether they be legitimate music
halls or churches. 1t was thought that
the ordinance was not broad enough to
cover the churches, but License Inspector
Mitchell decided that it did, and when
Miss Shorey made her debut few nights
ago he presented bill for the license of
five dollars, and it has just been paid.
Last Thursday night the High School
boys hired the First Unitarian Church for
the purpose of an entertainment and when
the License Collector appeared it was de-
nounced as hardship and an outrage,
but tn ere was handsome profit made and
Mitchell thinks the city is entitled TO a
share, and intends to get it. Hamilton
Hall has also been notified that licenses on
churches which do a muslc-hall business
will be enforced, and about twenty-five
! other places of worship will also be mott
fed.
Although the ordinance is twenty years
old it has never been enforced against the
churches before, and there is much indig-
nation expressed at the work Of License
Inspector Mitchell, but he will continue to
collect until his acts are declared Illegal.
Mr.. Mitchell has two keen incentives to
work hard at present. There is a movement
to declare the office of License Inspector
vacant on the ground of economy, and
| there was much fear expressed regarding
the possibility of running the city govern
ment on a dollar tax. MIR. Mitchell is,
/ therefore, douby anxious to show that his
| Office is a source of revenue and should not
! be polished and his worK left to the po-
| lice force.
The churches have expressed great sur
prise" said the License Inspector to-day,
that | should expect them to pay licenses.
l have been told by some that II is robbery
and extortion and the High School boys
/ called me highwayman, but there is no
help for it. The matter was called to my
! attention, and when | looked at the law
! | became convinced that | was justified
and compelled to go ahead.
1T is new departure, OF course, and it
! seems strange that the matter mas not been
attended to in all these years. But the
ma jority of those having control OF the
churches are convinced that am right
after | explained the matter to them. A
| few. however, are very much opposed To
what they consider an imposition. OF
course this license does not apply to church
! gatherings which are part of church work.
! The cases where the license will be en-
/ forced are those of concerts and lectures
and entertainments that are given only for
profit. Lecturers and readers like Cable,
Riddle and hosts of local professionals hire
a church because it gives tone TO their VEN
| lures.
IF they were to hold their entertainments
in public hall the proprietor would have
to pay license, and there is no difference
in the two from a commercial standpoint.
/ have just collected the first license from
the First Methodist Church, and now that
precedent has been set l shall see that
it is followed. The licenses from the
churches where entertainments are held
will make handsome yearly addition to
the city treasury"
The stand of Mr.. Mitchell has created
some CONSERVATION, as some OF the
churches have been renting to professionals
for many years and never considered that
they were running in opposition to the
music-hall proprietors.