Other Times

100 Years Ago – 1918: Fifty Department of Justice agents and members of the American Protective League swooped down on 25 dives in this city late last night and captured a score of men and women, charged with being inmates of “speakeasies” and houses of ill-repute. The raid was led by H.M. Donovan, special agent of Lt. Col. C.B. Hatch, of the Navy Department of Law Enforcement, with headquarters in Philadelphia, and Agent Mallee of the Department of Justice.

75 Years Ago – 1943: Acting on complaints of alleged irregularities in the First and third Precincts in the Eighth Ward of this city in the recent election, District Attorney William B. McClenachan Jr. petitioned the court to order the returns from these precincts turned over for investigation. Charges were made that votes were cast for persons who did not appear at the polling places, although their names were on the registry lists. Judges Albert Dutton MacDade, Harold L. Ervin and Henry G. Sweney, sitting en banc, heard the petition and an order was issued on the County Board of Elections to turn over to the district attorney the returns wanted.

50 Years Ago – 1968: Opponents of busing as a means of school integration lost a showdown vote in the state House when a bill to curb the powers of the Human Relations Commission fell 10 votes short of a constitutional majority. “I have not found one person who favorites that children be bused from their neighborhood schools to other schools,” said bill sponsor Rep. Joseph W. Dorsey, R-162 of Collingdale. House Minority Whip K. Leroy Irvis, D-Allegheny, who led the defeat of the bill, said “the concept of the neighborhood school belongs to the

19th century, not the 20th century.”

25 Years Ago – 1993: The William Penn School District approved a policy empowering it to sue parents of students disenrolled for non-residency for tuition owned to the district. An average of 90 students are disenrolled each year from the district because of non-residency. Tuition is $5,065 for elementary schools and $6,900 for the secondary schools.

10 Years Ago – 2008: The site of the old Friendly Tavern in the 700 block of Milmont Avenue will become open space, thanks to a grant the township received from the Delaware County Open Space program. Ridley Township Fifth Ward Commissioner Ed Pisani said at a recent commissioners meeting that the purchase price is

$349,900 and includes the liquor license. Solicitor Peter Rohana said the township could sell the liquor license.