The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-04-16
NO CHANGE IS
STAND TAKEN
Permits Issued But Off
Gals Say Attitude is
Unchanged.
UP TO COUNTY BOARD
District Attorney Powell De-
clares He Will Put the Cues
ton Before County Board.

What is the status Of the Sunday
dance in Kenosha and Kenosha county
under the new dance hall ordinance
Are city and county officials au-
thorized to issue or to deny permits
for Sunday night dance?
These are some of the questions
whirring through the minds Of city
and county officials in charge Of en-
forcing the dance hall ordinance re-
Gently put into effect in the city and
county, according to survey of the
situation made this morning by a
representative of this paper. This
revealed that both sets of officials are
somewhat in quandary over the sit
uation; at present the attitude has
been to issue permits in the few cases
where they have been sought; the
entire problem so far as the county is
concerned is to be presented to the
county board of supervisors at its
next meeting with request from
the district attorney that the board
decide as to what the policy of
the county shall be.
Several Dances Last Sunday.
Inc QueSGlOH was brought 70 d hcdu
last week when S. P. Miller, proprie-
tor of the Dreamland dance hall in
Kenosha and the Fox River dance hall
on the Geneva road in Kenosha
county sought permits for holding
matinee and evening dances at these
halls on Easter Sunday.
Heretofore Sunday dances have not
been exactly banned in Kenosha and
Kenosha county, but there has been a
general impression that they were
not to tbe carried on extensively
There have been few Sunday dances
but the practice of holding dances on
Sunday was not at all extensive.
With the new ordinances in effect
any licensed dance hall must secure a
permit TO- operate dance on any
night in the week. No mention re-
garding Sunday had been made in the
ordinances inasmuch as there is a
state law-the so-called "blue law
which touches on Sunday dances and
it was thought that the entire ordi-
nance might be invalidated by re-
ferring to a Sunday dance.
When Mr. Miller went to District
Attorney Lewis Powell for permit to
operate a dance on Easter Sunday al
the Fox River pavilion, the district
attorney at first refused point blank
to issue any such permit.
at is not my idea to revive the
Blue Laws at all" said District At
torney Powell regarding the question
this morning, but after looking into
tire situation / did not see how a per-
nit could be issued contrary to a law
on the statute books even though il
is considered a dead statute When
other officials and other attorneys APP
peared to differ on this question,
agreed that a permit be issued for
the present situation and that the en-
tire question be presented to the
county board for consideration at its
next meeting"
No Change In City.
City Manager C. H. Osborn stated
this morning that permits had been
issued in the city for Sunday dances
and added that he considered that
this was no change in the policy which
has existed for many years in Keno
sha He pointed out that there have
been dances in the city on Sunday and
that while technicality may exist be-
cause of the so-called "blue laws" he
believed this should be disregarded
He stated that he considered that
dancing was form of amusement
and should be given the same consid-
Grafton as other forms of amusement
and that he believed that regulation
could be secured better in this way
than by refusing permits.
Both city and county officials looked
up the so-called "blue law" and found
that in reality there was no clause in
it prohibiting Sunday dances. There
is clause, however, which states that
anyone who attends Sunday dance is
subject to fine of $40.