The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-01-01
War Camp Community Service
Governing Board Names
Investigating Committee \
NO TEST CASE is
PLANNED AT ONCE
Col. Hughes Urges Men to Pur-
chase Supplies Saturday :
Ansley Praises Press. ~

Decision as to the Sunday operation
Of the Army and Navy Club canteen
still hung in the balance yesterday
afternoon, when .he governing board
of the War Camp Community Service
completed lengthy discussion of the
matter.
However, the board went SO far as
to adopt motion to have a COM
| mittee appointed to secure legal adj
vice and act on such advice in a way
| as would best serve the interests of
the War Camp Community Service"
z. k Yonge, chairman, John A Mer-
rift, vice ce-chairman, and Capt L HI.
Aiken, chairman of the hospitality
committee. compose this special COM
mittee.
Conspicuous in the conflicting
views, expressed both for and against
the attitude of County Solicitor
| Mackey. in enforcing the blue" laws,
was that of Col ]. l. Hughes, COM
| mander of the coast defenses, who ad-
vocated Sunday closing OF the Army
| and Navy Club canteen and suggested
| that men of the service put in a week
end supply OF cigarettes over the Sab
bath, and that of DIR. Louis deM.
Blocker, who asked that the churches
who employ organists and janiters.
| close also.
The Rev. DR.. ]. A. Ansley, IN re-
ferring to statements that have been
made discrediting the local papers,
| took occasion to heartily commend
the press.
Aiken OpsasE 7 ali, !.
Captain Aiken opened the discus
| sion by saying that the club canteen
had been kept open the first Sunday
after notice had been given of the
intent to enforce the blue laws, that
he had no idea at the time that the
i solicitor would construe the law SO
far as to effect the Army and Navy
Club, where only service men were
/ construed the law that way he had
construed the law that way he had
demonstrated with him, but that the
solicitor had declared that service
men were entitled to no more con-
/ sideration than anybody else.
| Speaking as chairman of the hos
| pitality committee. under whose di-
rection the clubhouse is conducted, IN
said that disposing of fruits, candy
and cigarettes. comforts and neecs-
| sities,'' was a good work. re1igiously.
morally and socially. He said that
the Sunday closing had met with the
discomfort and disgust of service
men.
/ DR.. William Ackerman, Rabbi at
| tIHpi6 DStH-LiJ Sdl0 ludI ne D6-
1ieved that every member Of the War
Camp Community Service was a law
abiding citizen, anxious to see the
| law enforced, but that it was not in
| the province Of the body to interpret
the laws.
1T seems to me-" he continued.
| that, IL we are to take a sensible
| view we must understand why the
/ law was placed on the statute books.
I can not believe that any legislature,
confronted with the little city OF PEN
| sacola, filled with several thousand
service men, clamoring for comforts.
would have made such a law. I be-
lieve honestly and sincerely that we
will not violate the spirit of the law
if we allow the canteen to run on
Sunday, exclusively for service men,"
Advises No Test.
The Rev. DR.. J. A. Ansley praised
Capt. Aiken for the skilIruI manner
in which he had handled the matter
| and he said, Il don't want a head-ou
collision with officials and an unen-
viable notoriety. This is a dignified
body. We do not want to be anything
| but 1aw-abiding citizens. I do not