HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd 325 08/01/1950
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AN ORDINP~CE PROVIDING FOR
THE REGISTRATION OF SOLICITORS
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\~mEREAS, it is deemed advisable and to the best inter-
ests and welfare of the citizens of the village of Mount Prospect
that all persons who solicit from door to door within the Village
of Mount Prospect be registered with the Department of Police;
and
WHEREAS, such registration will permit an accurate re-
cord to be kept of all persons desiring to solicit or canvass
within the Village of Mount Prospect and serve as a protection
against undesirables or persons with criminal records soliciting
or canvassing within the Village.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the President and
Board of Trustees of the Village of Mount Prospect, Cook County,
Illinois:
SECTION 1. Solicitor defined. Solicitor or Soli-
citors are hereby defined as transient merchants or
transient vendors; or any person soliciting orders
for.. the sale of any articles or things in the Village
of mount Prospect to be delivered in the future; or
advertising for or soliciting orders, donations, gifts
or customers for any association, organization, firm,
establishment, person, corporation or business.
SECTION 2. Application for Registration to Solicit.
All applic~ts for registration to solicit within the
Village of Mount Prospect shall execute an application
blank at the office of the Police Department of the
Village of Mount Prospect, which ap~lication blank
shall give the applicant's name, address, place of
birth, age, BB.ight, weight, color of hair and eyes,
place and state of nativity and telephone number; the
name of the firm, company, organization or associa-
tion which he or she represents; the make of automobile
and license number of the automobile, if any, to be
used while making such solicitations; the article or
articles to be solicited; or purpose for which solici-
tation is to be made.
SECTION 3. No registration card shall be granted
until said application is signed and receives the writ-
ten approval of the Chief of Police or other Officer of
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the Police Department. whose duty it is to examine
such applicants and the applicant is fingerprinted and
a permit fee of One Dollar ($1,00) is paid to the
Treasurer of the Village of ~ount Prospect.
SECTION~. Duration of Registration. Registration
to solicit within the Village of mount Prospect shall
give the applicant the right and privilege of solicit-
ing within the Village of Mount ~rospect for the pur-
poses named in such application for a period of thirty
(30) days from the date of said registration.
SECTION 5. It shall be unlawful for any person or
persons to call at any residence within the Village of
Mount Prospect with the intent or purpose of soliciting
as provided in this ordinance, without having in his
or her possession a registration card authorizing such
solicitation.
SECTION 6. No registration card shall be in the
possession of any person other than the one to whom said
registration card is issued.
SECTION 7. Any person violating any of the provi-
sions of this Ordinance shall be fined not more than Two
Hundred Dollars ($200.00) and every day'that a violation
occurs shall be deemed a separate offense.
SECTION 8. This Ordinance shall be in full force
and effect from and after its passage, approval and pub-
lication, according to law.
PASSED: this I sr day of August, A.D. 1950.
APPROVED: this day of August, A.D. 1950.
VOTE:
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PUBLISHED in the .OUNT PROSPECT HERALD
the - day of August, A.D. 1950.
2460
PHONES:
2461
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INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF
MOUNT PROSPECT
MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS
~~ - OYrj. 325
MAURICE B. PENDLETON
PRESIDENT
.
TRUSTEES
ROBERT C. BAYNE
CLARENCE B. BYDAL
RUSSELL HARTWIG
THEODORE LAMS
WILLIAM T. MOTT
DREW WALKER
.
VILLAGE CLERK
ROBERT F. MILLIGAN
TREASURER-COLLECTOR
D. L. GILBERT
POLICE MAGISTRATE
RALPH E. GOULD
CHIEF OF POLICE
GEORGE E. WHITTENBERG
BUILDING SUPERINTENDENT
WILLIAM G. MULSO
.
C.OMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
WILLIAM T. MOTT
FINANCE. PUBLIC BUILD.
INGS 8< PARKS
ROBERT C. BAYNE
JUDICIARY
THEODORE LAMS
POLICE 8< LIGHT
CLARENCE B. BYDAL
FIRE 8< WATER
RUSSELL HARTWIG
STREET 8< SIDEWALK
DREW WALKER
BUILDING
THEODORE LAMS
HEALTH 8< DRAINAGE
.
Aug. 7, 1950
Honorable Members
Board of Trustees
Village of Mt. Prospeot
Gentlemen:
With referenoe to the ordinanoe providing for the registration of
solioitors whiohwas presented to and passed by the Board at the
last previous meeting, I find that after most serious oonsideration
that I oannot in good consoienoe attach my signature to the ordin-
anoe for the reasons enumerated below.
While I am in full accord with the desirability of an ordinanoe
which will give us ample control of solicitors, I feel that the one
in question is much more severe and restrictive than is required for
our purposes at this time.
For instanoe, in Section 1 which defines a solicitor, you will see
that it is so worded the. t if Mr. Bayne were to call at the home of
Mr. Lams for a donation for the ch~ch, or Red Cross that he would
be l~ble to a fine of up to $200.00 if he had not p~eviously been
finger printed and otherwise registered and paid his dollar to the
Polioe Department. It must be realized that an ordinance applies
to all oitizens and if not enforoed on an equable basis, suoh lack
of enforcement would subjeot us to ori ticism and weaken our position
in possible litigation.
The finger printing requirement as set up in Section 2 is severe
and would not bring about the desired end. People with a polioe
reoord would not allow themselves to be finger printed for obvious
reasons, and any honest man with a shred of self respect would not
demean himself even in private before a police officer by submitting
to such a prooedure. The end result would be that our police would be
oocupied with taking and oataloging the data on our school children
and neighbors who are called upon frequently to solioit, or sell for
some partioular need or worthy cause.
Artiole three gives too much power to the police department which
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could conceivably be abused. Granting of such power, in my view,
is dangerous and not in the American tradition, all too frequently
lost sight of in these times, of encouraging free business enter-
prise. The entire ordinance is based an the erroneous major premise
that all solicitors are, or are suspect of being potentially dangerous
influences an the community. The absurdity of this premise will, I am
confident, be apparent to you on further and more careful study of the
Ordinance.
The argument advanced in support of the ordinance that other villages
have similar laws is without weiGht in my opinion. As the chief law
enforcement official of the Village, I should find the bill in ques-
tion most distasteful, as well as difficult to enforce. ~ fhe above
and other good reasons I, therefore, return the Ordinance to you un-
signed for your further consideration and disposition.
Re spectfullYMurs,
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M. B. Pendleton, Pres.
VILLAGE OF MT. PROOPECT
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