The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-12-05
NOW IS THE CHANCE.

The Federal autnOEltleS HAVE Aioei
tuted a prosecution against woman
charged with keeping house OF pros
titution. So earnest in the matter have
the officials been that they used the
wires freely to first locate the woman
and having found her living quietly IN
a CITY seven hundred miles distant, fol-
lowed her up, and with grand flourish
of trumpets brought her back. The
town has been ransacked for witnesses
against her, and the presumption Is
that she has been indicted, or will be IN
the course of a day or two. The costs
so far have all been borne by the OIL
Gals as private citizens. While the 'fee
shends" are the parties who are interest
ing themselves in this case, they are not
now working for money. There is no
money in it for them. There are no
fees for them. There is no fund
against which they can charge their ex-
penses, and this being a prosecution
under the Territorial statute, the Fed
eral government cannot be charged with
the bills. The officials are in the posi-
ton Of having gone into this case from
2 pure love of virtue, and desire to
enforce the laws against prostitution. OF
course there is nothing IN this position,
ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the woman simply for
having kept a house of ill-fame being
furthest from the desires of those who |
have taken such active interest in the |
affair. But the government officials |
have assumed this moral attitude, and /
we suggest that they be forced to stand
as they are standing, or be compelled to
abandon the position, and thus show
the falsity of their professions. The
Davenport woman is one of the leas
widely known OF the women of the
town. Her name was familiar to only
limited circle three weeks ago. She
had been in the disreputable business 50
brief a time and conducted her house in
so quiet a manner that neither she nor
her place was known to the men who
visit such establishments as hers. On
the other hand there are prostitutes
here whose names are more familiar
to the public than are those of the
President and his Cabinet; their houses
are known to everybody and are ,
pointed at by the Yirtu0us and
good as eyesores and reflections
on the good name OF the city.
There should be no difficulty on the
the part of the officials in establishing
the character of these houses and identi-
y ing their owners and keepers to the
entire satisfaction of an impartial jury.
Hitherto the great obstacle in the
way of the enforcement OF the laws in I
.egard to prostitution and the punish .
neot of the keepers, inmates and ire
luenters of houses of ilI-fame has been
he Federal authority, which has ever L
aiken the side of the prostitute The
Federal Courts have stood between the
government and the suppress Il
ion CT the vice Of prostitution; when A
he fallen women are crowded by "
he city government and their bust n
less threatened, they fly to the Fed s
raj Courts for protection, and it has "
lot been denied them. The effort TO C.
lrive the evil from the city has proven Il
most expensive, and been attended by Il
ailHre and Encouragement, chiefly on d
lccount of the opposition of the Federal r.
JOurIs and the government officials. t
If change has come over these courts <
mi officials, there is hope for the cause Il
If morality. If the Davenport woman il
an be prosecuted, convicted and pun "
shed in the Federal courts BY S.
he Federal officials, 50 can o
ii the other keepers of houses Of prosti- st
ution. and the business that has b
cached such alarming proportions in
his city be checked if not entirely sup n
pressed. The police and city authorities Is
nave failed to destroy this sin which Vi
launts itself so brazenly in the face of Is
he community. Now is their oppor- III
unity, and they viii be negligent and N
aiiing in their duty to the public If NJ
hey DO not take advantage OF it. Fur a
fish the to Federal prosecuting attorney "
nd to the grand jury the names of the T
eepers of bad houses, together with the. hi
evidence to convict, and thus W
lace upon the Federal Courts and their d.
Ulcers the responsibility of enforcing ri
be law or of fostering and protecting l
restitution and prostitutes. In view hi
f the prosecution just Instituted, at
overnment officer would hardly dare ia
efuse to prosecute other cases in pl
-hich the proof Is better than it can it
ossibly be in this instance. and the Of
,nders have been so long and so
otOriouSly guilty.
d
CT