Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-10

| n deathbow to prosperous Atlantic City.
| The crowds continued to come; the wealth
| and popularity of the resort continued to
! increase. The cafes and saloons had lost
| their best business day Of the week but
| they continued to thrive remarkably. The
caberet was introduced at the cafes and
| Song pushers" contributed to the gaiety
! Of the scenes enacted nightly among the
bright lights. There were still host Of
amusements which were allowed to open
on Sunday and the visitors seemed
satisfied,
Those who had forecast dire results to
follow the enforcement Of the Sunday
closing law were nonplussed. II had hurt
the saloon interests without question, but
1t was difficult to show where the city as
whole or any other legitimate business
| had suffered. Sincere church members
and ministers breathcd a sigh Of relief
THAT bit Of reform didn't seem to hurt
much" they said. But in the meantime
the interests" were growing again. de
clarng:
Atlantic City has such wonderful nat
ural advantages and so many attractions
that even the removal of its best feature
could not kill It. But ic they remove the
saloons entirely ana close up the amuse
ments on Sunday they will see. Atlantic
City will be ruined"
Mayor william Riddle chief exponent
Of the liberal faction. voices his opinion
of the situation as follows:
"If these reformers get what they want
the ocean will enguf Atlantic City. We
would be so good people would want to
wipe us Off the face of the earth.
THE Sunday closing law enforcement
deprecated the value of every licensed
saloon in Atlantic City by 80 1.3 per cent
and the only difference is this The people
| who come down here for Sunday now
! bring their whisky with them, and on
! Monday morning the city gathers the
bottles up by the busheI
''Tf they close up the movies vaude-
vile houses and a few other innocent
| amusements on Sunday there will be
| nothing left for the visitors to do but
pray. But what is the use of talking about
| their putting the saloons and these other
| things out of business? These reformers
| can't put such legislation through You
| can't change human nature by saying
| you must do this and you mustn't do
| that"
Jacob Boutwell,. one of the proprietors
| ofthe Hotel Boutwell, and manager OF the
Steel Pier, when asked to give his opinion
| OF efforts to put Atlantic City saloons out
| of business, replied:
| 1T is pretty hard to say what effect
| the permanent closing of saloons would
! have The Sunday closing law had no III
| effects on the hotel business but If an
|
| movies and vaudeville houses on Sunday.
| | believe the reform movement would be
| carried too far. Such amusements are
absolutely harmless, and to remove them
would be merely to bar our visitors from
| some things which they enjoy and which
have their place among the attractions
| of the resort"
The saloonkeepers of Atlantic City and
| the proprietorS OF amusements now al
! lowed to operate on Sunday are of
course unanimous in asserting that the
| present talk of reform is beyond the
| bounds of reason AS one saloonkeeper
put 1t: They pretty near ruined us be-
| fore, and now they want to finish up the
job and finish up Atlantic City as a live
resort at the same time The people who
come here now don't spend money. and
pretty soon they won't even come"
Others assert that the reform move
ment is merely being taken UP as a po-
| litlcal club to defeat Mayor Riddle and
other City Commissioners at the election
next May. In the meantime, the thou
sands of people attending Doctor Slough s
tabernacle services daily are becoming
more thoroughly convinced that 1t is up
to them to carry the reform movement to
successful conclusion.