El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-21
RETAIL MERCHANT
WANT A FOURTH
CELEBRATION
Will Ask City to Contribute
Some Money-Discuss
Early Closing.

| Early OIOSU1S.
| The retail merchants decided last
| night TO have a Fourth of July celebra-
| flor as suggested by The Herald, ana
| also to take up the matter or MD
week half holiday or early closing dur
ing the summer months and settle 1t as
| soon as they can get the sentiment OF
| all the storekeepers.- They also took
| O ran or two at the new insurance rates
| AT the close of a lengthy, guarded
| discussion when Rev. c. o. BecKmah'
nastor of the First Methodist churcn'
| asked that a committee provided for oy
q nrevious motion to see the retail mer-
chants regarding the closing petition De
oomnosed of merchants known to favor
tho movement, president A. Schwartz re-
piled that If Mr.. Beekman could tell
from the expressions Of members pres
| emf on what side Of the renee tleS
] stood. the pastor was possessed OF deep
| er now ers of analysis than the preSl-
dent
Committee Named.
Ae an alternative the president al
| lowed Mr.. Beckman himself to appoint
the committee, who were named as IoA-
lows: E. P. Lerner, j. U. NorthIndn anu
Harry Swain. The committee VIII en-
voes tba retail merchants between over
land street. FL Paso street and the
railroad tracks to ascertain their VIEWS
Sucb was the answer Of the league
70 the position of the missionary union
asking for a half holiday during inc
week or else o'clock closing every cay
The action will result in mere oeIay
of the question and the ghost yet re-
mains TO be laid. The action taken was
after much discussion ana aIteI
heated calls by the chair for motion
6isnosing of the question in some form
Clerks Not Interested.
q ballard while inclined 1aVoraply
70 rnidwee< half holiday, stated that
he could not close his store on odtuI-
day evening. Il am not here TOT my
health" he said. and 1 did not come
here for ny health. came mere u
make legitimate business and nave
tried to be square with all. Would
like to disabuse the public mind OF the
imnrassion that FL PasO merchants
abnse the women in their employ some
women who work in the stores nave
bought property because they nave
stuck TO business. I cannot close on
Saturday. It is worth more thah any
her two days in the week TO us
Harry Swain said that he would not
he greatly affected in any event, that
he did not employ women and tnat ne
doubted if the boys whom he employed
would take advantage OF an early CLOS
ing. -
nature of his business, it would be IN
possible for him 10 close for half cay
or at o'clock on Saturdays or other
DAYS. When he came to Ell Paso. ne
said. stores were kept open sundays
and until 10 o'clock at night and ne
had cut out Sundays and was closing
at o'clock.
Against Saturday Closing.
F. P. Lerner said that o'clock
closing would knock a hole in his shoe
business and that it would be impos-
sible for him to close at that hour
A Schwartz, speaking of the half
holiday in other cities, said that large
department store in Mobile. Ala, clos
ed last year for half day each week,
but that it would not do so this year
because it lost too much money by it
In San Antonio. A large mercantile
store closed for half a day last year
on Thursdays and its chief competitor
closed Fridfys. The half holiday
would be discontinued this summer, he
said
e. H. Yale. of the Kress store said
that he could not close a half day or
at OClOCh Cdtul N4stS NCAAAAAo1-
throw the key away between I and
o'clock Saturday nights he said
Minister Is Heard.
Rev. c. o. Beckman. Of the First N.
E church: Rev. r. T. Hanks. of the
Calvary Baptist church. and Rev. P J.
Rice, Of the First Christian church.
named by the Ministers Union to aid
the missionary union, appeared in be
half of the women. Referring to a COM
munication signed Clerk" in Friday
afternoons Herald. stating that half
holiday would be at the expense of the
clerks, as the employers would cut their
wages, DR.. Beckman declared that he
did not believe the merchants would cut
salaries if half holiday were granted
IF eny of you are married men. you
know that it is no use to say no 10
the women he said "and unless you
grant this petition, it VIII come up,
again next summer"
J. c. Ballard suggested that the re-
quest for early closing or half HOLIDAYS
be curtailed to include only the months
of July and August.
The new insurance rates came in for
a lengthy discussion. also the proposed
measures of relief it being the unan-
imous opinion of those present that
the people of FL Paso were "up against
it, in the language of president
Schwartz and that the movement for
remedy SnOulu De puSnet-.
For = Fourth of July.
motion was made by J. c. Ballard
that q committee be appointed to go to
the city council and ask if that body
would appropriate an equal amount
with the league to disburse for a
Fourth of July celebration. which is to
be a feature of the entertainment of the
eNcursionists who avail themselves of
the leagues trade excursion rates. The
motion carried and the committee will
be named during the W eek by the pres
ident.
J. c. Ballard was named acting chair
man of the advertising COMMITTEE in
place of chairman COblantz, who Is out
OF the city, and Fred Feldman was
named chairman of the entertainment
committee In place of chairman Norton
who is absent from the city for two
months. j. r. Segall was also named
q member of that COMMITTEE, he and
Mr. Feldman having been named as act
ing directors of the league during the
absence from the city of Messrs. Cob
lcntZ and Norton
1t was decided by the league to hold
meetings only once a month after next