Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-07
ARE MERCILESS
TO CHUTES PARK
HUNDREDS OF CITIZENS MAKE
VIGOROUS PROTEST
OBJECT TO PERMITTING YOUNG
CHILDREN IN GROUNDS
Amendment to Ordinance Taken Un-
der Amusement and in final Form
May Be More Drastic
Than Present

With the council chamber filled to
capacity with delegations from prac-
tically every church and woman's or
ganization in Los Angeles, the reputa-
ton of Chutes park suffered badly at
the meeting of the council yesterday.
AS a consequence the amendment to
an ordinance the management of the
park has been striving to secure was
taken under advisement, and it APP
pears likely 1t will remain there some
time The full council was present
at the meeting yesterday and the
amendment does not appear to have
friend in the entire gathering.
The ordinance which it is desired to
amend prohibits the attendance of
children under IA years old at any
dance hail. theater or any amusement
place where dancing, moving pictures
and canned" music is the chief at
traction unless accompanied by par
ents or legal guardians. AS the present
ordinance reads children under IA are
not even admitted to Chutes park
grounds unless accompanied by par
ents or guardians. 1t was this clause
in the ordinance the Chutes park man
agement wanted changed. They want
ed it to read so children of any age
could be allowed inside the outer
grounds without parents or guardians.
Judge D. K. Trask presented the case
for Manager Lehigh of the Chutes and
about two hundred presented the other
side by petition and oratory.
DR.. w. A. Lamb of the Juvenile I'm
provement association started the dis
cussion for the opponents of the
amendment. He presented Chutes park
as a whole in an unenviable light and
the admission of young children in par
ticular he declared was one of the
direct ways of filling the reformatories
and prisons of the state.
Mrs. Frank I. Wheat, representing
the mothers conference, pleaded with
the councilmen to kill the amendment
in the name of the mothers and chill
dren of Los Angeles. She made an
eloquent address and was followed by
many others, who declared in most
emphatic language Chutes park was no
place for young children. The principal
argument advanced to prohibit chill
dren from going into the outer grounds
without parents or guardians was that
the dancing and other amusements
could be seen better from the outside
than they could from within.
Wallace Is Dramatic
| Several of the speakers, and especial
ly Wiley J. Phillips. declared young
girls had been ruined in the place.
When former Judge Trask arose to
/
management he defied MIR. Phillips to
cite one single instance or mention the
name of one grill who had been ruined
at Chutes.
There was a moment of intense ST.
lence after this challenge, when Coun-
| Gilman A. J. Wallace rose and dramat-
ically refused to permit the name of
any girl who had suffered wrong to be
spoken in that public place. There was
round of applause that fairly shook
the startled old city hall.
| Members of the council attached
great weight to the statements made
| by Gilbert Wright of Wright & CAL
| lender. He declared he had been ap-
pointed on a committee from Christ
church to attend the council meeting,
and in order to satisfy himself of con-
ditions had attended Chutes park Sun
day night. He stated he found con-
dition of affairs in the dance hall
amounting almost to a rough house.
and he was confident 1t was not place
he would permit his children to attend
without a guardian
When the matter came to a vote A
J. Wallace wanted the amendment
tabled, which spells death to any
measure, but R. w. Dromgolds substi-
tute to take the matter under consid-
GRAFTON prevailed. From Mr.. Drom-
COLDS manner in stating his amend
ment and few hints he gave it is evil
dent Chutes park will be even more
drastically dealt with when the amend
ment comes up for consideration. 1t
seems probable this amendment will
not only be defeated, but other amend
ments will be added to the existing or
dinance that will make 1t exceedingly
uncomfortable for the Chutes. In the
meantime the council will investigate
and learn If the amusement park is as
black as 1t was painted yesterday by
the representatives of churches and
other organizations.
The question of restricting the age
of girls who attend dance halls with
out parents or guardians to Is years
was to have been discussed yesterday,
but was laid over four weeks.