The herald., 1897-09-29
Present Ordinance Cannot
Be Enforced
ANOTHER WILL BE DRAFTED
CITY ATTORNEY SAYS THE TAPE
GAMES ARE ILLEGAL
Chinese Charges Against ohacers Dis
missed-New License for the
"4OO"-Tree Trimming

The regular session of the board Of
police commissioners yesterday morning
was one Of the busiest that that body
has held in several weeks. The matter
OF the enforcement Of the hitchirg ordi-
nance was presented by the Merchants
and Manufacturers association, and it
was agreed that. with the present force
Of police. the enforcement of the meas
ure was almost an impossibility A new
ordinance will be presented which will
make It unlawful for owrers of teams TO
leave their horses without an attendant
or to hitch them at all.
The city attorney reported on the mat
tape games in this city. He takes an
opposite view to the position of Justice
Morrison, who recently held that such
games did not constitute violation
Of the gaming act, but as the matter is
covered by state law Mr.. Dunn does not
advise the passage of ar ordinance.
The officers against whom the Chinese
merchants had preferred charges Of hav-
Ing unlawfully entered their places Of
business and having taken goods there
from were exonerated. 1t being shown
to the satisfaction OF the board that
most OF the complainants were violators
Of the law.
The necessity for trimming the shade
trees all over the city was urged by
- ofA ,rn H,urf
NO Anal action was taken.
THE HITCHING ORDINANCE
At the beginning of the session the fol-
lowing communication was read:
The Merchants and Manufacturers
association has under consideration a
proposition to sweep some blocks on the
principal streets by hand as an expert
ment It has been called to the atten-
tiou Of the board OF directors that as
long as the hitching ordinance Is not
enforced the work to be undertaken will
be of little practical value. At meet
ing of the board Of directors I was In
structed to request of the proper author
ities the rigid enforcement OF the hitch
ing ordinance and also the ordinance
prohibiting expectoration on the side
walks.
Several members of the association
were present to urge action as set forth
in the communication, but they were
soon convinced that little or nothing was
possible in that direction. Mayor Sny-
der asked Chief Of Police Glass whether
the enforcement of the ordinance was
possible, to which the latter replied: Il
am sure it Is not Suppose you desired
to have It strictly enforced, you would
have to station policeman on each side
Of every block and as soon as team
was hitched he would have to watch
that team for thirty minutes; or. II sew
eral Of them were to be hitched on the
same square he would have to keep a
book to enter them in and the time OF
their arrival. AS there are always half
q dozen teams on the streets, and while
we know that the law Is being violated,
we do not think that we can make spas
modic attempts at enforcement by ar
resting the few and letting the many
escape"
Commissioner Gibbon said that the
board had been in receipt of complaints
that the residence portion of the city
was not properly policed; in fact there
were 30 few policemen there that day
light robberies had been committed. II
the present force was to be concentrated
In the business center OF the city, IT
would leave the residence portion with
out protection, and that concentration
would be necessary for the proper en-
forcement Of the hitching ordinance
ssBring US an ordinance forbidding the
hitchiug Of all teams and we may be able
to enforce 1t, but you will see that the
present measure cannot be enforced as
you DESIRE" The argument convinced
the committee of the Merchants and
Manufacturers association that while
the board wished to cooperate IN the
matter of securing clean streets they
were unable to better enforce the pres
ent ordinance. Secretary Zeehandelaar
stated that the association would later
nresent what they considered suitable
ordinance in which all hitching OF teams
would be forbidden.
NO BACK ROOMS
The petition of c. w. Merry for trans
fer Of the license Of the Elite saloon at
s34 South Spring street brought to the
attention Of the board the reported
presence there of the small wine rooms TO
which the board so strongly objects Mr..
Merry was asked whittier he had removed
the rooms tnat naQ peeH seen tHeie Wy III :
board when 1t visited Misplace. He stated
that he had taken all the rooms out that
he had placed there, but this did not
satisfy the board, as there were sew
eral additional rooms in the place. He
was informed that during the week the
board would again visit his place and If
they were satisfied that he intended to
comply with the law they would grant
his petition, otherwise his application
would be denied Final action was there
fore postponed for one week.
NO SALOON WANTED
The matter OF the application of F.
Kerkow for saloon license at Ninth and
San Pedro streets. which had been re-
ferredl to the chief for Investigation, was
then taken up. The application was pro-
tested against by the ladies' Of the Lark
Ellen Newsboyg home on the ground
that the presence on that square of an
other saloon would, tend to tempt the
inmates Of the home to drink. Chief
Glass reported that the petitioner did
not have the required two-thirds Of prop
erty frontage on the street in support of
his petition, and while this was sufficient
to defeat the petition under the rules Of
the commission Mr. Gibbon took occa-
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