The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-02-28
WISCONSIN BRIEFLETS.
INTE RESTING ITEMS GATHERED
FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.

What Our Neighbors Are Doing = Matters
of General and Local Interest = Mar
riages and Observation-Disclosures and Crimes
Personal Pointers.
INVESTIGATING NORTHERN DIVES.
The committee appointed by the State
Legislature to investigate the dives"
stories returned the following report:
The Committee on State Affairs. to which
was referred joint resoluti ON No. "a, pro-
viding for a Legislative investigation into
the allegation regarding houses of prosti-
tuition in Northern Wisconsin, submits the
following: From authority undoubted by
US. we are satisfied that the reports relative
to such places have been grossly eXagger-
ated. That houses of ill-fame exist cannot
be denied, but the charges of cruelty on the
part of the keepers or previous innocence
on the part of the inmates are not sub
stantiated by any evidence presented to
this committee. An examination of the
statute will show laws for the suppression
of all such resorts, if they are enforced.
The enforcement is i'll the hands of local
officials. as it must necessarily be.
The Executive of the State has
diligently urged action on the part
of the local officers. If they had failed
he had the right, on complaint being made,
to cite any delinquent officer before him to
show cause why removal should not take
place. The records prove that no such
complaints have been made, showing con-
clusively that if the dives of Northern Wis
consin are anywhere near as bad as alleged,
the parties affecting to possess such knOwl-
edge preferred to use that knowledge in
newspapers outside of the State, or elab-
crate in sensational lectures. Had a COM
plant been made to the proper authority,
your committee is confident that the late
executive, as we'll as the present one, would
have promptly removed any delinquent
officer. 1t must be understood shat in the
courts, in order to insure convictions, the
necessary proof must be put in evidence,
and it is often difficult and slow procedure
to secure this. Mere allegations are not
sufficient. Nearly all of the recent convic-
tons of keepers OF houses OF lll-fam6 were
on complaints made prior TO any agitation of
this question, and these convictions, your
committee are glad to say, have awakened
a general feeling in the communities affect
ed to wipe out and utterly destroy ali
houses of prostitution. Under these cir
cumstances, and in view of the impractibil-
ity Of such u course, we think that legis-
lative investigation is entirely unnecessary.
Before closing this report your committee
would suggest to those sO-called refOrmers
in other States who affected such horror
over sensational allegations as to the lack
of morals in northern Wisconsin. that an
application of the old adage, physician,
heal thyself," would be very beneficial.
Looking with Indignation at alleged crimes,
from 100 to 1000 miles distant, through
glasses that magnify a thousand fold viii
not benefit humanity half as much as dis
position to correct the immoral, licentious
and criminal condition of their own i'm
mediate localities. We recommend that
Joint resolution No. "a be mono Oncurred
in.