The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-04-01
PEOPLE OBJECT.
Would Affect Working Glasses
More Than Any Other.

While the ANAL passage OF the Sab
bath observance'' ordinance IL pending,
the State Journal has received numer-
Gus letters and telephone calls from
Topeka people who are interested in
the fate Of the two amusement parks
Garfield and City park All kinds Of
rumors are afloat, and the most per-
ststent among them Is that the street
railway company is circulating petit
tons against the closing OF the parks,
or interference with the concessions.
This rumor has been Investigated and
1t has been found that the petitions
were started by the Coca Cola COM
pany. which holds lease on Garfield
park: Albert Patten, assistant general
manager of the Mckinley syndicate.
said today: W
These petitions were circulated by
the Coca Cofa company-not by the
street railway company. Many of the
railway employees are signing these
petitions and taking a personal inter-
est in them. as Sunday closing for the
parks would result in a decrease OF
street car traffic and that in turn
would cut down the hours of employ
ment for men who depend for q liv-
Ing on the wages they receive from our
company. Naturally the company OBJ
jects to any action that would ma
terially decrease its business-but 1t is
not circulating the petitions.
The street railway company hanls
between 5000 and 5000 people to and
from the parks every Sunday during
the summer season. Anyone who rides
the cars knows that a great majority
of the park passengers are working
people and their families-people who
have no opportunity to visit the parks
any other day in the week. They are
peaceable, w-abiding citizens Dis
turbances of any kind are extremely
rare in either of the parks. Neither Of
4kpo NOV uYe, r1I0 To
thickly settled residence district to in
terfere with the rights Of anyone"
There seems to be a general alarm
over the blue Sunday ideas of the
present mayor and commission, and
the popular impression seems to be
that the officials are inclined to take
advantage Of their power to enter in
to wild orgy of so-called reform"
Defensive petitions and threats of re-
call petitions are general topics of
conversation among both business men
and laboring people who are not sat
isfied with the attitude of the admin
istration. The petitions against the
Sunday closing of parks is the latest.
and the report that the railway COM
pany was responsible for the petition
was probably due to the fact that q
street railway employee. while off duty
was circulating one Of them.
The ordinance objected to by park
supporters, came up for first reading
Monday, and can now be called up for
final passage at any time. at the OPP
ton of the mayor and commission. II
il claimed by holders of the park con-
cessions that they will be unable to
make their business pay If the Sunday
receipts are cut out, as the average
Sunday business is more than all the
rest Of the week. The concessions pay
the city 10 per cent of the gross sales
of soft drinks and other merchandise
sold at the parks, and the city gets
about $4,000 per year revenue from
these sales. Garfield park alone paid
over $500 in dividends to the city