The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-21
WANT THE LAWS ENFORCED
Lafayette People Grow Weary of What
Is Called the "Wide-0pen" Policy.
Mayor mckinley Attends a Law and Order
Meeting, and Responds 10 Several Savage
Attacks Upon His administration.
to tho Indianapolis Journal.

Special TO tho Indianapolis Journal. tes,
LAFAYETTE, Ind, Dec. 20.-The ministers
of this city and church members have in
augurated a movement, the object of (which
is to spur the officials up TO q more vigor-
ous enforcement of the law-or, rather,
perhaps. it should be said. to the enforce
ment of the laws, for the complaints Is made
that everything has been run on the
wide-open order for some time. There was
q goodly attendance of people at the First
Presbyterian Church chapel last evening.
William II. lowering presided. The COM
mittee Of a former meeting recommended
that q committee be appointed, with
power to select other members. to formu-
late a method that would secure the rigid
enforcement of the laws. During the dis
cussIons that followed Mayor Mckinley
made mis- appearance in the church, and
was finally asked to speak. He did SO,
saying that he had come there. merely as q
citizen. to ascertain. what the complaints
were, as nons had ever been made to him
personally OF rs an official. He spoke Of
tho manner in which he had been referred
to from the pulpit, and in which he had
been painted by speakers. the impression
that these remarks left or strangers being
that he the Mayorl was q man who was IN
full league with the gamblers, the saloon
keepers and keepers of bagnios-something
that was very unjust to HIM. He thought
it would have been at least courteous for
those making complaints to have called
upon him and stated their grievances. with
out first scoring him from the pulpit. The
Mayor then put the president Of the meet.
ing on the witness-stand. as il were. and
asked him If. during the thirty-six
years of their acquaintance, he
in any of these places. or of drinking and
carousing around. TO all of which questlOns
the president gave g negative reply. The
Mayor then referred TO many of the OBJ
stacles that were In the pathway of an en-
forcement of laws. and. while admitting q
belief that there were more or less of vio-
lations in the CITY. he, nevertheless.
thought the CITY was as law-abiding as
other cities throughout the country. he
said it was one thing TO demand the clos
ing of saloons. but quite another thing 30
have that order obeyed. People who lad
proof of violations would not come for
without proof. He had, on Saturday night,
ordered the saioon-keepers to close up their
doors. and he thought the citizens should
have waited o little while to see what ell
feet this order would have. and not at
tempted to drive the officers too fast. He
said he was aman who could be approached
and reasoned with, but not q man who
could be driven OR bulldozed. Elfa
After his remarks, George King sprang 20
his feet and began remarks about the Mayo
forcing himself into q meeting of respect
able people. TO make a speech of that kind:
Mr.. Mckinley seized his hat and started
for the door. Expressing his regret that he
bad come at all. but saying he had only
spoken after repeated calls. The president
begged the Mayor to remain. and he did.
Mr.. King said the order for the enforce-
1893 IS 4hA nUn nm IAru IntA and
wanted to know what the Mayor had been
dong for the last three aud q half years
that be had not issued the order before.
1t was a sort OF eleveDth-hour repentance.
He was terribly In earnest, he said, about
this matter. and while he esteemed tho
Mayor AS u man, he hadn't very much re-
spect for him as an officer. 10 this the
Mayor replied that during the last year he
had seen Mr.. King every week day OF his
life, and sometimes half a dozen times .
day, and although the young man was now
prating about his terrible earnestnees in,
this matter, this was the first time in his
fKing'sI life that he had ever mentioned
! the matter of q non-enforcement of the
laws to him.
William S. Hsggard followed King. and
gave the Mayor u terrible castlgatlon for
the remies manner in which he has oeen
enforcing the laws, and wanted to know
whathe was going TO do in the future; and
how earnest he was IN his present order to
close ND the saloons. Mr.. Haggard spoke
1 OF n QlNe, OF Htll-uOlt, MS lit ChltSu |.
ON Fifth street. which was running under
q license voted by the Mayor. and de-
manded that this place be at once closed
by taking away the license. The Mayor
said that he had nothing to do with voting
q liquor license TO the place named; that
was done by the commissioners: butt II HaR-
gard would secure the votes of the other
seven men who voted for the variety show
latter license. he, the Mayor. would cast q
vote To take the license away from the
proprietor. This brought Down loud ap-
plause. f2al 81 "a
Postmaster Smith followed. telling of tho
efforts away back In 1856 TO enforce liquor
laws. when the only prohibition law indi-
ana ever bad was passed. lie character
ICED the open and notorious manner IN
which the law were violated In this city
rs an outrage upon the decent portion of
the community. and thought If the present
officers could not enforce the laws. or were
afraid TO enforce them, they should resign
tImid. Mr.. Hagsard said the Mayor had
declared that bnt three saloons were open
on Sunday. whereas the speaker said he
had it from the mouth of a Responsible wit
ness that he-the witness-had been in
thirteen saloons in n short time. Sunday
morning. and obtained drink. and that he
had to Quit for fear he would become
drunk. r-
Mayor MCKINLEY jun ped to his feet and
demanded to know the name OF this wit
ness. that he might place it before the
prosecuting attorney. who was now holding
O court of INQUIRY and searching for Just
such information as Mr.. Hnggard said this
man possessed. All they wanted was the
evidence. but if people who knew about
these things would not come forward with
1t the officers were pOwerleSs. MT. Hag-
gard replied that the city was paying
the Mayor and police TO look after law
breakers. and that il was not the duty of
private citizens To turn themselves out as
spies and hunt MP these things.
There were other exciting passages be-
tween the Mayor and speakers. and the
meeting finally adjourned. ut n late hour.
TO meet again OF the call of the chairman.
III is believed by many that the meetings
already held Will result in q much moro
rigid enforcement of the liquor. gaming
and bawdy- house laws. and some think IL
will spread so as TO take in the enforcement
OF the Sunday Law, the latter feature being
In the nature of q retalIatory measure.
This. however. is only speculation thus far.
H. Ha. ornd