The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-31

do business here. The laboring man
mas not signed that petition which was
circulated asking for an open Sunday
said d. H Brannaman. He stated that
the reason that Leavenworth was VIC
ious was due to the fact that the town
was wide open on Sunday. He stated
that Washington, D. c., and London
both maintained strict Sunday closing
example to Topeka of what was in eff
feet in some of the larger cities of the
land.
c. L. Thrapp, who runs a five cent
theater. stated that $500 people had
signed petitions at the theater against
closed Sunday.
N. B. Arnold of North Topeka said:
This same ordinance came before me
20 years ago when / was police judge
and the same kind of wave was sweep
ing over the country then as now. A
man was arrested and brought before
me for shaving on Sunday had some
sense and I concluded that if had a
right to shave myself that I could hire
a man to shave me and 1 let the man
go. Who is it that Is asking for the
enforcement of this law? Just about Is
per cent of the people of this town.
That's ALL
I'VE represent close to 1000 laboring
men in this town." said Frank Curry
of the Topeka Trades Council. This
fight started originally between two
classes of business men, between the
larger grocers and the smaller ones.
The men that I represent ask that this
law be repealed. They want to give the
man who has no place to go chance
to enjoy himself in any innocent way
he can on Sunday If he wants to go
into store and buy a cigar to give
him an opportunity to do so. If you en-
force this law you are going to force
some of these little stores to go out of
business. Some of them depend large
ly on their Sunday trade to pay for the
rent on their building"
81 am close to the laboring man and
1 think know what he wants pretty
WE'LL said T. E. Prout, secretary Of the
r. R. Y, M. G. A. 81 would like to ask
that man how many were present at
the meeting of the Industrial council
when those resolutions were adopted
There were about 20 present. an
swered Curry.
Cat calls and yells greeted this an
swer - ~aev All
You don't understand said Curry
to the crowd. This is a trades coun-
made up of delegates sent there from
the various unions making up the coun-
ell. Its not a large body but it repre-.
sents a great many men,"
Rev. c. E. Holcomb, of Lowman Hill
NJ. E. church, who made the most even
tempered address of the evening said:
This matter was brought before the
Ministerial Union and about 35 were
ID
committee on morals were instructed
to see that the law should not be weak
ened.
II come here tonight as a citizen
with petition signed by III residents
of my neighborhood against revising
this ordinance. Some of them never
belong to church and most of them
are laboring4 men, 1 think what we
should do is to give a fair test of the
law. 1t would be the height of folly
to say that three Sundays is fair
test. Take a little more time and try
adjust yourself. I speak only from the
of man who wants to see his
securing one day out of the
seven for rest
THE honorable mayor will have to
stop the street cars from running on
said p. H. Miller. You have
got to stop every and all kinds of labor
or else use reason in enforcing this
law"
]. B. Billiard: I'VE don't want to
drive away any legitimate business
from this. town. If you. enforce this
law enforce it against everything. 1
THE claim that people will leave To-
peka because some Is or 20 little stores
will be closed is absurd said Rev.
Thomas Young of the First Baptist
church.
The committee took no formal action