The herald., 1896-08-08
THE PLEA OF THE CLERKS


those clerks who are forced to work on
Sundays are growing anxiously impati-
ent as to the passage of that ordinance
which would open up vistas of we'll
earned rest upon the seventh or first day
of the week. which ever it be, and some
half dozen happy hours to be divided
between the surf and the beach. They
are beginning to wonder if the city coun-
Gil is not temporizing with the question
in the fond hope of discovering on which
side their own bread may be buttered.
1t is nearly two months now since 1870
voters and taxpayers of this city be-
sought the council to pass an ordinance
to prohibit them from working as much
as they pleased or rather, as they main
tain. being compelled to work seven
days a week. But a careful review of
the situation demonstrates that there
has really been no unnecessary delay.
The committee on public morals must.
of course, be given a few months to
probe the morality of the subject
Councilman Kingery, for instance
might possibly prefer to legislate on the
proper bathing costume that clerks and
other people should wear, before giving
them a chance to wear it, There are,
however, other really more serious con-
siderations. The city attorney has dis
played a prudent dffidence on the ques-
ton. There is, il is true, state law
which. one might suppose, protects the
employe, but as a matter of fact merely
prohibits the employer. Its terms are
that no employer can compel the en-
ploye to work seven consecutive days.
This enactment has proved absolutely
abortive. Competition is so keen that
employees must bend to the wish of the
employer and if they are to live can
have no real choice in the matter. The
expenses of unnecessary litigation must,
of course, be Stunned, but if the city at
torney, being unable to decide whether
the passage of Sunday closing ordi-
nance would be ultra wires, or not, it is
difficult to see how a protracted carry
ing backwards and forwards of the
question TO the courts can be avoided.
As far as the counter petition is con-
cerned, there seems to have been delib-
crate Misrepresentation Two news
papers of this city have made the state
ment that 800 merchants and business
men have filed second protest against
the ordinance. If that is so. their names
do not appear on the petition. The total
number of people who have actually
signed a second petition against the pas
sage of the proposed ordinance is on
most reliable authority. not more than
lis. of whom several have already sta
ted that their signatures We're given un-
der n misrepresentation, it being repre-
sented to them that the petition of the
National Retail Clerks association in
cluded the closing on Sundays of thea
ters and places Of amusement.
On Wednesday evening last the coun-
ell of labor, which is the superior court
of the federated, trades and represents
some 5000 working men in the county of
Los Angeles. passed resolution for the
second time endorsing the movement of
the Retail Clerks association
1t must be obvious that this is a oues-
ton which can neither be ttified or tenn
porized with. The law on the subject
must be properly determined and if
there is no radical obstacle let the city
attorney present an ordinance, on the
passage or rejection of which the city
council must show its true colors.