The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-25
SUNDAY CLOSING
 IN WESTPORT IS
 CAUSING COMMENT
Responsible Authorities Do Not Take Kindly to Inter-
 ence of Civic Persons
Interviews with Representa- tive Citizens of the Town
 Indicate Real Sentiment.

tive Citizens of the Town Indicate Real Sentiment. Special to The Farmer)
 westport, Conn.,, Feb. 25- Several years ago, when Rev. MT. Landers was the pastor of the Congre- gational church in Westport. he or.
 ganized Mems club, which met on stated evenings in the 1estry of the church, and listened to such speak
 CTS as could be procured. One of these
 was Judge Perry of Southport. After MT. Landers left town. some of the gentlemen, who had attended the Dr. Stearns and James G. Hyatt, thought it would be good thing for the town to have the organization continued, only on wider basis, and
 unsectarian. The result was the Civic club, intended to be like the Board Of l Trade in Bridgeport, or the newly or sanized board in Stratford--to lend it's influence in any direction which would be of benefit to the town and pro- l mote its welfare.S It was thought manufacturers might be induced to establish plants in Westport: And in I give the citizens an opportunity to listen to speakers from out Of town on live topics. For some time the Civic l club struggled along without attract ing much notice, or doing anything. A well known citizen, who does not wish to be named, said it was a theorizing club, which talked and passed resolu- tons, but never concentrated. AS MT. Hyatt said yesterday, it was to use i it's influence for the benefit of the town; not to kill the town. The first thing it has really attempted to do, is to close up on Sunday certain places of business, and to enforce the Sum- day laws.
 The town as a, whole is orderly and comparatively free from violations of the law. The only places which keep open on Sunday are E. O; simpsons
 drug store, the Westport drug stores, Farrar's fruit store, Toney Chichs ssala's fruit store, the Herald news store, and the "Krazy Kat" restaurant. Speak ing of the situation as 1t has develop ed Oscar Smith, ex-Selectman and the well known contractor and builder of Saugatuck parish, said yesterday 1T don't want anything to do with the Civic club. I am not in favor of it. If any action is taken towards Sunday closing, it belongs to the town authorities and the selectmen. The Civic club is a Self-created organiza- ] it does so it goes beyond it's powers. The members of the club are a very angelic set! If in the summer time the meat market is open for an hour on Sunday morning to sell meat to those who do not keep ice, think it is an accommodation, and harmless.
 And see no harm in buying plate
 of ice cream on Sunday"
 Judge Daniel B. Bradley. President
 of the First National Bank said yes-
 terday that he does not belong to the
 club. Nor does he wish to belong. The chief complaint has been that on Sun- day, day and evening, a large num-
 Der of young men who, work in the
 mills all the week, collect about the
 fruit store next to the library and sit
 in long rows on the curb stone around
 the library grounds. do not think
 they will hurt the curb stone. Where
 can our young men go? Where may
 they sit? I have my piazza to sit on.
 Perhaps they have none. The pub
 lie prosecutor is Attorney Harry Sher-
 wood. If complaint is made to him,
 it will be h,s business to notice it.
 Sheriff Kemper would make an arrest
 if he had a complaint and a warrant.
 Judge Bradley said he thinks Sunday
 in the village is too open. He said
 the baseball grounds are mile north
 of the village, and seldom disturb any,
 one. He never saw anything out of
 the way on Sunday. People wait at
 the library corner for the trolley cars.
 in the radical movement to shut things
 up.
 W. H. Petrie, who has kept for 27 years ice cream and candy parlors in
 the building next to the Town House,
 says he has always kept his place
 thinks any one should who has respect for the Sabbath and the laws of his
 country. He would sell on Sunday a
 plate of ice cream or a bowl of oys-
 ter broth, if any one wanted it. He never has crowd standing about his places. That has been the trouble
 with some other places. It has been reported that the men about some of the places which keep open, make re- marks about the women as they pass by to church. The Civic club never sent him any word to close up.
 Rev. MT. Taylor, pastor of the Con-
 gregational church, said he had at-
 tended but one meeting of the Civic club. He thought the action taken was intended as much to awaken pub- lie opinion and induce the proper au- thorities to do their duty. as anything were in favor of a liberal Sunday. He saw no harm in amateur baseball, where the game is not played for money.
 The action of the club is probably to guard against too open Sunday in the future. Last summer, after pavi- lion was opened at Compo, large num- bers of strangers came into town, and congregating on the streets, patroniz- ed the fruit and drug stores and kept the town in a turmoil. It was feared this might become a nuisance and it would be better to have Sunday clos ing. Mr. Taylor, who came from New York said he is new man in this State. and did not fully understand the situation.
 It was said in town yesterday that Franklin M. Raymond, father of Rev. Royal w. Raymond, who used to preach in Stratford, and MT. Post who runs the paper mills, and M. H. Con- ley of the starch plant, and the pas tor of the Methodist church and Rev. Kenneth Mackenzie, are among the ac- tive members of the Civic club and in favor of closing up the shops and stores. MT. Mackenzie is credited with a desire to use mild measures and to effect some kind of a compromise. Judge Bradley is also of the opinion that this is the best plan. This plan would have worked all right, if some one had, not induced Sheriff Kemper to visit certain places and order them closed from 10 o'clock in the morning until o'clock in the afternoon; as had been agreed upon. The action of the sheriff crystalized matters, and the agreement was declared off. The result was the following notice to the