The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-01-19
,IBu.RHn EWEMREgR OF 1RORAIdFz.t'
Aim is befor the Legislature, having

AbfiI Is Defor the Legislature, having
been introduced BY Representative
Clark Of this city, amending section
7O25 Of the revised statutes so as to en-
large the powers of the police IN the
matter of disorderly houses. AS the
lsection now stands it declares house
,.Or building used or occupied asa house
llOf i'll fame, OF fer the purposes OF pros
titution, to be a public NUISANCE and
Imposes penalty on whoever keeps
such house OF knowingly permits a
house he has let to be SO kept. Assig-
nation houses and the notorious wine
rooms" have been held not to come
within the scope of this law and as a
consequence municipal governments
have attempted to deal with such
places by ordinance, But in this city.
sLU least, il las been held by the court
that in passing su~h ordinances the
Council exceeded rs powers, the au,hor-
ity to deal with such cases not having
been delegated to municipal govern
ments by the Legislature. Unless
dealt with by direct Legislative enact
ment it seems these places cannot be
reached, hence the necessity of a law
like that contemplated by the bill of
Mr.. Clark, which extends the provisions
of section 1925 to the class
of places intended to DE regulated
by the city ordinance which
has been pronounced invalids
The infamous swine houses" and
semi-private designation houses are
greater pests in city than the avOwed
houses Of i'll fame. 1t is in these places
shat the ruin of young girls is BROUGHT
about. and il is frOm these places the
houses of ill fame draw their recruits.
Thoughtless girls are enticed into the
'wine rooms" and made familiar with
v e in its more seductive aspects. Re-
'ated visits end almost invariably IA
It degradation of the girls whose first
downward step was taken with little
thought of the consequences. The
assignatiOn house and then the open
brOthel follow in due course, but it is
O lly when this last stage is reached
that the law can inte fere.
The swine rooms" are in full blast in
the most public places in this city, and
carry on their Infamous work of de-
bauching the morals of young girls
without let or hindrance, since it has
been held that the city ordinance can
not be legally enforced. Assignation
houses are established in the most re-
spectacle residence neighborhoOds, and
the outraged community have no rem
edy for the pestilence other than by or
ganizing Yigilant committees, and keep
ing close watch on the visitantS, with
the object of eventually freezing out"
{ le Objectionable neighbors. Innumer
Gus cases they have had to buy off the
keeper Of the establishment, who then
goes to some other respectable locality
and repeats the process. If the services
of the police are secured to assist in the
watch and the freezing out" plan, the
keeper of the assignatiOn house gener
ally has influence somewhere that COM
pels the policeman to give the house a
wide berth when on duty. This is no
loose assertion, but is the experience of
many persons who have suffered from
such nuisances, and found the police
handicapped in their efforts to aid de-
cent neighbOrhoods in getting rid Of
the nuisance, the proprietor having a.
"pull" with some one high in authority
whom the police dare not make an en-
emy. m,
The bill of Mr.. Clark is modelled on
the New York enactment for similar
purpose and has the approval of the
present and past police judges of this
city. The evil it attempts to deal with
is one of the gravest Importance, and
there should be no delay in putting the
enactment on the statute book. [Cleve-
land Plain Dealer.
Mayor Blake, of this city, expressed
himself to DEMOCRAT reporter this
morning as being unqualifiedly in
favor of the law above mentioned. He
says it would reach hundreds of cases
Which cannot be brought within the
jurisdiction of Mayors Courts under
the present laws. tits to be hoped that
such law will be passed by the Legis-
lature.