A local newspaper reported “Labor Day in Columbus is being observed quietly. Stores are closed, there will be no parade and no mail deliveries.'
By the early part of the 20th century, Labor Day had become something of a hallmark in the lives of the people of America in general, and Columbus in particular.
Other places noted the change as well. Many outdoor swimming pools, public and private, closed for the season on that first Monday of September. Fall fashions often were touted after Labor Day by retailers large and small. Summer vacations were over and families had returned home. And politicians running for office began their final sprint in earnest to win elections coming in November.
Most residents of Columbus observed the holiday in other ways. A local newspaper reported on the activities of the day: “Labor Day in Columbus is being observed quietly. Stores are closed, there will be no parade and no mail deliveries. In general, things seemingly were under ‘Blue Law’ restrictions.
Perhaps a little explanation of “who, what and when” is in order. Readers at the time knew that the Columbus Federation of Labor was the local chapter of the American Federation of Labor. The Federation had been founded in Columbus in 1886. The United Mine Workers had been founded in the capital city in 1890. The groups were formed here because Columbus was an easy town to reach by railroad from almost anywhere in America.
Ohio had had Blue Laws in place at the state and local level since the 1830s. The restriction on alcohol in 1922 was understandable because a Constitutional amendment prohibiting its manufacture, sale and distribution had been in place since 1920. A Blue Law notice in 1922 might have indicated that a reminder was needed.