The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-30
SALT LAKE BRUSHES.

We believe that every good citizen of Salt
Lake will feel ashamed this morning when
he reads that the United States marshal has
found it necessary to employ his authority
to enforce the local law forbidding prosti-
tuition. Liberal ascendancy in Ogden
year ago last winter was followed by an in
rush of bad women and low gamblers. In
little while gambling was practiced publicly,
the doors of the t'hells'' being on the swing,
and no attempt was made to hide the in
fraction of the law. Indeed, it was told to
US at the time that policemen in uniform
would sit at the gaming tables and play Ike
other people. Houses Of prostitution null
tiplied and the names of the keepers were
conspicuously exposed on the doors, as if
the business were lawful and con-
Quoted under the protection of the
municipal government. The police au-
thorities were appealed to to suppress the
evils, but only smiled at the decent
people who protested against the city be-
ing converted into a brothel. 1t was
claimed by the city authorities that gamb-
ling houses and houses of prostitution
were essential to the material prosperity of
the town; that if the lewd women and
gamblers were driven out enterprising men
would follow them and the city would
suffer. There were those, however, who
took no stock in this argument, and who
said that even if it were true, they would
prefer morality and social purity, to pros
perity and crime. These people, wearying
of the inactivity of the officials appealed to
the United States marshal to step in and
protect them and Ogden. 1t was an extra
ordinary proceeding, but the circumstances
were extraordinary. The marshal told
the prostitutes and the gamblers
that they must cease to ply their
nefarious trades, or he would be compelled
to proceed against them. Some needed the
warning and left, while others went on
with their defiance, and were arrested and
prosecuted A great outcry was made
against the marshal, and the crooked ele-
ment set out to take his official scalp. He
did not finch, however; his representative
at the junction city, though hated most
heartily by Il considerable element, kept on
making arrests, and in the course of time
Ogden recovered much of her good fame.
All this happened about year ago. The
good people of this city were almost as in
6ignant as were those of Ogden, that the
local government had so outrageously failed
in the performance of its duty, that it
became necessary for the United States
marshal to make the law respected. Every
newspaper in Salt Lake, without regard tn
politics, was outspoken il its denunciation
of the Ogden police authority. Now
the junction people and press can
retaliate and in kind. The Salt
Lake police having refused or failed
when appealed to, to protect private citi
zens against the nuisance of an alleged
house of ill-fame, the United States mar
shall was applied to and performed the
work which belonged to the municipal con
stabulary. Because of this, we say the de-
cent people of Salt Lake will blush, and
feel that their city has been disgraced
They will feel that the local government is
afraid of, if not in sympathy with, the sen
timent expressed in public meeting the
other evening that people should be good
''but not too good; % and thus feeling there
will be solicitude for the good name of the
fair city.
In this connection we mag express the
hope that the marshal will never agair
find it necessary to perform duty
which belongs to the municipal pc
lice; but we can assure him thai
if the occasion shall arise the public
sentiment viii be with him in the enforce
ment of the law and the protection of so
ciety from the unclean class. He need no
fear that he will be brutally assaulted a.
was the case in Ogden. Public opinion il
Salt Lake is pronounced in favor of tn,
suppression of prostitution, of gambling
and of Sunday liquor selling, and if tn,
public will not do their duty in the mattel
of putting a stop to these evils, the grea
majority of the people will uphold tn,
marshal in his efforts to enforce the law.