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Show I An Interview With "Long John" Critchlow 1 II) HDWAIM) F ODAY In Town Talk iSaii Franrleoo) H "When did you last hear from the Major?" I H I naked "Long John ' Critchlow. H And "Long John," who is no denominated be- H cause he is nearer seven than six feet in his ever- H wears, grinned one of thosp'intimntc grins a man B t grins when he thinks of a good joke and sees an H opportunity to pass it along. H "Not since he and Molly had a drink at the H Ritz-Carlton," answered "Long John," still pcr- HH mitting his face to entertain that jocular cxpreq- BB slon. HH For the benefit of those unfortunates who H have not the Major's acquaintance let me say HR that the Major in question is Major Charley IH - Stanton, the most popular quartermaster who ever drew a requisition in San Francisco. And HB in and ordei something, just no wc can say we H 1 were in the Rilz-Cnrlton.' Anything Molly pro- WM poses is agreeable to the Major, so they went in MM and ordcicd two drinks. They enjoyed the mm drinks. Hut they didn't enjoy the bill. They H were charged forty cents apiece for the drinks Hl and a dollar apiece for 'covers,' so that including H! the tip to the waiter, those drinks cost the Major H: three dollars and a quarter. Can you imagine H what an interesting letter I had from the Major Hi on the subject of the high cost of seeing the Rltz- H Carlton?" H Knowing the Major's talent for the rhetorical H embellishment of such an incident, I could. H f But it is about time that I introduce my friend Hj a "Long John" to those who do not know him. H t f John S. Critchlow came to San Francisco from HH h k Salt Lake City about five yearn ago as the renrc- Bf, J scntatlvc for Northern California of the United H i States Fuel company. This is a Utah corpora- H i " tion engaged in selling Utah coal. Utah, I am Hj told, is richer in coal deposits than Pennsylvania, Hi i - and of the coal mines already developed there the H , I United States Fuel company controls a goodly H share. John Critchlow found it a very difficult H task to break into the local coal business. No- H body here seemed to bo the least bit interested in H Utah coal. During the first six months, to quote H his own words, "I didn't sell enough coal to nay Hi; , for postage on my letters." Rut "Long John'' is Hg) almost seven feet of obstinate determination. r ' Ho swore that he'd put Utah coal on tho market H a y here. His personality helped him. Within a B very short time "Long John" was as much a San B9 ; Franciscan, almost, as though he had been born B91 here. The result was that Critchlow got his BSj ' share of tho local coal business. He was so sue- Bx- i l I ccssful that at the end of four years he was B9 " . ') called to hcadquattcrs at Salt Lake City and pro- B9 motcd to the position of general sales manager H9 : of the company. At the present time, according H& i to "Long John," San Francisco is asking for i j more Utah coal than the company can supply. i I "Glad to be visiting San Francisco?" I asked H 1 "Long John." H i ' ! "As glad as a fellow with a noimal capacity H " 4) j for gladness can be," answered the coal man. m ,f i "Who wouldn't be glad to be back for awhile in Hi ' the playground of tho United States?" H h "Still, there are a few changes here that I'm H l' not very keen about. I went to one of my favor- H ?t He restaurants on the edge of Chinatown and m ? found that diners can't dnnco there any more. H ' Doubtless the officials who made the order for- Hif,. bidding the (lancing there are wiser than I am, ' ,t'. but I missed the dancing. Then again, I found H ' that the ladies were no longer permitted to sip their pisco punches- nt the bar in old Duncan Nicholl's place. Perhaps that privilege was nbused and had to be done away with. Too bad. You know, the best women like, once in awhile, to put a foot on the rail and enjoy the thrill of taking a drink in the masculine fashion. It is feminine nature to want to do what only husbands hus-bands and brothers and fathers are supposed to do. I think it nn innocent desire. At the Alta club in Salt Lake City we had quite a celebration on New Year's Eve. There were four hundred present, and of the two hundred ladies .in the party I didn't notice one who didn't put her foot on the rail some time during the evening." That reminded me that Utah was going dry. I asked Critchlow about this impending doom. mm Mony, it goes wunoui saying, is . "man win oe Done ciry on tiie H the Major's wife, called Molly in tctssasBnMMHHHaHM ()f August," he Bald, "and I no spirit of disrespect, but be- HHESI vou mnv 8l,rc lftt on nc 31st cause she is dearly loved by the mmrmmmm of v Sn Lnlc 'ty wi" l)C Major's friends. The status of m iH considerably wet. Utah has, I H Mrs. Molly Stanton can be fixed Hf -.immm think, the most drastic dry law H by tho statement that she is just Hi ;jjflRH in the country. It forbids the H ns popular with the wives of Ma- B IKSmmmm 8a'c anv leverage containing H jor Stanton's pals as the Major Bv 'fr mWmm more inn onc''in'f f 1 Pcr ccl,t H is with the men. Some time ago wv tmmJMm of alcohol. H , ; Major Stanton w os ordered from V( '"afflYflV "Utah goes bone dry by legis- H Fort Mason to Governors Island' A .Jiwmmmt Intivc action. The bone dry Hj New York, and went with sor- mi fmmmmm plnnk was in both tho republican H row because he loves San Fran- A. immWm niu' cmtic platforms, and H cisco; and with trepidation be- mmYSiJmW m n" 1C legislators voted for the H I cause it ia no joke to live in New mmmCr1& mm '"' wx 10 oxccPt'on ot one H York on a major's salary. 7 Jmmm 'onc progressive. He explained H ' "What about the Major and H ' 'H that he had been hired in the ma i Molly having a drink at the mmZmmmm preceding campaign to round up ! Ritz-Carlton?" I demanded in HtflVH tno saloon vote for the pi ogres- my best intcrlocutary manner. AflrJHBflfll H'vc l)artv l'int nc MIU' (lonc s0 "It seems," snid "Long John." BPiHi an(l didn't propose to go back on Kt. that Molly and the Major passed HHHmHHHH his friends. For his frankness H f tho Ritz-Carlton and Molly said he was read out of the party. B to the Major I can hear her "-'' chitciiwiw "The dry fight was conducted M saying It'Charley hare's the ('rm,,H",?J " l", ',' by the 'Betterment league,' in 1 famous Ritz-Carlton j let us go wc imi dniiiMinr. hch tho MormonB predom inate, but most of the other religious denominations denomina-tions are represented. The Mormons, of couisc, were a big factor in the election. Forty per cent of the population of Salt Lake City is Mormon, and under tho 'Doctrines and Covenants a Mormon Mor-mon Is forbidden the use of ten, coffee, liquor and tobacco." "Do you think Utah needed this bone dry law 7" "No, 1 do not. Tho fnrming communities throughout the state were dry already. The smelting and mining towns were wet. Perhaps 75 pcr cent of Utah was dry already." "Had Salt I-ake City and Ogdcn a serious drinking problem?" "Both places have enjoyed strict regulation of the saloon. The saloons in Ogdcn close at 0 o'clock. Salt Lake City has had a midnight and Sunday closing for years. And Salt Lake City has high license fifteen hundred dollars. The granting of licenses has always been in pretty conservative hands. "Tho bone dry law was the result of fanaticism. fanati-cism. The extremes were in the saddle. I think a good many Utah people welcome this boni dry condition as I do they feel that its severity will Mtvulnnn ii rnnnllnn "What will be the result in Salt Lake City?" "Well, take the case of the Newhouse Hotel. This was erected by Samuel Newhouse at a cost of a couple of millions. For a long time it was a dead sort of place and lost heavily. Then n new management took hold, intioducing a good cabaret caba-ret imported from San Francisco. Now tho New-house New-house is the center of social gaiety. I suppo.su that after tho first of August the Newhouse will go back to its former condition." "Will It be possiblo to get n drink in Salt Lake City after the first of August?" "Judging from the number of 'sunken cellars' and sub-basements I hear about, it is to be inferred in-ferred that the blindpig will be quite a feature of Salt Lake City life. But the lawabiding will gladly obey the bone dry enactment, meanwhilo waiting patiently for the reaction they consider inevitable. "And San Francisco will enjoy the society of more prosperous Utah folks thnn ever before. Tho state is very prosperous, and we havo a great many people who know how to enjoy Hfo. They have nlways been frequent visitors to San Francisco. They will come more frequently after the first of August. You may look for quite an influx. As I said before, San Francisco is the playground of the United States, and will continue con-tinue so ns long as you keep a tight rein on the fanatics." |
