Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-05
FOURTH OF JULY ORDINANCE

LOS ANGELES, July 4.-[Editor
Herald: Have boys any right to rob
or steal the sleep from the people of
Los Angeles throughout the night of
the Sd of, July, from 10 p. m. to
a. m? Unquestionably they have no
such right. And yet that is just what
they have been doing, with utter dis
regard of anybody's rest or comfort
but their own. With cannon. fire.
crackers, ETC., they have made such a
terrific noise or din through the night
that only occasional and broken and
fitful rest could be obtained by those
who strove for It, There is no patriot
ism in 1t; nothing but mere selfish
ness and disregard for others and q
desire to make an unpleasant and
loud noise.
1t is evident that it is not necessary
for the boys to make the terrible
racket in the night which they did, to
save time; because from a. m.
throughout the day there has been an
almost or comparatively total cessation
of the noise. OF course those boys
must rest some time, and probably
they rested and possibly went to bed
this morning about o'clock, after they
had deprived everybody in their neigh
probably rose unrefreshed and corre-
spondingly unable to endure the ter
rifle heat which is now upon us.
The fact is, young people, as a rule,
and especially when they have fire.
works, are not willing to wait till the
appointed time which is allotted to
them to fire their crackers, cannon and
other things, namely, the Fourth of
July; but they want to use previous
i111n nt a IN hry Ior ty1
utter disregard of grown peoples need
of rest. That the day-the Fourth of
July-is so allowed them for the pur-
pose the police department knows, but
from the fact that the latter allowed
the boys to perpetrate the outrageous
and really unlawful din last night II
is evident that the police either neg
lectedp their duty or that they do not
know that 1t is their duty to prevent
it before the Fourth, or to arrest the
boys or persons who made the racket
l would suggest in any case that the
city council Immediately pass an ordi-
nance, while the outrage Is fresh in
mind or memory, allowing the setting
off of crackers and loud sounding fire.
works or pistols or guns, between the
hours of a. m. and 9 p. m. on the
Fourth of July, and at no other time,
under pain of arrest and putting in
Jail OF the offender for at least one
day or until a. m. on said Fourth of
July, If the offense was committed be-
fore that time, or until a. m. on the
5th of July, If committed after that
time. Those hours give them time
enough to make the loud racket which
they want to make, and indeed almost
too much; but people can endure the
senseless racket for that time IL it is
limited thereto; and it should be made
the bounden duty of the police to ar
rest and put the offenders in Jail, as
suggested.
1t may appear to some severe to so
treat the young boys. but If they are
not willing to do right to others they
said that hell is one vast prison house,
and it seems to me that that view is
correct, since those who constitute hell,
or the hells, If you please, are not will
ing to refrain from doing wrong from
internal bonds and hence must be pre-
vented from doing wrong by external
bonds. since to so prevent them as
in the case before us, is mercy to the
rest of the people whom they desire or
do not hesitate to make uncomfortable
by their reckless actions. And it is
the only way in which mercy can be
secured for the rest.
In Prescott, Ariz. there is a curfew
whistle or signal compelling all young
people below certain age to be off
the streets and in their homes by $3.50
p. M, and 1t would not be a bad idea
to have a similar ordinance in Los
Angeles, possibly increasing the hour
until p. M, If thought best. This
hour is late enough for young people
below, say, 16 years, to be on the
streets. ALBERT P. setback.