Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-23
DARK. SIDE OF THE BLUFFS.
Rev. DR.. Rees Scores the Sinners
and City Authorities. .'.
DEATH OF Ex-MARsHAL BUMP.
A Lite Blaze--The Mud of the Globe
Don't Stick--The Score OF the
Gun Club-Brief Bits
of News.
The pulpit Score.

1tSJtIuuN UlOIllllS JilC lNON' W IL
w. Rees preached upon the dark side
of Council b luffs. He selected for his
text the twenty-frst verse of the ninety
first chapter Of jeremiah, "For death
is come up into our windows and is en-
tered in TO our palaces, to cut of the
children from without, and the young
men from the street" Said the speaker
in opening, IL wish had the people be-
fore me who are the most closely re-
lated to the matter, that they might
hear what have to say, but you are
here, and some representatives, OF news
papers are here also, and they Will hear
it for all they are absent.
Few people are Interested in the
death of a single person. An acqualnt-
anccship or relationship that is limited
gathers about the graves, but the great
world knows nothing OF it. Occasion
ally some great man dies; some man
who is near to the nations heart, and
the people are robed in mourning.
The death of HadGock called to the
attention of the world the condition
of the liquor trade in Sioux City and the
state Of Iowa, and in his death Had
dock slew more than he did during his
L y
directed to law and with what impunity
the law in Iowa was broken. Look at
it now. A would-be drinker must pos
sess more than ordinary cuteness to get
ANYTHING IN Sioux City which Will APP
pease his thirst. The breaking of one
law is Just as bad as the breaking OF any
other law. The man who steals into
your bedroom in the dead hours of
night and takes your money is no more
than the one who sells you whisky. The
law does not discriminate between
them, and why should [, and | want
these men all to understand just what |
think of them and of their business.
Every one Of them ought to be behind
the bars, and they would be if it was
possible to get the law enforced in Coun-
Gil Bluffs.
"Jere miah described the situation of
the children of the Jewish
nation, and 1T exactly pic
lures the situation of Council Bluffs
to-day. Death has come up into our
windows and is entered into our
palaces
death is fearful, 1t comes to us IN
announced. 1t lays its hand upon us
| and we are taken from the known and
seen into the unknown and unseen. Its
results are fixed. AS | understand the
| ton. AS II tree falls there it shall lie ,
| Man dies and goes into the presence of
| IL Just Judge. and just as human char
acter is developed on earth so it will
appear there. ,,.
| Look at the moral conditions of our
| city. Look at how the violation of law
| is winled at. | say without fear of sue
cessful contradict IN that the city au-
thority is in league with the liquor in
terest. If you should ask me who is the
mayor of Council Bluffs | would never
say it is Rohrer. There are two or
| three men whose names are connected
with the liquor business and interest,
| and need not be mentioned here. who
have the virtual control of the city s
affairs. If these men don liketh lawslet
them set to work to have them re-
| pealed, but while they are upon the
statute books 1t is the duty of these men
TO see that they are obeyed. They do
not say we must violate it, but they do
say we must disregard it. They pro-
ceed as though the law did not exist. If
after practical trial, strict enforce
ment, the law shall prove to be bad, let
them then set about its repeal, but for
the sake of all the interests at stake let
them enforce it while it exists. Stran-
gers coming here and seeing how
things are run say we have the worst
city in this particular in the state. We
tell them we are doing the best we can.
We have everything to fight. We get
no help from the city, but are antago
niZed at every point.
THE police have no power to enforce
the law and | don't know that they
would do it if they had. Many of those
| in authority are patrons of the saloon
and some are financially interested in
the business. These men will not en-
force the law, but ON the contrary do al
they can to prevent its enforcement
This condition of things is evil in it
effect upon the youth. 1t makes lawless
ness popular. See its boldness. No
even a screen hides it from the gaze o.
the people upon the street. You mus
see it whether you will or no. Its yer.
prominence makes it popular, and b.
| this means more young men are bein.
ruined than before, Some public men
and certain sheet ] might mention ,lif
both voice and pen in the defence of th
traffic and its methods. a young MAJ
reasons in this way: Here is the mayor
the head of II lovely family: the hus
band of IA christian wife; having ever,
thing to make life desirable and success
full. he has attained consideration ant
| position by the adoption of these meth
ods, why not |? And the young mar
goes out and does as his conclusions vii
warrant. Oh, the direful effects o
a bad influence. Unthinking
, might be, but just as harmful
for all that. The mayor at tn
head of the rum oligarchy. That is n
bar to success, says the young man. II
does not stop to think that life is NOR
than present success or popularity.
The Goddess Sabbath" with its bas
ball. beer gardens, open stores, etc
came in at this point for attention, am
the preacher gave protesting christian
Il thorough rounding upo for patroniz
ing any of these things. He referre
to the impurity of language heard upol
the street; TO the vast congregations q
| ! loafers which assemble nightly upon tn
I street corners, and in such number
that it is impossible for Il lady to pas
( without being insulted. within
, stones throw of where | am now speak
| ing, there is one of the worst streets i
/ the world a place whore vice ilaun,
, its garments in the face of purity an
entices the young men, and oil
men as we'll, into its meshes {
destruction. We are almost q
bad as Rome was when vile woma
. | held the scepter of poWer. Foul mouthe