New-York tribune., 1907-12-17
NEW LAW BLUE, TOO.
p1ps 4IL SUNDAY SHOWS.
5omm m;ttee's Amended Ordinance
Before aldermen To-day.

,a n, the Committee on Laws ano
r raa,s,ation the ordinance regulating S0'
amusements TO be presented at the ihee'e
the Board of Alderman at 1;Se O'CLOCK 'i.i'
.eraoon will differ radically from the Douii oio
rance as proposed last week Ii VIII retain 'io
clause in the original law OF any o'iiei e
,a,nn,ent on the stage. This means 'hat GA
vaudeville and variety shows viii pe prohiDi'eu'
.s 1,,el as operas and what is known as lesili-
mate" drama All moving picture SHOWS a"u
,anrv in the slot arcades will also be prohioi'eo
on Sunday
ronoo william sheafe Chase. who has led
movement to close the vaudeville ana variety
shows along with the other theatres Oh SuiioaS'
said last night he believed the ordinance as rec
ommended by the committee would pass al
though 1t was hard to predict what the ooaio
might do.
.Tsut if they reject the report OF the conlriiiC-
fee and pass the Doull ordinance" he said' we
may have some more blue Sundays For 1t Is
possible for me TO get an injunction from 'ne
eunreroa Court restraining the police from en-
forcing the ordinance the ground that II is
unconstitutional / have the advice OF lawyer
on this subject"
The ordinance will contain this clause: Sa-
cred and educational concerts shall be per
mitted" It also provides that the Corporation
Counsel may begin proceedings on the coiiipiaiii'
of citizens for the revocation OF the hceiise VI
any one disobeying the ordinance 10 Pre'eh'
blackn1ail there is provision that co1npisiia"'o
must deposit $500 TO cover the cost OF 'ne pro-
ceedinp IN case the complaint does NOT prove
well founded
Cornoration Counsel Pendleton's opinion is
that the Board of Aldermen has the r1sh' 'o
regulate Sunday entertainments under secuon
1881 Of the charter.
A resolution protesting aginst the Doui oIui
nance because it permitted theatres TO open Oh
sunday under certain restrictions was passed at
a mass meeting held in the Third herorineu
Presbyterian Church, in sd street, last night.
Canon Chase said that the Lawson our iaho IfR0'
provided for white Sabbath Then came the
desire for money, and vaudeville managers hao
gradually changed the Sunday to red and yel-
low and finally to black.
BLACK" he said, because these performances
were running the morals of little children JUS
tice O'Gornan interpreted the law exactly as
believe it should he interpreted But he did not
intend to stop Young Mems Christian Assocla-
ton entertainments or anything given WITHOUT
gain Then came the Police Department with a
bottle of blue ink They thought they could
make the law ridiculous They stopped dancing,
which is not prohibited under this law, although
IL might be stopped under another statute. Then
one of the most iniquitous things imaginable
was conceived 1t arranged that Alderman
DouH should offer an ordinance which nobody
had seen in print and ask that if be passed with
out chance being given to consider ii seriously.
But there were Aldermen who did not dare jam
the thing through. so action was postponed"
The Rev. DR.. H. G. Mendenhall. Of the West
minister Presbyterian Church, said he was sur
prised that foreigners should to this
Christian nation and demand that our ideals be
changed to fit those of their native land.
The Rev J. A Reed, of the Charles Street
United Presbyterian Church, said that when the
Fourth Commandment, to keep the Sabbath Day
holy, was violated it let down the bars for all
forms of sin.
The Rev. Mr.. Downes, pastor &c the Eighteenth
Street Methodist Episcopal Church, said that the
strict Interpretation of the law given by Police
Commissioner Bingham was never intended and
done simply to make it ridiculous. '@rhe law
as it stands IS good enough he said. 'The ele-
ment behind the present furor is the cunning
crafty, greedy Jew, who is bound by every
power he has to break down the Christian Sab
bath"
Several magistrates said yesterday that the
police were going too far in their enforcement
of the Sunday laws Marcus Weichselbaun. q
rabbi. of No 3 Sheriff street and Moses Mirsky
were discharged by Magistrate Walsh in the
Essex Market court when they were arraigned
on a charge Of violating the Sunday law by
giving a stereopticon entertainment No tickets
were sold, but persons were admitted by having
i've cents at the cashiers window IT WAS a.
religious entertainment and the proceeds were
10 go to charity the defendants said Magis-
trate Walsh told the police to be more careful
In the future
L CO not believe dancing on Sunday is a
theatrical performance or is prohibited in any
way. said Magistrate Breen, in discharging
eafee men arrested on charge Of conducting q
dance at No. us West 23d street
The police take rights that even a nagis-
srate can't take IF you are in doubt yo,, simnlv
go ahead anyway" said Magistrate Herman in
oischarging John H Brown, who was charged
with running dance in West 125th street He
paroled seven men arrested in the moving nict
ure establishment Of Brill & Fox at No Ga
West 125th street. who wanted an adjournment
until Justice Marean, of the Supreme Court had
decided contempt proceedings brought against
Captain Walsh for making arrests in the moving
picture place on Sunday week ago in defiance
of an Injunction The police hold that the place
IN 125th street is not protected by the iniunc-
ton because, they say, the lease is held under a
different name.