The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-26
STILL THE RUNNER.

1t is hard for the general public to I'M
derstand why so much difficulty and delay
attend the effort to abate the runner nui-
sance. The G o b e fully realizes that
hotel runners when they pursue their
vocation in a lawful manner have certain
by city ordinance. But they have become
by universal testimony public nuisance
in the community, and the G b in.
common with the business interests of the
city thinks the nuisance ought to be east
Iy capable of abatement by public au-
thority.
All plans thus far adopted have failed
of result. The runners still rum and
grow worse as they progress. The latest
ordinance passed on the subject provides
that no runner shall operate with or with.
out license save on his own premises
or in front of those premises.
1t does not seem plain why it should
be necessary to declare this principle by
ordinance. Will it's declaration and en-
forcement prevent the evil? 1t may or it
may not. Anyway the mayor has approx
ed it and it goes into operation at once.
The worst and most persistent of the
runners are those whe-represent stores
and other places IN the immediate vicin-
ity of the union depot. Many of these
men will, we fear be merely con
ent courses.
Take those of them whose places front
on the west side of Sibley street Does
this ordinance enable them to cross the
street to the other sidewalk and, still OPP
posite their places of business, to go on
making of themselves what they have
beem found to be, a public nuisance? IL
it does it is equivalent to legalization of
the runners conduct and is worse than
useless.
The evil is confined to the vicinity of
the depot. The latest ordinance may put
an end to it. It certainly will prevent
all runners but those who represent plac-
es on Third and Sibley streets from doing
a profitable business, if it accomplishes
principle that the law cannot prevent
them wholly from carrying on their bust
ness, and that they should be confined
to doing what they have a legal right to
do, which is to solicit in front of their re-
spectivc places of business
This may represent the law of the sub
ject; but it does not represent the COM
mon sense of it. Licensed or unlicensed.
these men have no right to conduct
them themselves either in front of their
own places or elsewhere, as they now
carry on Only constant police surveil-
lance will ever suffice to keep them in
order. They should be hunted from the
sidewalks wherever they appear Special
police ought of necessity to be detailed to
watch them, keep them in order and,
where necessary, warn their possible
victims against them.
Whatever rights these men have can.
we believe, be protected under a licensing
system. And under such a system we
believe they can be prevented from be-
ing what they are today, a grievous
danger to the city and grievous wrong
to the travelling and business community.
Until they are persistently followed up
and hunted down by the police, wherever
they are found obstructing the sidewalks
or annoying the citizen, and the city
regulation gives the fullest warrant to
the police for pursuing such a course of
conduct, you will continue to have the
runner ineexistence