Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-06-19

nate as to be let estray, remember that
your father voted 10 license these places, and
that in so doing he said that promiseuous pros
titution is not crime within itself, that II may
be INDUCED in under certain restrictions.
When they shall have delivered this message,
if their indignant wives and children do not
take whip of cord and drive them into the
dens of filth which they have voted TO encour-
age and maintain, it will not be because they do
not deserve it. In conclusion let me suggest
that it might be well to call a public mass meet
ing of the fathers. mothers, wives, husbands
and children OF this city who do not wish TO see
this infamous proposition become law, 10 pub
licly express their sentiments thereon.
John McNeill-I believe that in a city of good
morals the "social evil so-called, should be
placed under medical and police surveillance,
and that all such houses should be limited TO
some place least public.
Rev. n Slater-So far as the civil authorities
have jurisdiction, should like to have them
take such action as would suppress existing
evils, but | am opposed TO any license of such
evil as referred to. Let the present laws be en-
forced so far as possible, and then educate pub
lie sentiment TO such suppression as fast as pos
sible.
S D. Fuller-I would not license it under any
existing laws as far possible, and rest at that
James McGuire-l am in favor of licensing.
think it is the wisest course.
Vim. Geary-I cannot see how any good citi-
zen can recognize the ACCESSIBILITY of such
thing as to license. 1t is taking Il very import
ant step in the wrong direction.
W. W ITdCI-I DelleNt the moral sentiment VI
this community ought to be strong enough to
enforce the laws now existing against the evil
and any resort to such method as licensing is
entirely wrong and inde1ensible.
c. A. york; am in favor of regulating the
evil by licensing and placing restrictions upon
it. l believe the result would be good.
Rev. A. J. Frost.-I desire TO enter my solemn
and indignant protest against any such measure
as that for the following reasons: ~ Sacra-
mento has not only the worst reputation for vice,
but the worst character of any city of its size in
the State of California. | am credibly informed
that there are more drinking saloons in this city
than lamppOStS. There are nearly forty saloons
for every church, or about four hundred in all
These hotbeds of vice and crime are running
hundreds of men of all ages and classes:
They create a desire for more sensual
forms of vice and thus our fair city
is fast becoming Sodom and Gomorrah
(2) To license vice and crime is to make them
legitimate; to make them legitimate is to make
them in the estimation of multitudes respect
able When vice and crime are made to wear
an air of respectability, then the vicious and
criminal classes are encouraged to crafty every
appetite and passion without even the small
forfeit of shame. 81 Neither vice nor crime Is
made less by license law, but historic facts are
at hand to show that they are increased by this
measure. lntemperance. under the license law
in the United States, has doubled in the last ten
years and thus increased far more rapidly than
the population. Ifthis vile ordinance to license
houses Of ill-fame shall pass the Board of Trus-
tees of Sacramento, then look out for large in
crease ofmOral leprosy and fora vast influx of dis
reputable characters from all parts of the State
| az II Is evident that those most deslrouS IN
licensing houses of il-fame" are those who
| rent such houses, the harlOts" who occupy
| them and the base men who frequent these
haunts OF vice. Now, City Fathers" is it wise
to pander to the desires of vicious and criminal
classes? viii you allow the vilest characters
in our city to dictate your policy, and make laws
for the protection of vice? II by license you
mean restriction why do you not restrict this
deadly contagion altogether? 1t Is utterly use
less, it is false TO say that it cannot be done
You have already licensed intemperance and
gambling, and are about TO give prostitution the
protection of law-why not legalize opium eat
ing, theft and murder? Why not allow thieves
and all the criminal classes TO force unwhOle-
some laws upon the community? For your own
| sakes, City Fathers for your wives your
children, and all good citizens do not yield
to the wishes of base men and women.
Few Sadder sights come under the observation
of pastor than that of pure wife and mother,
a queen of home and society, degraded i'll her
flesh to the level of the demi monde (lor alas.
- The twain shall be one tesh.') sight to
make the angels weep, TO see noble and high
| spirited woman, who would scorn an impure
| thought, sunk in the deeps of despair, fairly
lOathing her debaSed and polluted body shrink
| ing for shame from the presence and sympathy
of friends, afraid to caress her little ones lest
she entail the physical anguish that is cruelty
| ing her own flesh, and thus visit the sins Of tie
| father upon the third and fourth generation
| Shall we give our fair young daughters in mar
| rage, and not seek i'll every righteous way to
rescue them from future nfamy? Shall the
| home to which the bride be taken become a
| possible laZar- house, wherein the poor wife
| shall sit in sorrow and shame, and in her secret
| soul forever cry out, "Unclean, uncleanr' |
am confident every member of my church
| would say Amen to the sentiments of this
prayer, and would JOIN with all good citizens in
entering their solemn protest against the ordi-
! nance proposed by the city authorities. " For
| the lips OF a strange woman drop an honey
comb, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But
| her end is bitter as womwoOd, sharp as a two
edged sword. Her feet 20 down to death, her
steps take hold on hell"
a. c. Tutts-The city authorities should en-
force present laws if it is in their power but if
not then they should take such steps as viii
reduce the evil to the utmost minimum
Richmond Davis-It is a hard question to deal
with but it is quite possible that the evil may be
most restricted or prevented through license.
| 6. W. Carey-We are bound to have this vice
| in our midst, and | would be glad TO have any
| safeguards thrown around to protect society
| from it, but it is going long way TO start out
| and license it. / am not prepared to sanction
| such course,
f. l. RObns0n-I don't believe in the CITY
| Trustees passing any ordinance that is contrary
to the State law. and think it is bad policy for
| the authorities to try to do what they have no
| right to do.
Judge S Scion Holl-The vice has always ex-
| listed among all nations, and, suppose, always
Will. / believe it cannot be suppressed, and
therefore believe i'll regulating it by law, and
imposing a license tax sufficient to cover all eX-
penses incurred by the municipal power in
dealing with the vice in question.
| p II. Russell-lt the crime cannot be entirely
suppressed, then l say lessen the evil all you
can in any legitimate way, but | do not wish to
give sanction to license that which fosters
crime.
F. \. SMITH oppose the whole scheme of
licensing anything that is immoral. ! don't be-
levc in licensing evil for the purpose of OBJ
tanning revenue, for lift was not enemy TO pub
lie morals, no privilege would be asked concern
ing it, And since ii would be granting license
for an immoral purpose, it is clearly bad munich
pal action
Joseph Hahn-My judgment would be to
grant licenses for the purpose of exercising
| restriction over them. This, believe, will re-
suit beneficaly.
Rev. Stanley McKay-The proposition is ut
terly abhOrrent. hold that you cannot make
wrong right by giving il legal sanction. When
you have licensed houses Of i'll fame there can
be added but Just two things more to get to the
lowest depth of human deprayity. These two
would be to license burglary and murder.
Rev. W. G. Merrill.-In answer to your request
for my views III regard to the proposal of tie
City Trustees to throw the Sanctity of law about
the social evil, l would say that i'll my sermon
next sunday on Personal Responsibility for
Crime intend to give my views on the in
iquity of all such measures, and hence shall
only answer briefly now, in regard to this par
ticular infamy, upon which | could hardly put
my finger i'll the pulpit without ofenSe to many
The measure is the last brand necessary to
stamp long-sutiering Sacramento as the
pariah among cities of the Pacific Coast. The
worst could hardly ask more of US, unless it
were a periodical exchange of pupitS between
| His Satanic Majesty and our city pastors The
measure is base one i'll both its essence and in
tent for it does not profess to contine the evil to
| any quarter whatever, nor allow any protection
| to prOperty-hOlderS in the respectable quarters of
| the city Indeed. 1t entities any lewd person to
| license who Will comply with the conditions of
| the statute. a may eXpend ten, twenty,
thirty thousand dollars i'll erecting home i'll
| respectable part of the city, where he can enjoy
| pure, moral atmosphere Tor his family, and
some lecherouS william may hire vacant lot
| across the street and herd his prostitutes under
his parlor windows, and that, too, under the
| adjustment of city license. If this is the pro-
| lection our American civilization offers to her
virtuous citizens, in Gods name give us social
| ism, the shotgun and dynamite-we AT least
protect our firesides die like men. In point
| of conception and construction, the measure is
without conscience, and in point of execution ii
| is confessedly impotent For the Ostensible ne
cessity of such an ordinance is the inability to
| control or limit the evil. and its whole
| force is dependent Section 3 which
assumes the power both to control and limit
| it. If the article providing for examination
! by physician is one absolutely necessary land it
| ton for our pure wives and mothers who are so
unfortunate as TO need it; still such regulations
need not carry with them the scandal of license.
| The stock argument that is used in such eases
rs this is that because such crimes cannot be
suppressed they should be licensed is
| the hight of stupidity. Theft and murder
must be licensed on the same grounds.
And indeed there might be reasons
why the starving poor should be granted the
| right to steal to satisfy the pangs of hunger
| which would not apply to the liberty of free
| of the most sweeping arguments against the
| is the fact that very large DrODOrtiou