Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-23
REFORM.

of the Evils of Our City Life.
Last evening the Congregational club of
Minnesota held its January meeting in
Plymouth chapel. The attendance was
not as large as it would have been had it
not been for the storm which impeded
travel and blocked and prevented the ar
rival of railroad trains in st. Paul. The
plan of the club was for Gen. A. B. Nettleton
of Minneapolis to present paper on
Reform, its Hindrances and Promises"
and for W. S. Pattee, of Mortified to speak
on some phases of pending reforms. The
detention of the trains prevented large
number of members of the club from
reaching st. Paul. among the number
thus prevented was Mr.. Pattee, and conse-
quently the club did not have the oppor-
| tunity to listen to him. Notwithstanding
the numbers present were limited the
meeting proved to be very interesting
one, and the paper read by Gen. Nettleton,
and the discussion that followed were
listened to with close and interested atten-
ton by all.
GEN. NETTLETON's PAPER.
This was an exceedingly long essay, Gov
ering almost everything in the way of
morals, and which, if fully carried into
effect would turn this weak world into Gar
den of Eden or something better. The
speaker divided the people into three
classes as follows:
First-The Philistines, who embrace the
common classes, who have no sympathy Or
interest in the reformation of the world.
Second-Neutrals, who take no interest
one way or the other.
Third-The reformers, embracing all
who have a sincere desire to see the world
made better and vice suppressed.
After describing the attitude and ten
denotes of the three classes the speaker de-
tailed the special obstacles to reform and
explained the apathy and Indifference of
the reformatory class in regard to enforc-
ing the present laws. In this connection he
called attention to the feact that John
Stuart Mill, who was an authority
in many of our seminaries of
learning, had inculcated doctrines
which, if they were carried out to their
logical conclusions, would deny the right
of society to apply legal coercion to the
suppression or limitation of gambling,
prostitution, rum selling, plural marriages
and RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The essay was very long and at its con-
clusion discussion followed. Judge Burr,
of the municipal court Of st. Paul was
the first person called upon to give his
views upon the suggestions contained in
the paper. The judge evidently hardly
knew how to take hold of and handle the
subject. There was good deal of it and
the matters treated of had occupied the
thoughtful attention of the best minds of
all countries. The tendency of the times
he said was to pass more and stronger
laws against liquor selling and prostitution
particularly. In his opinion the
laws we now have were
sufficient if they could be successfully
enforced. Here was the trouble. The
laws we have cannot be enforced. At any
rate they are not. We have an ordinance
against keeping saloons open after II
o'clock at night, and against selling liquor
to minors. If these ordinances were en-
forced you would not see young men lying
around saloons drinking, playing pool
squandering their money and fighting.
If the saloons were closed as required
by the ordinances there would be
less rows, and a smaller number of
habitual drunkards. Any fve-year-old
child can go to the saloons in st. Paul and
buy beer. While he had been on the
bench in st. Paul there had not been any
complaints made for selling liquors to
minors except out of revenge. A complaint |
had been made by policeman in one in
stance for selling liquor to his minor
child, but the evidence showed that the !
policeman had had difficulty with the |
and made the com
plant out of revenge and
not because the sale was made to his |
minor child. If the laws are to be en-
forced some one has got to make the COM
plants and see to it that the complaints
are followed up by evidence. The trouble |
is the matter is not carried through to the |
end and followed up. If anything is to be |
done we must go to work and enforce the
laws. He then explained that another |
trouble is that reformers do not go |
to the polls and work on election |
day. On the other hand all the gamblers, |
thieves, whisky drinkers and pimps do go |
there and work ali day, electing to Office i
men who will favor them and, so far as
possible, prevent the laws from being en- |
forced. In regard to prostitution, he ex-
pressed it as his best Judgment that it |
ought to be regulated, as it was impossi- |
bic to suppress it. He regarded |
gambling as worse than drinking, as in |
his opinion there was less chance
for a gambler to reform than there was
for drinking man. Any attempt to
break up houses of i'll fame would only |
have the effect of scattering the women |
into rooms all around town and increase
the chance of secrecy and privacy. From |
his observation in Milwaukee, st. Paul and
other places he had concluded that the
best way was to license them and compel
them to remain in one specific locality.
Rev. Mr.. Conant said that great deal
of complaint was made that the reformers
do not do their duty. So far as he was
concerned he did not know what his dutywas.
He was anxious to have some one explain
what mans duty was when he saw the
law violated.
Major Holten thought the plea that Rev.
Mr.. Conant made as to not knowing
what his duty is would not
do, as it was well known and undisputed |
principle of law that every man is pre- |
sumed to know the law. He favored an |
organization of business men and thought |
this would lead to something practical.
DR., Dana thought one great trouble and |