The morning call., 1895-02-21
The ASSEMBLY PASSES THE
SILLY LAW AGAINST
THEATER HATS,
IT PERMITS THE ARREST OF
LADIES BY THE BURLY
POLICE.
MOSTRIDICULOUS MEASURE
LAWMAKERS FRITTER AWAY THE
STATES MONEY IN
HORSEPLAY.

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 20.-The Assembly
made itself ridiculous to-day by passing
bill regulating the wearing of hats by
ladies in theaters. What will it do next?
1t cannot find time to curb it's own ex-
travagance or to attend to legitimate legis-
lation but steps aside to attempt to regu-
late what it cannot regulate and should
not regulate. 1t is suggested that the
Assembly might follow its absurd law
making attempts. 1t should regulate the
size of the shoes and the height of collars
which men may wear, with reservation
exempting the railroad collars" of legis-
lators. The width of the hat brim might
be regulated by law. Some of the
| fashionable hotels and restaurants in
the East prohibit the wearing of
mustaches or other facial hirsute adorn-
ments by their walters under penalty of
dismissal. An attempt to enforce such a
rule in San Francisco was not successful,
and yet the Assembly is recommended to
make a law of similar trend.
Then the restaurants might enforce it.
In the old colonial statutes there were
some severe regulations outside of the blue
laws regarding religious observance. 1t
would be wise for the Assembly to study
| these. As that body of the Legislature
seems to be about 200 years behind the age
it might make itself still more ridiculous
by copying these and introducing them.
Down with high hats l'' was the slogan
that stirred the Assembly this morning,
and when all the oratorical pyrotechnics
had been loosened the lawmakers placed
| themselves on record against the dreams
in headgear, with nodding plumes, gaudy
birds, brilliant flowers and ribbons, and by
a vote of "a to 6 barred all these from being
worn at places of public amusement.
The Committee on Public Morals re-
ported the bill, the author of which is Kel-
sey of Orange, making it a misdemeanor
to wear hat at any assemblage, and rec
commended its passage.
Kelsey at once asked that the rules be
suspended and his bill have its second and
third readings at once. as he deemed it
case of urgency. This tickled the fancy of
the House and there was no lack of sup
port.
Belshaw of Antioch feared that the bill
was beneath the dignity of the House. He
was opposed to making the House an in
strunent for playing Jokes. The Assem-
blymen, he urged, were not lot of school
boys.
Cutter of Yuba rallied to the bills assist
ance. He denied that the matter was a
joke.
Judge Waymire of Alameda thought the
matter was of too light character to cause
the House to delay its proceedings, be-
sides he thought it was discourteous to the
ladies.
Powers of San Francisco was in favor of
the bill, but he was sure that he meant no
discourtesy to the ladies. Men were in
cluded in the provision of the bill as we'll
as women.
Wade of Napa called attention to the
fact that the bill referred to persons ''vio-
lating the provisions of section III and
made them liable to Imprisonment for
twenty five days. The bill was faulty, he
urged as there were only four sections in
it and it should be amended before its
passage.
Thomas called for the previous question
and the bill was put on it's third reading,
with the result that it passed by vote Of
4S to IA.
AS soon as the result was announced
Brusie of Sacramento asked leave to explain
why he voted in the negative. He thought
the bill should have been directed against
the management, and he would then have
voted for its passage.
"You have voted for this bill now" he
concluded. "You think it is very fine
thing. But when your wife has been
marched out of the theater by burly
policeman, taken to Jail and fined $25 for
violating some of its provisions you may
change your way of thinking"
The vote on the rollcall was as follows:
Ayes-Barker, Bassford, Berry, Bettman,
Boothby, Cargill, Coleman, Coughlin, Gu tier,
Devine, Dixon Dodge, Dunbar, Ewing, Free
man, Glass, Guy, Hatfield. Healey, Holland,
Hudson, Keen, Kelsey, Kenyon, Laird, Laug-
enour, Lewis, Meads. Mcdonald, McKelvey,
Merrill, Nelson, North, O'Day, Osborn, Pendle-
ton, Powers, Price, Richards, Sanford, Staley,
Spencer, Swisler, Tibbitts, Thomas, Tomblin,
Weyse, Lynch-4S.
Noes Belshaw, Bennett, Bledsoe, Brusie,
Bulla, Dale, Dayis, Dinkelspiel, Fassett, Hall,
Huber, Jones, Phelps, Reid, Wade, Way
mire-16.
And this is the bill they passed:
SECTION 1. 1t shall be unlawful for any per.
son or persons visiting any place of public
amusement to wear hats, bonnets, hoods or
other headwear during the hours of the per-
formance, and any person violating the pro-
visions of this act shall be liable to the person
aggrieved in damages not to exceed the sum of
$50.
Sec. 2. Any person or persons violating the
provisions of section / of this actshall, in ad-
dition to the damages imposed in section 1, be
deemed guilty of misdemeanor and shall,
upon conviction, be fined sum not to exceed
the sum OF $25, or be imprisoned in the County
Jail not to exceed twenty-five days.
Sec. 3, The provisions of the above sections
shall be enforced in any court of competent
jurisdiction.
Sec 4. This act shall take effect from and
after its passage
The report of the Committee on Con-