Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-26
AN OPEN LETTER.

| the interests OF the city and actuated, l
am fsin to believe. by the best Of motives.
| YOU have enacted q law in relation to the
| location Of houses Of ill-fane within the
city limits. This law. known in your
records as "Ordinance No. 2G, provides
| that latter the 1st day of November. A.
d. 1875, no house of ill-fame shall be
| opened. kept or used as such in Carson, "
| etc, except on Ormsby street, between
| certain boundaries, in said ordinance
! marked out and defined, and that all en-
frances to such houses shall be from
Ormsby street only. The penalty for a
violation Of these provisions, SO you say,
shall be a fine Of not exceeding $500 or
imprisonment in the city Jail for term
not exceeding six months, or by both
such fine and imprisonment. And fur
| ther, that the person so violating said
provisions is TO be. solely by enactment
of law and regardless of the fact, deemed
rutsd;.ce.
Bitterly conscious of the harsh iDjus-
tice Of this ordinance, and leaving the
questions of law necessarily arising in
the discussion to the proper forum, /
propose. with your permission. to invite
your attention to the situation as it is
presented from our standpoint. And,
first. permit me to say that. although
woman, ! am, rs citizen (for Your
courts say I am q citizen) tax paying
a., - c,Yy nd ~ aI
TO the same consideration and protection
at your hands as others receive. The
courts award it and the law doth give it. y
For years certain localities in Carson
have, by common consent, been aban-
dored J., the ress octsble portion OF the
community TO tie unfortunate class !
represent. for this purpose. Gregarious-
ly herding together, with a delicate
perception Of the eternal fitness o!
things, We have purchased our lots,
builded our houses and taken our leases.
With view TO keep the COMMUNICATING
influence OF our calling from injecting
the res. OF the community. We have
expended thousands of dollars in build
ing and improving our properties, be-
lieving with the credulous faith charac-
teristic OF women, that your ordinance
imposing special taxes upon prostitution
was tscit recognition Of its legality and
an implied guarantee that we were to be
protected in the enjoyment Of our prop
erty. And now We are asked, nay, COM
manded, 10 retire from the habitations
We have so long occupied, and which.
built with our money, by every known
principle of law and morality. belong to
tl
fixed upon by the Trustees. No hearing
has been given US, no questions as to our
ability to move have been asked; but
the solemn mandate of the law forces us,
penniless and houseless into the streets.
1t may be said, why not build other
houses within the authorized limits ?"
To this We say. We have not the means.
4" Sell the properties you have and buy
others" Oh, sirs, know you not that
there is no sale for a house once dedi-
Gated to our uses. The cross of fire
flames above its portals proclaiming its
dedication to misfortune, and respecta-
bility avoids it as the abode of tho leper.
Moreover, our present trouble and en-
barrassment have occasioned an unpre-
cedented rise in the prices Of real estate
on Orlnsby street. There are ten build
ing lots within the limits prescribed by
your ordinance; Of these three are owned
by Mrs. Phillips, who positively declines
to sell or lease for any price. A we'll
known citizen of the city owns three lots,
for which he asks $4,000, sum much
too large for any of US to pay. Two of
the remaining four lots belong to the
estate of deceased person, and are not
now for sale. The other two lots are the
property of gentleman who declines
to sell or lease on any terms. Then this
is the situation After the lst day Of
November we are to close our houses or
remove to within the limits prescribed
by your ordinance-else be deemed nui-
ssnces and punished. That We cannot
remove l have sufficiently demonstrated.
Then, says your law, close your houses.
But here. gentlemen, it seems proper to
call your attention to the fact, that this
fiat raises "a question that has entered
largely into the deliberation of every
legislative body in chrjstendom, and has
never vet been satisfactorily disposed Of.
Danish the social evil. 1t is very we'll.
1t does not become at this time nor in
this manner to discuss this proposition.
II it were not so, would say to you,
and through you to all men, speaking
for myself and all fallen women Is it
well that you should send US out to beg,
steal or starve Who made us what we
are? Is there no manliness, justice or
honor in men?
Do you realize that We are women ?
Ay, sirs, women, who once were girls,
pure and Innocent as your girls now are!
Girls who, reveling in the happy dreams
Of Innocence and youth looked forward