, 1872-11-21
An Organ OF Licentiousness.

politics, religion, morals, education,
and social progress,-comes out in IS
last Sunday issue as the apologist and
defender of social evils in our midst,
which had become SO open. defiant and
aggressive as to alarm the fears and
arouse the Indignation of ever law-abid-
ing citizen of the town, and to excite
the disgust and contempt of all visitors,
driving away from us many valuable
immigrants who were seeking home
for themselves and families, and keep
ing from our University many scholars
whose parents where unwilling to trust
their sons within the surrounding
influences. For protesting against this
open lawlessness and prohigacy, which
was within the sound and sight of every
citizen, and drawing within its debasing
influence the youth of the city, thus
corrupting the fountains and fonnda-
tions of society; for faithfully and fear
lessly doing our duty as a journalist in
arousing and concentrating the moral
sentiment of community against these
manifest evils which all good citizens
deplored, with q view only of pointing
out remedy; we are assailed as a
malavolent journalist. utterin8 sea
lumnies upon the fair fame of this
community, by n recourse to falsehood
and misrepresentation" 1t will be
remembered that we are implicated IN
these charges with a majority of the
clergymen in this city, who have pub
Iicly endorsed our statements ard our
denunciations from their several pull
pits, and with nine-tenths of the respec-
table fathers and mothers Of this city,
who have openly commended our course
and bid us Cod-speed in the work we
have undertaken And it viii be re-
membered also, that these denunciations
of us and our course are written in the
interest and under the pay Of keepers
Of squaw brothels and other dens of
infa,ny, and command the sympathies
only of the Iawiess, dissolute aud de-
PRAYED portion of society. The issue
between us and our cotemporary is
clear, distinct and well defined.
We take no issue with this organ Of
RIGHTEOUSNESS in its compliment to the
religious sentiment of the town, and its
general observance of the Christian
Sabbath; sentiment which the pub
fishers of that paper show their con-
tempt for by selecting Sunday as the
only day of the seven i'll which to print
and circulate their weekly paper in this
city.
We shall not condescend to apologize
for, or defend against, the charge Of
assailing vice and immortality, for we
should have been faithless to our public
obligations as journalist, and our duty
as citizen, had we done less. We
will only cite the facts, to which every
citizen will bear witness: When we
assumed the control of the DIsPATcH-
n little over one year ago - the two
papers in this city were both printed.
published. AMI circulated on Sunday.
We Immediately changed our own pub
lication to week day, as decent
respect for the laws and usages Of all
we'll regulated society demanded. We
found cveh this change in advance Of
public sentiment, and unrecognized by
even the Christian portion of commu-
nifty, who had become accustomed to
their Sunday paper regardless of its
moral character. Warned by this
apparent indifference to public morals,
aud wearied of public or personal con-
flicts which promised no other results
than to involve ourselves in difficulty,
We hesitated long before attacking open
and fiagrant lavlessness and icentious-
ness which apparently dominated the
town and defed public sentiment. We
found public place of resort, licensed
by the County Commissioners, and tol-
Grated by the public authorities. notori-
Gus throughout the country as squaw
brothel and dance house, occupying one
of the most attractive portions of the
town site and driving from its vicinity
all Improvement for decent purposes:
Its periodical orgies advertised through |
the same paper which comes to the de-
fence of public prostitution; its proprie-
tor recognized for his ill-gotten wealth
among business men. and its dusAy
denizens displaying their tawdry finery
as the badges of their vo alton upon our
business thoroushfares.
A skating rink was added to this hell
hole of moral depravity, and boys OF
tender age were lured to the den to min
gle with thieves, cut-throats and drum
ken squaws in scenes Of debauchery
that would cover as with pail of dark
ness and death every virtuous instinct
or moral sentiment Of youth. This
moral pestilence was spreading It's bale
full influence into the very bosoms and
to the fresides of our most reputable
families: every boy in our community
was exposed to the damning oontagion,
both moral and physical. Yet it had by
long tolerance and accumulation become |