Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-15
THE EIGN OF THE BooDLun


1t is becoming a serious question wheth-
er the hoodlum reigns in Sacramento, or
decent, order-loving people At night the
chief streets of our city present to view al
together too many Of the hoodlum class :;
most of them are armed to the teeth, and
not hesitating to rouse slumbering citizens
by tie crack of the pistol. The all-night
houses are favorite resorts with them, and
the villainous courage they receive in these
places emboldens them to all sorts of
nefarious deeds Shcotings by them, and
by citizens in defense of their lives and
property, are the result. We do not pur-
pose to inquire at this time into the causes
of hoodlumism. They are patent enough.
But i. matters little what they are 1t is
sufficient to know that the hoodIum has
small fear of the law or its officers. Our
police force is, of necessity, small, and the
beats of the officers are out of all proper
ton to the duties of efficient peace officers.
The hoodlum has no difficulty whatever in
taking advantage of the broad territory the
rOandsmen must traverse, to do their deeds
when the Waterman is far distant 1t may
be that il will become necessary for all
good citizens to arm themselves and give
the hoodlum some of his own medi-
cine. Men have, within the year,
been knocked down and robbed, the
property of citizens destroyed, the
night made hideous with the shouts of
revelry, women and children assaulted,
and the peace of the people broken
and all in spite of the police.
1t is popular and easy to blame the force,
but so far as close observation reveals the
truth, we believe it is as yigilant and effec-
tive as it can be expected to be. The Com
stitution and the laws under it, give this
people the right to set up and enforce reg
ulative measures that will clip the wings of
the hoodlum One of these would be the
closing of the all night" houses, say at
midnight. Citizens claiming to be
reputable will approve the Righteousness
of this suggestion, and aid in making it
effective. Another would be to narrow the
down town" beats and mount the officers
on speedy horses for the outside beats.
Still another would be to swear in force
of a score of citizens as special officers,
who are willing to serve for the good of
society, in that capacity, as occasion de-
mands, and thus be entitled under the law
10 carry arms and make arrests That
method has been tried in other cities, and
has worked well. The streets of Sacra-
mento should be as free of Objectionable
characters at night as by day. As it is, the
opium-joints, the all night houses, the low
dance-houses and other vulgar places, spew
out upon the highway at night class OF
hoodlums and the leeches that live on
the earnings of disreputable women, that
would better society if each festive mem
Der of the crew would hang himself. Al
times these rough fellows congregate upon
street corners and indulge in such loud.
mouthed language, that no citizen escort.
ing his wife or daughter viii venture t.
come within hearing. The hooalum elias:
is by no means confined to the male sex
There is an augmentation of the lowest
order OF the disreputable women of the
street that is unaccountable in these hard
times. They should be driven out-jusi
the same. There is a broad field for active
work in the matter Of preserving the peace
and order and deceney OF the city, for the
slimbering Citizens Association. 1t Ia:
the opportunity now to awaken and emu
late the example Of kindred organizations
that have done 50 much good in Philadel-
phia and other cities.