The herald., 1895-07-02
'''''''|S FRENCH 'E PHRASES
The Police Commissioners
Make Quotations
THEY ALSO TALK
ABOUT DICKENS
4lnformation Sent to the Council
About That Fence
SOME OLD VIEWS
OF PROSTITUTION
The Women to Be Controlled Must All
Be Concentrated
BARS LET DOWN LEADING
TO The CITY TREASURY
Vnsraded Streets Ordered Repaired Con.
ia trary to the Charter
resident Teed Protests Against the IIIegaIity
Of the najori.y, but He Is Outvoted.
investigating Purchase Of
Asphaltum
The Women to Be Controlled Must All
Be Concentrated
BARS LET DOWN LEADING
TO The CITY TREASURY
Vnsraded Streets Ordered Repaired Con.
trary to the Charter
resident Teed Protests Agsinst the IiegsIity
Of the najorl.y, but He ls Outvoted.
investigating Purchase Of
Asphaltum

The board OF police commissioners has
finally been heard from upon the subject
Of the very much advertised and motor
ious fence on Alameda street, which is
most in evidence btween sunset ana sun
rise. In reply to the request for official
information upon the su bject the follow
tng communication was yesterday filed
With the city council:
"This board having received from your
honorable body the following communica-
tion: Resolved, that it is the sense of
the council that the police commission
ers be requested to make report to tn Q
council at once as to their success in re-
moving the houses of prostitution from
Alameda street; Furthermore. when we
passed the law relating to the removal of
prostitution from Alameda street we were
in earnest. and now insist that the law
be enforced and obeyed,' we reply as
follows:
''lt is encouraging to know that you
Ne in earnest about this matter. but even
this one ray OF encouragement we get
from your statement is destroyed when
we find upon Investigation that you have
never passed an ordinance upon this sub
iect. However. we will give you the result
VI our action in. regard to this matter.
'After investigatingithe methods adopt
adkin all of the great cities OF the world,
We come to the conclusion that the best
thing that could be done in regard to this
evil Is to control it as much as possible,
concentrating these women in place
the least Objectionable, and then place a
close police surveillance over them: this
plan has been adopted in most of the
cities OF the world and is giving the best
results of any.
ut strikes us that you are asking a
great deal of this commission in requir-
ing it to suppress PROSTITUTION, something
the wisdom OF ages has failed to accom-
plish. We have not the power to. drive
these miserable creatures out of the city.
neither can we fix any place where they
should 60. 1t is true we might do AS you
ask, drive them off Alameda street. and
scatter them all over the city, but we do
not think this would be desired by any
one except possibly by the women them
selves. We might do as Inspector Bucket,
in Bleak House, when he ordered Joe
to move on, and the only reply we
could possibly make would be the one
Bucket made when Joe asked him where
he was to move to: Never you mind
where to. out just move on.
I'VE believe that the constant public ag-
itation of this matter, calling the atten-
ton of the young to this evil, is ill-ad-
vised. and tho publication of all these
communications has created the impres.
sion that this city is unusually immoral,
which is not SO, as the records OF the po-
lice show that we have one of the quiet
etst and best regulated cities in the Uni
ted States.
''While we feel that the Ministerial as
sociation is acting with the best motives
and with desire to stamp out this evil.
yet we know that the methods they have
advocated are impracticable and some of
hate TOT fixyoc rr,I,o 1,nxx olI
you have exhibited an intolerance which
we do notIbelieve is sanctioned by the
association, and We regret that you have
allowed these individuals to so influence
you asIto cause you to send us an order
which you know is not for the best inter-
ests of the city. and which you do not
even wish to have carried out. We deplore
as much as any one that prostitution ex-
lists in this city, but we cannot shut our
eyes to the fact that it has existed since
the beginning of the world and will prob
ably always exist.
.It is true that Alameda street especi-
ally should be kept free from these peo-
pie, but until we have a less undesirable
place TO send them, it would be unwise to
drive them from it, especially in view of
the fact that all these houses are now
hidden from the public view by high
board fence. 1t is true that some people
are so delicately Organized that their ten
der sensibilities are shocked at what they
imagine might exist behind high board
fenco. 'Honi soft qui NAL pense.'
1.-THE board of police commissioners of
this city have no law-making power what
ever. 1t is our duty simply to make
rules and regulations as to the personnel
ments and removals. Your honorable
body is the law-making power of the
city, land you have been elected by the
people for that purpose; and we hope you
will use such power by passing an ordi-
nance upon this subject. The laws we
or been enforced. The records of the
courts show that there have been few con-
victions out of many hundreds of prose-
cutions and that 1t is almost impossible
to secure conviction. AS you only ask
to have these creatures removed from
what locality they should be rem owed,
and we think it would be well in this Or
dinance to have it so definite and specific
in regard to this evil that there can be
no doubt or mistaking its terms. If you
can devise an ordinance that will abso-
lutely prohibit it,, you will meet with
the approval of all good people. If the
ordinance is to be for the purpose of reg
ulation. make it full and definite, and we
assure you that any ordinance which you
may pass will meet with our hearty sup
port and as far as this board is concei ned
II WI! see that the police department of
Councilman Pessell moved the report be
received and filed. Councilman Munson
sought to amend by having the report re-
ferred to the special committee which mad
the similar object in charge severaI
months ago. President Teed said that
this committee had long ago been dis
It will sleep the sleep which knows no
waking, unless the ministerial associa-
uon gathers itself together for brand