Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-02-21
NO WOMAN IN A BEER HALL
PrOprietOrs of Snch Resorts Ordered
to Cease to Employ Females
i'm Orchestras.
City Council May Permit the Employ.
mtnt-The Law on the
Subject.

There is considerable agitation just
now among the proprietors and mana
gers of the beer halls over the deterlni-
nation of the county attorney to test the
question Of the employment of women in
any capacity in such places. Last Sat
urday all the beer halls where variety
performances were going on in which
women took a part, or where female
orcheetras were employed, were notified
that after the 18th inst, prosecutions
would be commenced against them un-
less prior to that time they ceased to
emply y females. This stnp is the out
come of a state of affairs that culmi
nated in the closing up Of the Casino,
then run by Fiskey Barnett and the de
termination of Mollie Thompson to re
open the place in defiance of the wishes
Of the council. Miss lhompson's law
yers claim that che has as much right
to run a variety theater IN connection
with the Casino bar as have the beer
| balls TO employ women orchestras or
female dancers. The city council, after
commencit & the task of regulating these
matters, finally gave it up and turned
| the whoe job over TO the county attor
ney to proceed against the Castro peo-
pie under the state law. That official
said yesterday to a TRIBUNE reporter
that he would play no favorites in the
matter, but proceed to enforce the law
| against both the Casino and the beer
halls, unless the city council should pass
an ordinance permitting the employ
ment Of women iu the beer halls in
which case he would not consider il his
du'y to prosecute such cases, although
the city'e authority to pass such an or
dinance is open to some doubt.
| The city council may derive authority
to permit the concert als to continue to
emplo, women from paragraph l of see
tlUu 4,SUO of the political code, which
reads: "lhe city or town council has
power to make and pass all bylaws, or
| dlnanCee, ORDERS and resolutions not re
! pugnAnt to The constitution of the United
) ares or OF the state of Montana, or of
| the provisions Of this title, necessary for
the government or management of the
affairs Of city or town. and from par
| agraph IS of the same section, Whicn
empowers the city council ito regulate
or prohibit dance houses, gam bling
| houses, urdy-gurdy houses, houses of
prostitution, houses OF leWd resort or
other places, by whatever name called, of
pubic resort where females act as wait
| resses or servants and where splrituous
| or vlnOus liquors are retaled.
If the council fail to ordain that
women may continue to Ne employed III
the beer balls or theaters the prosecu
tiODs muet then be made in the name Of
the state.
Section 53f Of the penal code reads;
"Evtry person who sells or furnishes any
matt, VlnOus or splrltuOus liquor to Any
person IN the auditorium, boxes or lob
bies Of any 1heater, melodeOp, variety
show, mueeum, circus or caravan, or any
place where any farce, comedy, lrageIy,
ballet, opera or play ia being performed,
or any exhibition Of dancing, Juggling,
wAx-wofk figures and the like Is being
gwen for pubic amusement, and cvely
person who employs or procures or
causes to be procured any female to sell
or furnish any malt, Vinous, or spiritUOug
liquors Al such place is guilty Of q uls
demeanOr
Section l9 Of the peDal code reads:
i"EVery OtTeIee declared to be a mIAue-
meanoT Is punishable by imprisonment
IN county Jail MT exceeding Elk
months, or by me not exceeding 5000,
or both"
Section $50, penal code, says: every
person who on Sunday, or the first day
Of the week, keeps open or maintains or
aids in opening or maintaining any thea
ter. play house, dance house, race track,
gambling house, concert saloon or va
riety hall is guilty Of misdemeanor.
Section 537, penal code, is the most
sweeping and is as follows; Every per-
son who causes, procures or employs
any female for hire, drink or gain to play
upon any,musical instrument or to dance,
wait, promenade or otherwise exhibit
herself in any drinking saloon, dance
cellar, ball room, public garden, public
highway, common park or street, or IN
any steamboat or railroad car, or in any
place whatsoever, if in such place there
is connected Herewith the sale or use
as a beverage of any Intoxicating, spirit
uous. vinoue or malt liquors, or who
shall allow the same in any premises
under his control where Intoxicating
spirituons, vinous or malt liquors are
sold or used, when two or more persons
are present, is puniehable by a tiue OF
not less than $50 nor more an 500 OF
by imprisonment in the county Jail not
exceeding three months, or both; auC
every female So playing upon any mu
. sical instrument or dancing. waiting
p promenadiDg. or exhibiting herself, a.
herein aforesaid, ia punishable ty fine
not exceeding 500 or by Imprisonment
in the couny jail not exceeding one
month, or BOTH