The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-13
What st. Louis Officials Say.

After the policy of Sunday prohibit
tion became the accepted policy, the
good results became still more striking:
Instead Of being difficult, the work of
ened. On this point, Assistant Chief OF
Police c. G. Gillaspy made the follow
ing statement: =
so far as the police department is
concerned, we want the Sid to stay on.
Crime of all kinds has been very mate
rally lessened since the lid closed
down; our work on Sunday is much less.
The Gid has done much to relieve the
policeman in his work both on Sunday
and during the week"
City Attorney Thomas L. Anderson,
municipal cases made this statement OF
the benefcent results of Sunday prohi-
bition in st. Louis:
"The enforcement of this law, like
the enforcement of any law, works for
the good Of our state. Its mere agita-
ton awakens the conscience in any man
that drinks, and especially in those who
drink to excess. 1t calls attention to
the fact that public opinion, in meas
ure, condemns it; that the drink habit
must be bad one or there would be no
need. of strenuous regulation. This
renaissance of this salutary law, which
has been permitted to lie asleep for so
| long, gives encouragement to, and awak-
ems the enthusiasm of those who, dis
| interestedly and periodically try to bet
ter society by working against all those
| evil influences and causes that 60 to
undermine it. --..-.
Henry A. Kersting, himself a Ger
man, assistant city attorney, in charge
| of prosecutions in the police court of
South st. Louis, made this statement
1 {1,o - I,
law:
"The Gid in our court certainly has
| simpliied our work very much. South
| st. Louis, owing, perhaps, to the fact
that it is largely inhabited by citizens
| of German extraction, always has been
pre-eminent in its obedience to law and
order, but the lid has had the effect
of preventing drunkenness altogether,
so that such cases are now rarely
the peace cases are also of rarer oe-
currence. In observing conditions
thruout the city, it appears to me that
more order and quiet prevails than
heretofore. Of course, I am not in ia
vor of the present Sunday law, but, as
long as it is the law, I am heartily in
favor of its enforcement. / would like
to see all saloons closed from midnight
Saturday until II o'clock noon on Sun
day. To my mind, the best effect of the
enforcement of the Sunday law is the
splendid lesson it teaches our people
of the majesty of the law"
Wide-open and Closed Sunday Records.
The following table is comparison
of the arrests by the st. Louis poIiuoo
for the Sundays of July, August, Sep
tembr, October and November for 1905.
and for the corresponding Sundays Of
1905, 1908 and 1904. During these
years the saloons of the city ran as
openly on Sundays as any other DAYS
of the week. In the months of 1905,
under observation, the Sunday closing
section of the dramshop law was faith
fully enforced. The net results NAV be
| summarized follows
The Facts About st. Louis and Sunday
Closing.
Average Sunday arrests for drunkenness
of five months of open Sundays. 1902,
1903, 1904 Observation-Disclosures. 35S
Total arrests for drunkenness for correspond
ing Sundays of 1905, under Sunday clos
Decrease under Sunday closing. per cent. al
Average arrests for disturbances correspond
ing Sundays of months under open Sun
Total arrest: for disturbances correspond
ing Sundays of 1906, under Sunday clos
Decrease under Sunday closing. per cent. 81
Average arrests for all causes. for Sun
days of FIVE months. 1902. 1903. 1904.
under open Sundays 1-151
Total arrests, all causes, corresponding
Sundays of 1905 under Sunday closing. 521
Decrease under Sunday closing. per cent. 90
The accompanying tables tell the story In
detail