The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-01-04
Sunday Liquor Sale
Sought; Ministerial
Head Predicts Fight
DEALERS DRAW
PETITION; TO SECURE
COUNSEL; CHURCHES
"CAN OUTVOTE ANY
COMBINATION," REV.
DOHERTY SAYS

DOHEKTY SAYS
The Retail Liquor Dealers AS
ISOLATION of Key West has gone
on record as favoring a repeal OF
Ordinance No. 10 which pro-
hibits sale of beer, wine and
liquors here on Sundays, Presi-
dent Joseph r. Sirugo said today
The attorney who will handle
the case will be selected at the
Associations meeting Monday
night. Joseph Y. Porter ", who
had been publicly reported as
the lawyer selected, denied to
The Citizen that he had entered
into any arrangement with the
Association whereby he would
act as counsel for it.
Whether the Association will
present its case to the City Com
mission Tuesday night is prob
lematical. depending upon the
decision of the lawyer, Sirugo
said. The matter eventually will
have to be considered by the
Commission, he added.
Meanwhile, Rev. E. S. Doherty,
pastor of the Ley Memorial
Church and president of the
Ministerial Association, said that
his group would fight any move
to permit the sale of liquor on
Sunday.
Says Opposition Strong
Opposition will be strong
against any such move" he said.
The church forces can out
vote any combination of groups
or organizations"
In announcing the Liquor
Dealers position, Sirugo said;
1t was decided to appeal to the
City, Commission and the citizens
of Key West to repeal Ordinance
10, which was passed as a pure
ly emergency measure. This is in
line with the recently published
statement of President Truman
in which he said, "a state of en-
Urgency does no longer exist
The organization feels that
the people of Key West are as
deserving of liberal liquor laws
as any other city of the state. In
view of the fact that. where other
cities have varied industries, Key
Vests main line of business now
and in the future is the tourist
trade and in order to increase
this, no stone should be left I'M
turned"
Sirugo pointed out that Miami,
Miami Beach. Hollywood, Day
tona Beach, West Palm Beach
and the largest cities in the
United States" permit liquor
sales on Sunday.
Petition Being Drawn
He said that the Dealers AS
sOCiation is securing names to a
petition to be presented to the
city commission. Meanwhile, the
Association lawyer will draw
up the measures necessary to re-
peal Ordinance l9, passed at the
start of the war.
Sirugo said, We are not trying
to get anything new. We are just
trying to re-establish the rights
which we had before the wal
when we were allowed to sell
liquor on Sunday
At Thursdays gathering of the
Retail Liquor Dealers AsSocia-
ton, attended by representatives
of 81 stores, the meeting closed
Sirugo said. with the approval
nv all members of a resolution
pledging their full cooperation
with all civic bodies and Local
authorities in an endeavor tc
make Key West the most popu-
lar resort city in South Florida.
Rev. Doherty said, We'll give
them the best fight they eve
had u" He said that before the
war the law permitting sale o
beer and wines on Sunday wa'
violated because hard liquors aist
we're sold. The Ministerial heat
added that there is d state raw
against sale of hard liquors OF
Sunday and that he also wa
against sale of beer and wines OF
Sunday.