Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-03
NEW RULES FAIL
TO STOP DRINKING
MEN AND WOMEN CONTINUE
HABIT AS USUAL
Persons Who Made Rounds Saturday
and Sunday Say Proposed
Reform Has Come to
No Effect

| w EUpSt
i The Sunday rule recently established
by the reform police commission re-
garding the selling of liquor to women
and men without a full meal went into
effect yesterday, but its effect was not
apparent except in isolated cases.
According to committee of citizens
who made a round of the restaurants
and saloons yesterday, little attention
was being paid to the new rules and
drinks were easily obtained Wherever
there was a semblance of observation
of the rule the person buying a drink
merely had to buy sandwich and
leave 1t on the table while he drank to
his hearts content.
| In some instances when a drink was
ordered a waiter put sandwich be-
fore the customer and should the lat
ter in a moment of observation-disclosures
eat the sandwich, he was forced to
pay for the same.
| The large downtown cafes and res
taurants were filled with men and
women, as Is usual on Sunday even
ings, and all appeared to be drinking
as heretofore, at their pleasure.
A city official who took the trouble
to investigate for his own satisfaction
reported last night that he had been
nearly all over town and found the
conditions practically the same as be-
fore. In some instances the rule was
being openly disobeyed, he said.
The rule is not an ordinance, so a
proprietor cannot be arrested for break
ing it, but the commission holds as
it's weapon. the power to revoke any
license thu" "owner of which does not
abide by the law and the rules the COM
mission shall prescribe.
Many Stalls Left
Many of the first-class downtown sa-
looms are fitted up with small stalls.
the walls of which are formed by the
backs of the seats and which are not
over four or five feet high. These are
put in in many kinds of ornamental
woods and in some cases at considera-
BILE expense. A strict Interpretation of
the new rule says that these stalls
oHdil 81, diOli5 Will GIL ihN
chairs which may be in the barrooms, !
but strange to say, according to those
who made the trip of inspection yes
terday and the day before, these stalls,
ETC., have not been removed in the ma
jority of cases.
In some instances partitions have
been built between these stalls and the
H. I. ;,,ta of ,,e-;, no
former as restaurant and thus be able
to run on Sunday. In other cases the
stalls, tables, chairs, etc, have all been
taken out and carted away.
The most ingenious scheme to keep
the stalls in his saloon and still keep
the title to his license was noted in the
action of one saloon keeper in fitting
up each stall in his establishment as
a telephone booth. He says that the
of the telephone service in
his saloon increases his trade to an
appreciable extent.
Women Drink Freely
"The new police commission rules
were openly violated in some of the
Saturday night" said
prominent citizen yesterday. who
made the rounds through sheer cur
iosity. "At one place 1 saw couple
Of women drinking freely and there
was nothing on the table to indicate
that they had purchased meal ex-
cept few slices of bread. 1t was
simply case of paying 5 or 10 cents
for the bread which they didn't want,
and then having all the liquor served
to them that they might ask for.
"In a South Broadway cafe 1 called
for beer and paid for 1t at the rate of
Ave cents a glass. The waiter did not
ask me if desired meal. That was
left entirely to me and, of course,
didn't take It, I got the beer just the
same.
"At another cafe had to pay twen-
ty-five cents for the same sized glass
IF beer, being required to take sand
vich with it. l visited numerous other
places, and after l got through 1 came
10 the conclusion that the new rules
rs at present observed, are pretty
much of a farce. Certain 1T is that
hey do not keep men and women from
drinking, and that's all there is to it."