Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-08-28
CABARETS- Frederic j. HaSkin

Usually, though. this sort of a hold-up is con-
Quoted in a much more subtle manner One
cabaret restaurant this summer, for example, Is
serving large dish of radishes, celery and olives
with each order, the waiter explaining that they
out of the cafes own garden. When the gues-
pays his bill, he finds charge of so cents lacked
on for these garden relshes. If he has the temer-
ity to protest, the charge is deducted, but the
average cabaret patron pays it, unprotesting, IKE
the long-sufering individual he is. One guest dld
insist upon knowing how they grew olives in their
garden and the waiter glibly answered that the
radishes and celery grown in the garden, but
that the olives were caught in the sound with
net.
Another scheme, which is engineered by all
the roadhouses, is to ask the guest If he has
chauffeur, and, if so what is his number. Then
the waiter hunts up the chauffeur, serves him a
drink or two and puts it on the bill of his en-
poyer, although the idea Of treating his chauneur
to drink may have been far from that gentle
mans mind.
The roadhouses, although better worse
in band and cabaret, by far the most pic
turesque places. Moreover. the roadhouses are
becoming far more popular than the city cabarets
that the New York law requires all houses
closed by L o'clock. The small towns around New
York, especially Yonkers, now regular road
house centers which make speciality of the early
morning crowd. One downtown New York cabaret
which always catered to the early morning tourists
has had to close its doors since the O'Clock pro-
vision has gone into effect Naturally, the city
cabaret men have not submitted to the new 1
o'clock ruling without a protest. They point out
with some Indignation that they really in the
nature of public benefit. If people are put out
of one place-a place where they forced to be-
have-at L O'Clock, they simply continue their
drinking either in private apartments or out at
some roadhouse, very often running into ditch
or turning turtle getting there.
But the New York police, it seems, are not
concerned with the high mortality rate on high
ways outside the city's limits. Their answer to
this argument of the city cabaret men has been to
station uniformed policemen inside the doors or
some of the most notorious places, where they
have had the irritating effect Of discouraging
great deal of trade.
For, if there is one thing that the average
cabaret-goer resents it is publicity of any sort.
The buyer from Columbus and the bank president
from Battle Creek do not want their cabaret ap-
police raid disturbance of any sort is enough
to queer a place for months. Not Long ago,
guest in downtown cabaret was compelled to
call in a policeman to have another guest arrested
on the charge of assaulting him. In five minutes
the whole place was empty, and it continued to re-
main practically empty for eight weeks after the
episode until the management was almost on the
point of closing its doors.
So the cabaret, in spite of It's ever-growing pop
ularity is constantly being threatened from many
sources. The police are frankly hostile to 1t;
moralists never let it alone, and prohibtionists
rail against it with neverfailing gusto. Moreover
it is even subject to attack from its kind. Only
the other night couple of highwaymen broke
into a prosperous cabaret, forced the manager and
his employees down the cellar, and proceeded to
rob the safe of 81 500 in cash. and So, 900 worth
of jewery belonging to guests.
But of all these menaces, the cabaret feare
the prohibitionist the most The industry follows
the activities of the prohibition campaign with
cago cabaret has even taken the precaution to in
sert in its contracts for Broadway attractions a
cancellation clause which reads. Providing the city
does not go dry in the meantime"