Arizona republican., 1908-05-15
MINORS ARE BARRED
 FROM POOL ROOMS
And the Latter Must Be Closed Hereafter On Sundays the Same aa Saloons.

The new city council took another step in what it conceives to be muni- cipal reform last evening, when an ordinance was passed by a majority
 vote only making it unlawful for any
 minor to visit a pool or billiard hall
 at any time and also making it un-
 lawful to keep any pool or billiard
 room open on Sunday. The penalty
 for the violation of the ordinance by
 any minor is from one to fifty dol
 lars fine or an equal number of days in jail, at the discretion of the re-
 corder. The penalty for violation of
 the law by any keper of pool room. either in respect of Sunday closing or
 Tn permitting any minor to visit the
 place, shall be a fine of not less than S5 nor more than $50 or an equal number of days in jail, in the discretion of the recorder.
 The ordinance was not passed with
 out a strenuous protest on the part of the owners of these places of amusement. They were present per sonally and were represented by Judge J. M. Burnett as their adviser and spokesman. He was armed with
 u PNt4NApAi NAAeiA Alcid Jttl for one day only in the interest of the pool rooms and to which there were approximately 700 signatures, in cluding nearly all the merchants and business men of the city, protesting against the passage of the proposed ordinance, which came before the meeting as the first order of business.
 After the reading of the ordinance Judge Burnett addressed the council. He did not talk long but what he said was to the point and vigorously stated. He said he was struck with the feature of the ordinance that made the playing of a game of bill lizards or pool, by a boy, a misde- meanor. He said he might be obtuse but he did not see how a misdemean- or could be made of such an act eith- CT by boy or man. It is not a game in which there is gambling in con nection, or any banking or percentage proposition. It is merely a game of skill and the players pay for the use of the tables by the game or by the hour.
 He then called attention to the peculiar nature of young America and especially in the west where boys of 17 are as fully developed as boys of 20 or men of 25 in the east, owing to their natural environment and the of western life. He ask ed the council to consider that there was little in this city to amuse young people or to entertain them and he could think of nothing that could be more harmless than pool or bill lizards. If he could have his way he said he would increase the number of such places. If it were harmful or an immoral game or if it were con ducted in connection with gambling he would say close it up. But he warned the council that if the Ordi- nance was passed, he believed it would result in greater evils Offsetting any benefits the coucil sought to se- cure. Young men and boys are de- termined to do something to amuse themselves and if they are not pro vided with innocent pleasures they will seek out and devise those which are harmful. The pool room affords in some measure, the pleasures of club membership which the boys and men cannot afford.
 The speaker further said that he be- ieved the matter of closing the pool rooms on Sunday is one that should be approached very carefully. Sun day is the only day the working man has for his own diversion and if he Is barred utterly from any public he will seek other means that might be reprehensibIe, which he