The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-02-06
WOMEN HURL
INvECTIVE AT
CITY FATHERS
From monuay's Daily.


bers OF the city council are afraid
10 take stand ON the dance hall
question" declared Mrs. w. j More.
hart. chairman or the committee OF
the women's club OF Mankato, that
came to the council chambers this
morning to address that body. Il
When the committee arrived, the
council had adjourned
Mayor Meyer told us positively
not TO come before ten o'clock,
said Mrs. Morehart. I'VE were out
in front OF the city hall building in
our automobile ut ten o'clock. He
bad promised that tie council would
wait until we got there. We did
not go In right away, because We
were waiting for Mrs. q. III. Traf-
ton, a high school teacher. We
wanted her TO tell the council that
she was in that dance hall. where
the mayor found everything SO nice
and proper on the same night that
he was there. She did not find
everything what II should be. We
wanted her to tell of times when
high school. whom she knew TO be
under eighteen years of age, fire.
quenting the dance halls contrary
TO law. We also wanted her to
tell the council of improper dancing
she had seen. So We waited for
her, and the result was that the
council members slipped away. u
. am sure II was not later than ten
minutes past ten, when VIC entered
the council chambers We saw Mr..
Gerlich and Mr.. Lamm when we
came in. We have reason TO believe
Mr.. Lack was no far away. ...
1T is very plain that the. council
members are afraid TO take any def
mite stand with regard to the dance
hall proposition. But they shall have
to take stand and we will make
them do H. We shall be at the
next meeting of the council and at
other meetings, II necessary. until
we do get some results out of It,"
What The Mayor Said. as
Il had an appointment with these
ladies' to meet the council at ten
o'clock" said the mayor. "and they
were not here. Shortly after the
meeting opened, as everybody knows
who was there, the matter of grant
ing a license to Roy .Lusk for the
evening of February In Richards
hall. came up. | caused the con-
sideration of the matter to be de-
ferred until ten o'clock, for the pur-
pose OF taking that up when the
ladies' should be present to discuss
ii. Ten o'clock came and the ladies
were not there. Then the license
was granted on the usual conditions.
The council left the matter OF the
ladies' complaints in my hands and
adjourned" b.. .
''lnasmuch as we had left the
matter of the dance halls I'm the
hands OF the mayor. ! did not feel
that It was our duty to stay there
said Councilman Gerllch. I'VE walt
ed for the ladies until 1880 o'clock.
We don't want the ladies to think
We were getting cold feet or trying
TO dodge the issue. We, thought
Il was sufficient to leave the whole
thing in the hands of the mayor"
Heard BY The Mayor.
Even II the delegation failed TO
get a hearing bcfore the council,
they were heard by Mayor Meyer.
The cimmittee included Mrs. w. J.
Merchant, Mrs. Lorin Cray, Mrs. J.
II. Brandrup. Mrs. +. M. Cuprrier.
Mrs. II. z. Hance. Mrs. G. II. Traf.
ton. Mrs. Mcconnell and others.
When the ladies entered the council
chambers. Mayor Meyer was in the
police station next door He went in
to meet them. as soon as he. knew
they were there.
The principal point that the ladies
presented was that the public dance
halls should be closed at twelve
o'clock. They said that although
there was no law or ordinance COM
polling this, II was In the power OF
the council TO do IL by making the
twelve o'clock closing condition of
the granting OF every public dance
license. They also urged that the
council insist that the going of men
from the dance hall to the saloons
and back should be stopped. This
could be done by requiring the pro-
prietor to charge second admls-
sion fee from any who left the
dance hall and came back again.
They declared that the dances were
by no means all that they should
be. While some of the dAncing was
proper. much OF II was mot. They
also said that boys and girls who
were under eighteen were frequently
seen in the dance halls. ~
Arguing for twelve O'Clock closing.
the ladies said that girls Nwho FIRE.
qHented the public dances were in
far greater danger than these who
merely went TO private or club
dances. The girls at the public
dance halls often went home alone.
Frequently they we're obliged TO
walk long distances alone. at such