The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1917-03-09
Mayor Thompson
Makes Sunday
Lid Big Issue
Asks Legislature to Increase
Penalty for Keeping Open
On Sunday
CLOSES RESTAURANT BARS

Mayor Thompson of Chicago has
made the enforcement of the Sunday
saloon law a live issue in all parts o.
Illinois. That the Mayor has pro-
gressive views upon this subject Is
shown by the fact that he is not con
tent with enforcing the law as il
stands, but Is seeking from the state
Legislature an amendment of it that
will increase the penalty for viola
tion.
Says Sunday Saloon Is Source of
Crime
In a letter to Hon. Frederick
DeYoung, chairman of the Judiciary
Committee of the House of Repre-
sentatives, the Mayor, arguing foi
this measure, says:
with the intent of the Sunday
closing law, which is to protect the
public health, morals and safety, and
to preserve the Christian Sabbath as
a day of rest and religious observance
/ am in thorough and hearty SYM
pathy. Past experience, has, I believe
demonstrated beyond question the
value alike, to man and beast, of one
day of rest in seven, and I cannot be-
lieve that anyone, who is familiar with
the subject, will now claim that the
keeping open of tippling houses on the
weekly day of rest, in violation of the
state law which prohibits it, is justii-
able on any ground.
"It is a matter of common knowl-
edge that a large proportion of Of
fenses against public order are due to
the prevalence of drinking habits
among the criminally inclined, and il
is also we'll known that large share
of such offenses occur on Sunday
wherever the saloons are open on
that day."
Legitimate Business Helped by Clos
ing Saloons
"Let me remind you," continues the
Mayors letter. that the brewers are
in business competition with all other
industries, and when the saloons, their
retail agencies, are open on Sunday
and other places of business are
closed, it gives them an unfair ad-
vantage over other business concerns
which remain open but six days OF
the week.
"When I announced my intention
of closing the saloons on Sunday, |
was denounced by the liquor interest
for interfering with their established
practices, and the newspapers printed
estimates of the volume of Sunday
saloon losses, which ran from $350,000
to $560,000 per Sunday in Chicago. |
was also charged with destroying
business, but the increased week day
trade in other lines has shown that
this large amount of money is being
spent in much more wholesome ways.
The fact is that the closing of saloons
on Sunday can cause no industrial or
economical loss, since the money not
spent over the bars for drink on that
day is bound to find its way into
other channels of trade which spend
a larger proportion of the retail sell
ing price for labor and raw materials
than does the liquor trade"
Closes 400 Restaurant Bars
Mayor Thompson's determination
to maintain the Sunday lid in Chicago
was in no way weakened by the re-
cent action of the courts as reported
in a previous issue in discharging over
100 cases of violators of the law. He
has continued to exercise his power of
revoking saloon licenses, and last
week revoked the bar licenses of
several hundred restaurant keepers
who made their restaurant privileges
a mere pretext for selling liquor on
Sunday.
After the Mayor ordered the en-
forcement of the Sunday "lid" restau-
rant licenses were taken out by nearly
every saloonkeeper in the city who
had a "back room" where women
were permitted. In some cases res
taurants really were installed, but the
police found that a majority of the
licenses were used as subterfuge to
permit keeping back rooms open.
With these places open the police
found it impossible to prevent more
or less cheating" on the part of many
saloonkeepers.