The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-13
LID IS ON TIGHT.
Druggists Will Close Stores All
Day Sunday.
Will Give Topeka Real blue"
Sabbath.
AGREEMENT is SIGNED.
Mayor Green Says He Is Pleased
at Action.
Will Except Street Cars and
the Sunday Newspapers.

Forty-eight drug store proprietors,
representing all but two Of the drug
stores in Greater Topeka, Thursday
evening signed an agreement to screw
the Sunday lid down hard and tight on
Saturday night and let it remain there
till the following Monday morning, and
moreover to keep on doing this sort or
thing until the city council amends or
repeaIs the so-cal1ed Sunday closing
ordinance, or until the courts reverse
the mayor or the proposition
The meeting at which this action was
taken was held in the rear OF George
Stansfield's drug store. Some or those
in attendance favored opening tnelr
stores for an hour or two on sunday,
but fully two-thirds of the druggists
present were opposed to opening at ALL
w. H. Wilson made the motion to close
up the drug stores as tight as wad
in a rifle all day Sunday. Mat weight
man seconded the motion.
The ball Immediately began to roll
and for an hour one would have thougnt
that caucus of politicians was on
The debate took a wide range. ConserVa-
tive druggists. led by F. A. Snow, advo-
Gated keeping the drug stores open Tor
an hour or two on Sundays Tor the
purpose of enabling the pubnc TO Duy
medicines. Others. and these were
greatly in the majority, declared tnat
there was no profit. but dead loss TO
me druggists in keeping open ten min
utes for the purpose of selling meol-
zines alone
ssTf fha Tnavor and the city council
wish to have a typical blue Sunday In
Topeka, boys, in the name OF Adam
,ff OK, let's give it to them, snouIeo
,ne speaker IF we cannot sell any
thing but medicines what is the use OF
wasting our time and spelling our SAB
bath? I think we owe something TO
the public but also am of the opinion
that the public and the powers that be
70 airlN
they do this I am in favor OF closing
our stores with bars of steel and keep
ing them closed the entire twenty-four
hours of Sunday"
ones apparently won all of the ad-
vocates of opening on Sunday, Tor
when the motion was put for absolute
closing it carried unanimously. 90
not think, the people OF the CITY want
this Sunday ordinance enforced TO the
letter." said James P. Rowley. 1T Is a
well known fact that there is practi-
calIy no profit in the sale OF medl-
cines alone on Sunday. While 1 real
ize that the bottling up OF the drug
stores for twenty-four hours in a city
the size of Topeka will cause hard
ships, 1 also realize that the best way
to repeal an unpopular law is to en-
force it,
F. A. Snow, who acted as chairman
of Thursdays meeting and who was
rather more in favor OF keeping open
for an hour or two on Sunday, was
converted to the "bottling' idea. In
speaking of the action Of the meeting
Thursday he said:
1--WE are going to be closed all day
every Sunday during the time this Or
dinance is being enforced. There are
two reasons for this: We cannot af-
ford to keep our stores open, even for
an hour or two, for the sale OF drugs
and medicines only, and we think that
within two or three weeks the people
I,{r
sive on account of the Sunday closing
of drug stores that they will demand
that the ordinance be repealed or
amended. I think the druggists can
stand Sunday closing as long as the
rest of the town can.
The action of the drug stores means
the practical shutting off of the LIQUOR
supply on Sunday. The so-called
whisky drug stores led in the fight for
absolute closing.
With the exception of churches, !
hotels and clubs the theaters are the
only business or sem1-bustnesS con-
Germs that will be open The Sunday
closing agitation was first directed
against the theaters, but the test case
is now pending against Roy Crawford |
in the district court, and II the thea
ters are closed at all they will be the
last concerns to feel the sting of the |
law. |
Everything will be under the ban |
Sunday, according to the mayor, ex- |
cines." Just where the mayor gets
his law for exempting Sunday news
papers, street cars, ETC., and closing up |
provision shops is an interesting ques-
ton and the city executive is receiving 4
considerable criticism for his action
in the premises. Those who CLAIM to
know considerable about the statutes
OF the city and state freely declare
that the mayor is playing a losing
game.
One of the interesting things in
connection with the Sunday closing
programme of the mayor is the
scheme of the city florists. One of
them declared today that flowers for
day, but that none would be sold"
Those familiar with the wildcat dis
tillers' tactics will certainly be "on"
to this game. Many persons are yet
Iivlng IN Topeka, perhaps. who have
LAID a dollar and a quart bottle by an
old pine tree. given the tree three
lusty raps with a club, taken a walk,
returned twenty minutes later and
wataed away away With with quart of fire
WlLnout seeing single human being.
When Informed of the action of the
druggists in closing on Sunday Mayor
william Green said that was the
proper thing. He declared he was
the lid On Sunday as long as the ordi- |.
nance under which he was operating
was on the statute books, or until he
was reversed by the courts
Inc druggists who signed the clos
ng agreement Thursday follow:J. P.
Rowley, Rcsser Bros, G. l.. pope. @.
d. smith, Chesterfield pharmacy, Geo. |
Champion, B. F. Sim, E. F. Bren-
xers r. s. Lee, Campbell Drug Co., U.
;. Miller, A. T. Waggener, Geo w.
stansdeld. Alex T. Gibler. G. w. Flad.
J. w. Brunt, Brunt & Martin, H. c. ]
Martin, G. M KnOwltnu r1 WiIIfS | ,