Arizona republican., 1919-01-08
ARREST M | V|E.
 THEATER MEN TO TEST ORDINANCE
Strand and Columbia Start Show: Chief Brisbois Ar rests Richards and Dicker- son; Hearing This Morn ing

Theater men of Phoenix have de- cided to test the validity of the ordin- ance passed Monday afternoon by the city commission closing the theaters and moving picture houses in this city because Of the epidemic of Spanish in fluenZa.
 Notifying the chief of police that the association of theater men of Phoenix insisting that the order closing their | heaters is discriminatory had decided to make q test case. he strand and Columbia theatres shortly after o'clock yesterday afternoon opened heir doors in violation of the ordinance and proceeded to sell tickets and to gire q show.
 Joe E. Richards, senior partner of tho firm of Richards and Mace. owners of the Strand theater, was arrested by Chief of Police Brisbois and taken to the city hall where he was arraigncd before Judge Thomas of the municipal court.
 Hearing This Morning.
 Immediately afterward, C. X. Dick . erson, manager of the Columbia the ater. was arrested by the chief of po- lice and arraigned in the same court. Both theater men were represented by F. C. Struckmeyer and r. H. Hayes. The city was represented by Judge Sloan, city counsellor, and J. E. Nel- son. assistant counsellor.
 The arrested theater men were re leased by Judge Thomas without bond 10 appear in that court at 9:S0 o'clock this morning when their hearing will take place.
 It was stated last night that an ap- peal will be taken this morning to the superior court by the attorneys for the theater men. An early hearing is eX- pected. possibly within one day, and il is stated that an injunction agains the city to prevent interference witt the operation of the theaters will D' sought until the matter has been de- cided.
 Take Movies of Arrest. Attracted by the arrest of the the ater men and the closing of the the aters, a crowd gathered in front of tn Strand. Moving pictures were takei ! of the event" and will appear in man. theaters of the country as g part Q | their news weeklies.'
 | In explanation of their decision f make a test cast of the new ordinanc l ] issued the following statement througl i their attorneys:
 i Theater Mems Statement. The managers and proprietors O i the Phoenix theaters and amusemen
 houses are in full accord and will sup
 port any movement on the part of tn
 city to stamp out the influenza epi demic. Therein they are not only ac t f1, bo
 but also by the selfish interest. be
 cause the sooner the epidemic is en tirely eradicated, the better it will b for their business. However. any en
 deavor or action on the part of the cit
 or other health boards must be directe
 against all alike.
 ITO force the theaters to close an
 permit other places to remain wid
 open does not stamp out the diseas
 and it must be apparent to the publ
 that such partial action can effect T good. The theater houses of Phoeni have invested thousands of dollars
 their businesses, as other have investe
 in their various businesses; the mar
 agers and proprietors of theater house
 are perfectly willing and must (
 necessity stand their losses but the
 alone should not be the ones who al
 singled out.
 The theater managers and propriC ; tors have spared neither money : pains to make the amusement hOus' sanitary, clean and ventilated to u most efficient degree, and they fail , see wherein the pool halls, the cafe l the churches and the stores. all which attract large crowds and maI . of which are unsanitary and poor ,, ventilated. should be accorded prefe s ential treatment over the theaters.