Spokane City Council Scraps Saloon Reform
A controversial ordinance aimed at removing 'boxes'—secluded rooms in saloons often used by women—was defeated in an acrimonious session.
The story, cleaned up
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Spokane—The city council Tuesday night defeated Councilman Hand's ordinance abolishing boxes in saloons where women are permitted to resort. Councilman Pearson's ordinance abating dance halls as a nuisance met a similar fate. The discussion of the two ordinances was acrimonious. Messrs. Pratt and Hand sharply criticized Mayor Boyd, and Mr. Lindsley countered by attacking Chief of Police Vvoydt. The saloon box ordinance was defeated 6 to 4.
“The discussion of the two ordinances was acrimonious.”
The struggle over 'saloon boxes' reflects late-Victorian moral panics regarding women's presence in public drinking spaces. Today, city councils continue to debate the 'nuisance' of late-night businesses and zoning, though the rhetoric has shifted from moral character to noise complaints and public safety.
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