The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1917-09-14
viii Present an Ordinance to
Prohibit Saloon Dancing
BREWERS BACK MOVE
Liquor Interests Formerly Fought
Plan Now Favored
MANY SALOONS TO CLOSE

claim to have decided that dancing
and vaudeville should not be permit
ted in places where liquor is sold.
After secret investigation of the
saloon business, the Chicago Brew
ers Association and the Chicago Re-
tail Liquor Dealers Association say
that It Is now time to "clean house
1t Is said that practically all the
strength of the vets is behind move
to present an ordinance to the city
council on October l, directing that
hereafter there be no dancing, skating
or vaudeville allowed in any place
where liquor is sold.
William Legner, president of the
brewers association, explained the
plan as follows:
1--WE have had our own men in
vestigating all cabarets and dance
halls in the city. What we want to
do is to clean house. We concluded
that the saloon and dancing, cabarets
ETC., ought to be divorced, and we
want to be the first ones to make a
start. The abuse of license and priv
ilege has caused this move. Now that
whisky is on the wane, many saloons
will go out of business.
5000 Saloons Will Close
81 predict that on November ] this
year, 1,500 OF the city's nearly 1000
saloon licenses will lapse. This mum
Der will be increased to 5000 by May
l, 1918 1t is difficult to exercise sur
veillance over the great hazards which
now exist in cabarets. We don't wan,
10 be responsible for any of these mat
lers. We want to have saloons oper
atcd as decent orderly places
It is said that 05 per cent OF the sa
loonkeepers arc behind this new NOV,
on the part OF the vets. Restaurant
owners and hotel men who operate
cabaret shows are, however, opposed
to the proposed ordinance.
Dancing masters on the other han(
seem inclined to favor an ordinance
which would put an end to cabarets
and dancing where liquor is sold. Ono
of them is quoted as saying;
Alderman Says NO"
Dancing should be abolished ii.
cabarets and other places where liquor
is sold. Our organization works for
clean dancing and that is impossibl,
where liquor is sold"
Alderman John Toman, member OF
the council license committee, just re
turned from an investigation trip to
New York and Boston, is credited
with the following opinion:
"We have ordinances enough with
out making new ones. Chicago is not
a Sunday school. We want to do bust
ness here. Thousands of people come
here from the East because they can
go to the cabarets and dance halls and
have a glass of beer and enjoy them
selves. If we stop selling liquor in
these places they will dodge Chicago.
Several months ago at meeting OF
the United Societies, Alderman To
man severely criticized Chief of Po-
lice Schuettler for saying that liquor
sales in dance halls should stop. A
news report in the Tribune at the
time quotes Alderman Toman as fol
lows:
Here we have high police official
saying that liquor sales in dance halls
should stop. If that proposition goes
to the city council it won't even get
a decent burial The council is a
morgue for such stuff as that"
Why This Change?
For years reform organizations
have endeavored to secure ordinances
or state laws prohibiting dancing in
connection with liquor selling. All
such efforts were defeated by the op-
position of the liquor forces. With
the prohibition of further manufac-
ture of whisky and impending state
and national Prohibition, the liquor
interests are doubtless taking differ
ent view of the matter and apparently
are planning to eliminate some of the
Objectionable features connected with
their business.
1t still remains to be seen whether
the vets will actually endeavor to
"clean house" as they say, or whether
they are merely pretending.