The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-12
MINISTERIAL UNION ANSWERED

! MINISTERIAL UNION ANSWERED
City Attorney William f. Dunn yester-
day filed with the council the following:
You have referred 10 ma certain iesolu-
tons passed by the Ministerial union
condemnlng certain utterances reported
to have been made BY the chief OF police
at a meeting of the police commission
relative to rhe Alameda street nuisance.
These resolutions conclude with a request
that the city attorney be required to fur
nish an opinion and auvics according to
the laws and ordinances of the city, and
that the chief of police be required to do
his duty in the eX cution and enforce
ment of tho same, or that he be requested
to resign his Office. The utterances on
the part of the chief which are COM
planned of are to the effect that the ag'tt-
ton of the social evil question by tie
Ministerial union and other like assocIa-
ii n has done harm, by calling the atten-
ton OF the youth OF the citysthereto and
the suggested plan of granting Licenses
to houses of ili-fame.
q 1t is not very clear from the resolu-
tions upon what point legal opinion is
asked for, hut | will assume thai 1t is de-
sired to know what the law is in this
state in regard to prostitution. The Sub.
ject is covered by sections 3l5 and 3l6 OF
the penal code. VIII CHI are as follows:
Sec. $40. Every person who keeps
house Of ill-fame in this state resorted TO
for the purposes of prostitution or lewd
ness or vino wllfully resides in such
houses, is guilty of misdemeanor.
Sec. 3l6 Every person VINO keeps any
disorderly house, or any house for the
purpose of designation or prostitution, or
any house OF public resort, by which the
peace, comfort or decency of the immedi-
ate nsigh boihood is nabltually disturbed,
or who Keeps any inn in disordcrly
manner; and every person who lets any
apartment or tenement, knowing that ii
is to be used for the purpose OF assigna-
ton or prostitution, is guilty OF mis-
demeanor.
Under the first of these sections there
is a decision OF the supreme court OF
North Carolina, cited in the note to the
effect that the residence of a single pros
t;tute does not constitute a house of ILL
fame.
Prosecutions for the violation of the
provisions of these sections must be
brou hit in the name OF the people and be
prosecuted by the district attorney, and
| have no doubt that complaints may be
obtained from the district attorney by
any mem Der of the Ministerial union or
By any other person who has sufficient
evidence to justify the issuance of the
complaint.
AS to the policy of driving the houses
from that part of the city where they
now are to other quarters of the city. or
scattering them over the city by an at
tempt to abolish them and their evils, are
questions which | am not called upon to
d scuss. These are matters which | he
lieve the police commission are fully
able to cope with, and | AN satisfied the
chief of police will carry out the odrers
and wishes of the com mission, whatever
policy they may adopt The question is
not new one. 1t has been agItatad in
many cities of the country, and numer-
ON -.aflia - hau "A +al Irn1
ing either to the abolishmen: Of houses
of Ill fame or such regulation and con-
troll Of them as will minimize their evil
effects. While | certainly do not believe
we should attempt in any mahner to
license such places, ii does seem to me we
should carefully consider whether it will
be better to centralize the evil and keep
it under strict police suiveillance CT in
attempting TO suppress it so scatter it as
to put it beyond our control and cause it
to invade every soction Of the city. AS
| have said before, these are questions
of policy which should be lett to the
sound discretion of the police com mis-
sion.
The above was filed without comment
ana then the following was read from the
same source:
AS directed by you, have prepared
contract with john kebman for the con-
struct,on OF the central police station and
Jail and have delivered the draft OF the
contract to Mr.. Rebman i'll order that he
may obtain bondsmon thereto. Adopted.
The bond in the contract il for S2i, 500.
In the matter of the refusal of f. j.
Mckeon to enter into contract for tho
improvement OF Beaudr7 avenue and
other sire ats, | have not made a complete
examination Of the proceedings, but |
have Efficiently Investigator them to be
satsfe ed that there are sufficient errors
therein to justify the contractor in refus-
ing to enter into contract to do the work.
The proceedings are based upon several
separate petitions, neither one of which
aons is SUIT cient to give the council
jurisdiction to proceed with tho work.
Taken together the petitions contain a
majority of the frontage in the district,
but they do not ask Tor exactly the same
thing, nor has the council, in its ordi-
nance OF intention, exactly covered the
work or the territory petitioned for. Two
OF Che signatures to the petition are
based upon frontage assessment only
and YOU have attempted 10 do the work
IN ier q district ASA ssment. With out the
frontage of these two signatures the
petition would not contain maiority Of
the frontage. These objections alone are
sufficient to justify the bidder in refus-
ing to enter into a contract. Referred
10 the board of public works.