The age-herald., 1897-11-11
TIE TALK OF TIE TOWN
The Action of the Police Con-
 miSSionerS.
WHISKY MEN HIGHLY PLATED
The Arresting of Men For Cleaning Premises on Sunday Severely COndemned-Mr.
 Lesser Made an Explanation.

commissioners was the talk of the town yesterday. The hquelr mem were elated over the passage of tile resolution cr- dering the cessation of arrests of DOT ttu,s for cIearing up thleir places of busi- ness on Sur11ly
 Mere law was stu1i6d by number of the saloon men yesterday than ever before Some of them admitted that 1hey were not familiar with the sections of tlde city code except in a gensral way.
 At the meeting of the restail liquor dealers yesterday cycling, the mLaltt=r was thoroughly d1t- -us5ed. It was deem- ed advisable that the dealers refia afn from a too fires discussion of the sub jeot elsewhere, and they abided thals dls- cusg.on.
 A well known Twentieth street. sa- loon keeper said h. was thoroughly satisfied. q am sure I voice the senti- ments of all dealeIls,' he said last night, "when I say we are satisfied Tha idea of ar,resting us for cleaning our premises is Irep- sterous, and would wsd'k many hsGl hfps. Tine only time we have for this wiolrk is on Sunday. and we do not, as has been stat Id, attempt to sell liquor dauing those houLs.
 As fer the Solomon resolution have lhUe CT nothing to say. It was sat-s- factory to nearly aN of us. The present law, with section 626 eliminated, Is very saHsfactsLy"
 Under Section 626
 s ,ction 62G .s the one under which the arrests of last Sunday m-rn1ng were ma1e. This section prohibits amy one from dofng any warldEy business CT la- bcr on Sunday. It also provided a fine for amy one "who compels any child, apprentice on servant to perform any Ialbol on Sunday, except th4 customary domestic duties of dlliy necessity, or comfort or work of dh-nfty."
 Alderman Rainbow Talks
 Alderman c. T. Rainbow is the protprf- etor of a saloon in Twentieth slre-t. His place hals never caused ths police de- partmsnt amy trouble
 He is prominent member of the German American urjcn, and tcbk an active pctit in tlt1-lt body's recent nleet- ing. In ths board of aldermen meet ing he wtIl intrcduoe the reso- uUlons as printed in the Age Herald con- demning the proposed amendment to th+ law which will proIhib1t 'the selling or giving away of laquor on Sunday"
 r'As to the action of the police com- mY ssion,' sahd Mi-. Rainbow last nghlt, "I am we'll ftaiisfiei. Some people proba,- bly, Have used tlh:, cleaning up dodge as means of violating the law. I do not krpow of amy wHb have. however, ard do not positively kTJow that it alas been done.
 'We have to clean up, and Sunday is the only day we have to do SD. We are seldom around here on that day, and I do not allow an attempt to be made to sell 1quor then. I am unaateuiably oppoSdi to the Ira'otice of so doing, ard have always complied with every sec aion of tne city code. Those men who do se1l it on Sun5ays should be prose cuted, butt the officers should always be able to prove their enlarge b fore mak ing the atTeSs.
 f"As to the Solomon resolution, think it a gc,5d lining. I would willing ly cast my vote aJs an aldern an in fa- Vor of a re-enla ctmsnt of that law. Eth CT that CT some similar law should be passed, and b:1leve less Sunday busi- nelSs would be done.
 "The nquor business is a legitimate ore and should not be cried down as it $ after the city grants licsnse. If one man violates the Sunday law the entire business should not be placed on the same plane. I believe that the majority of the liquor dealers in Birmingham p.e- fer to have Vhelr places closed on Sun day.
 q am not one of tfdose who advocate the throwing open of the town entirely; neither do I go to the other exare me. belong to that class of people who keep s,, T, f, a happy medium. When the liquor busd- ness is licensed 1t should be protected the same as that of any other ma;chant."
 Several other dealers we're interviewed on the same subject and voiced the views as expressed by MT. Rainbow.
 Mir. Lesser Explains
 In the account of the meelng of the police commission in yesterdays Age Herald Commissioner Emil Lesser was quoted as having uttered this sentence: Birmingham is no Methodist church.
 MT. Lesser stated last night that he wanted to make an explanation of the remark
 'In the heat of the discussion he satd. 1T did give uIttetance to the remark as printed. What I intended to say was that Birmingham is no church house. I was speaking rapidly and unintention- ally said, Methodist church.
 'I am not saloon man, said MT. Lesser, referring to the much-discusssd Sunday law, hut I am opposed to the aaresting of men for cleaning their places on that day.
 q am also strictly opposed to the pro- posed amendment prohibiting a man giving away a drink on Sunday if he so desires. The whisky business is 1egiti- mate and should be regulated, bur this amendment proposes to encroach upon mans personal liberties and that is why I object
 T consider the move only in the Fight that it is the first step that is bsing made 10 allow the element at the opposite ex- treme to secure the upper hand. A happy medium appears to exist al pres ent and I believe it should be main tained."