The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-14
he Stops OVER.
City Attorney Dreaming Makes
Wild Statements.
Tells Church People About the
Newspapers.
TALK SUNDAY CLOSING
Says That the Papers Are All
Biased.
TALK SUNDAY CLOSING
Mass Meeting at the Auditorium
Tonight.

perS for your information regarding this
Sunday theater closing. They are biased
and you win have to read between the
lines as 1T were to get at the real facts.
There is a good reason for them being
biased. They are like a great many
other business men. 1 understand that
they get more for the advertising of
these Sunday shows than they do for
advertising the shows for ali of the rest
of the week. said F. G. Dreaming, city
| attorney, at the morning services of
the First Methodist church
Mr.. Dreaming should be more careful
of the facts when delivering addresses
in the churches if he wants to live down
his reputation of permitting his mouth
to run away with his judgment
(Theres is neither truth, fairness
sense or Justice in what Dreaming
said before the congregation of the
First Methodist church, and he should
be more careful in his utterances as
an official holding an important po-
sition in city affairs. He has by his
own words shown himself biased. So
far as the State Journal is concerned,
it has published the news on this
subject as fully as it could secure it,
and as well, has been printing daily
for many days the facts as they have
developed in the present fight in Kan
sas City against the Sunday
theater. We do not get more for the
do for the advertising for any attrac-
ton through the week; the rate is just
the same and the amount received FOR
advertising or Sunday attractions is far
below that received for the week day
attractions. The State Journal cares
nothing for the amount received fol
advertising plays which appear here
on Sundays. So far as the writer
knows, it is a rare thing for any one
connected with the State Journal staff
to attend a Sunday theater. We believe
that as a rule people VINO attend the
Sunday entertainments are people who
ing through the week. A very large
number of the shop people In Topeka
are too tired after their days work and
do not have the time to shave, dress up
and leave their homes to tend the
theater weekday nights. Still this pa
per is not an advocate of Sunday the
aters. 1t would rather see them closed
than open. IN so wicked city as New
York is said to be the the
aters of the city are closed
sides to this question and many people
who are as careful Of their morals as
are those who go to church see no harm
in good attraction at the opera house
Sunday evening, and believe there are
worse places where Satan might gain
recruits. Quite a good many people
who oppose the theater for Sunday ev-
ening are opposed to it on all evenings.
church services were made so attractive
for rest and instruction and for mental
and moral improvement that people
would attend them rather than go to
the opera house, especially where the
admission to one is free and to the other
charge is made.)
The city attorney had been invited
to make n brief address to the members
of the congregation relative to the meet
ing to be held tonight by the council
committee on judiciary which will take
up the matter of closing the Sunday
theaters.
lone of my newspaper friends accused
me of sidestepping on this Sunday clos
ing. Is this sidestepping? asked the
city attorney as he presented his writ
ten legal opinion upon whether the OPP
Grafton of theaters and the selling OF
tickets to the performances on Sunday
could be construed as violation of exist
ing laws.
The city attorney stated that he had
been unable to secure newspapers to
publish his written opinion and though
he felt extreme reluctance from accept
ing the offer to make an address to a
church congregation he felt that under
the circumstances that it was entirely
proper for him to state the position that
he had taken.
At all of the churches over the city
Sunday members of the congregations
were asked to sign small cards in the
form of a petition and reading:
The Honorable Mayor and Gentlemen
Of the City Council: We hereby petition
you to use every means within your
power to stop the Sunday theaters
which are so flagrantly desecrating our
Sabbath.
These cards will be presented to the
council committee this evening. At the
same time the theaters over the city
asked their patrons to sign petitions ask
ing the council to refrain from interfeI-
ing with the operation of the amuse-
have been In circulation for the past
week and will be presented likewise this
evening.
A committee of three from the young
consisting of Frank NJ. Cope, A L.
Mayer and ]. K. Schriver visited all
of the theaters last evening for the pur-
pose of securing information and data
to present to the council committee this
evening. They attended the Grand, the
Majestic the Olympic and the moving
picture houses. the Elite and Crystal.
1--WE went to all of them said Mr..
Cope. I'VE found a surprisingly large
I didn't think SO many
people went to the Sunday theaters. We
estimated afterwards that something
like $50 people were in attendance on
the evening performances. Most of the
people seemed to prefer the cheaper the
aters and ell of these were packed.
There weren't so many at the Grand
in fact a rather small crowd and I I'M
derstand that they had a very strong
attraction there. The Majestic, how
ever, had big house and the Olympic
and the two smaller theaters all had a
large attendance.
I'VE haven't anything to say We
will be simply on hand this evening to
see that the law is enforced and that
these places are closed up and kept that
way"
The committee occupied a box at the
Majestic said Roy Crawford. when
hey came in We escorted them to z
Sox. I don't know whether they saw
anything Objectionable or not. There
vas some dancing and 1 don't know
neither they approved of that or not.
70 will he reDreseufed topirhf