Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-27
COUNCIL REPEALS
DANCE MEASURE
LEGISLATORS ARE WRESTLING
WITH PROBLEM
Notified by City Attorney That Petit
tIons Bear Sufficient Names,
Members Are Compelled
to Act

The dance hall ordinance forbiddlng
such places to be open on Sunday ana
restricting the age of patrons to over
IS years was repealed yesterday by the
city council.
This action was taken as the result
of 81 report to the city council Dy .;' tne
CITY clerk that the referendum petition
circulated by f. H. Solomon of Nor
ley's Grand avenue dance hall was suf-
ficient to make it mandatory on the
council to reconsider it's action.
The council reconsidered.
After such reconsideration it had the
privilege off either repeating the or
dinance or calling a special election
that the people might vote on 1t or
putting il over to the next general
municipal election a year from jan
nary. 1t chose the first, with Council
men HeaIy and Clampitt voting against
the repeal.
Councilman Wallace moved for the
repeal of the ordinance, declaring that
IoIittinr the referendum over until the
next municipal election would suspend
its operation for fourteen months, ana
he felt confident some action TOWARD
the regulation of the dance halls would
be taken before that time.
Rev. w. f. Ireland of the SUNDAY
Rest league submitted petition asking
the council to investigate the reteren-
dunn declaring many gross irregular
tiles would be found in the petitions
with his request he submitted a num-
ber of affidavits of men who had taken
part in circulating and otherwise hanu-
ling the referendum in which they
swore they had previously sworn to un-
truths He declared the matter should
be taken by the council to the grand
jury. 49,,
Az the mention of grand jury several
members of the council hastily started
for the door before they caught them
selves. and then sat down sheepishly.
Councilman Dromgold, with accusing
finger pointed at Mr.. Ireland, told MN
that it was none of the councils bus1-
ness to present these matters to the
grand Jury, but that if Ireland knew
his accusations were true 1t was MS
duty as a citizen to take them before
the grand Jury himself. Mr.. Ireland
said he would be more than glad TO DO
so. and withdrew the affidavits which
he says, he will present to the lnquls-
itorfa1 body.
Another petition from Mr. Ireland was
read to the council, in which he urged
the passage of an ordinance attached.
The attached ordinance was the lden-
tfcal one the council amended ana
which brought about the referendum
The amendments in the ordinance per-
NIT clubs and other such ORGANIZATIONS
to have dances on Sunday. The or
dinance submitted yesterday does not.
Seeming what he called job, Coun-
Gilman Wren Indignantly demanded the
new ordinance be filed. MIR. Ireland
calmly declared if it was filed 1t only
means the council chamber would DC
filled with members of the Church
Federation and Sunday Rest league
who would demand it be taken from the
file or an initiative petition whlch
would compel a special election ana
cost the city money.
Discussion Lively
The Introduction of this ordinance
brought on a lively discussion among
members of the council, but the out
come was that it was sent to the legls-
lative committee.
The council virtually agreed to adopt
the report of this committee, and the
committees personnel leaves no doubt
as to what this recommendation will be.
1t is composed of Blanchard, Wren and
Wallace Blanchard comes from sec
tion of the Ninth ward where dance
halls are looked on with suspicion and
distrust He is also a good Methodist
himself His name was first on the
roll call when the first ordinance was
passed and when it was extremely
doubtful what the outcome of the vote
would be. BY voting "aye" he prac-
tically won the day for the ant1-dance
hall faction Wren voted for the first
ordinance He is lukewarm about the
entire matter Wallace is the avowed
champion of the Church Federation in
the council and has been the councils
foremost exponent of the antidance
hall legislation. This committee will
undoubtedly report in favor of dance