The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1914-05-30
MERCHANTS BACK UP
ON THEIR AGREEMENT
WHEN AN oL0 DEPOSIT TO INSURE
SUNDAY CLOSING WAS DUG UP
MAYOR ASKED TO CLOSE STORES
Most OF the Merchants Will Close Sun.
days But A Couple Refuse. SO a Test
Case Made Necessary

In 1909 the drygoods merchants of
Crystal Falls, who are all Jews, by
the-way, agreed among themselves TO
make a deposit with the Iron County
National Bank 10 insure the closing
OF their stores ON Sunday. Each
merchant drew check for $25 and
placed 1t with the bank together with
"a written agreement that should he
open his store on Sunday the chock
should be turned over to the City of
Crystal Falls 10 be used Cor charitable
purposes. The agreement was solemnly
entered into 10y all and each went
away with a feeling that great
uplift movement had commenced
which would lift Crystal Falls mer-
chants to plane with those of any
model community in the land.
For time the agreement was kept.
Then new blood came TO town and
gradually the reins grew Stacker until
everyone of the originals to the COM
pact were keeping their stores wide
open all day Sunday. The deposit was
forgotten and when any of the number
thought of the twenty-five he regaled
himself with the thought that the
widows pension act had dispelled the
necessity for charity in Crystal Falls
and the city couldn't find any use for
the monsy.
Mayor Gatfney, who by the way is
also the cashier of the bank, ran across
the checks last Thursday and. feeling
the weight of his official position, he
thought IL time TO have "cashing
i'm 50 he wrote to each of those in
the compact ADVISING them that their
fingers were not crossed and the city
had tagged their twenty-five for the
charity fund.
A charge of dynamite exploded under
each mercantile establishment might
have been more forceful in bringing
a raise" ont of the proprietor but it
wouldn't be any quicker for the letters
had no sooner been mailed than the
said proprietors were in line, having
decreed among themselves that the
present dull business made Crystal
Falls merchants the biggest objects Of
charity on the mayors hands.
One leading merchant rushed into
the bank exclaiming, The agreement
was broke; the agreement was broke -
"Of course il has been broken.
replied the may or his school teaching
days and.partioularly the hours devoted
to parsing out OF Murrays grammar
coming to mis- mind-and by breaking
il you have made IL necessary for this
bank to turn over this money to the
city.
What else can we do replied one
of them when questioned by the
Diamond Drill man I'VE pulled a
bone when we put our money in the
bank and the BANK got 10 be mayor.
All he has TO do is To watch our de-
posits and pay himself II we had
given the cheeks to some one besides
a banker we should be all right but
now we are soaked.
And so the said merchants decided
to make the best Of IL and they con
ferred together 70 see if by being ood
now they couldn't make amends for
past bad deeds All agreed but
Kaplan He Is new fellow and
had no twenty-five 20 lose so ne
could afford to stand pat There
wasn't as much progression TO him
as there was TO the republican
national committee in 1912 and that's
some stand patism.
As last resort two Of the merchants.
acting as committee, waited upon
the mayor and requested him 10
compel the closing the stores on
Sunday by legal means. Then
Kaplan grew more stand pat. He
threatened 10 shut up the candy stores
If the mayor tried 10 close the dry
goods store. II made no difference
hat the others knew he was bluffing
He would show them that he could
make his bluh stand mp and II IS as
rect a. the ossiiicd man az the dime
Will the mayor clll itG
Be says he will