The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-07
THE POLICE RAID.

The raid Of the police upon the houses
of prostitution yesterday morning was
the first results growing out of the
expressed determination of the new
city authorities TO execute the city or
dinances. 1t is to be regretted that
the city authorities were not better
prepared TO take care of the viofators
of the law than they seemed to be.
To turn the whole catch of women
loose upon their own recognizance un-
til today ait o'clock was a rather hui
initiating spectacle, after all that has
been said, especially by the city attor-
ney, upon the subject of turning them
loose on bail. It cannot be that the
city attorney expects those women to
return to the police court, after such
an opportunity is afforded them to
escape? For the city attorney to think
that would be for him to confess a
confidence in depraved human nature
that is scarcely compatible with the
attorneys standing for intelligence.
We repeat that the dismissal of those
women on their own recognizance 2f-
ter their arrest was a huge blunder
and humiliating spectacle for a city
just starting upon an era of reform.
Equally humiliating was it to see the
evident desire of the attorney to shield
Captain Donovan. who it seems was
caught in one of the houses. In the
task which the new officials have pro-
posed to themselves there must be no
favors shown to offenders. High and
low must stand on an equality before
the law. This work Of reform is a
stern business, an unpleasant business,
and it admits of no weakness or favor
itism. Above all things the city attor-
ney should have sought to avoid any
partiality to an officer of the city
caught in a situation, to say the least
Of it, that is compromising in the ex-
IRENE. He should have been left by
the attorney to stand examination
with the rest of the supposed often
ders.
The number of prostitutes and their
paramours arrested at this one dash
by the officers reveals a sad condition
of our city's morals, and proclaims
that it is high time that stern and
unrelenting measures be adopted to
purge the city of this abomination.
Now that the work has started let it
go steadily on; let there be no weak
ness nor partially exhibited, nor doubt
as to its ultimate success. To make
a city absolutely pure in respect of this
sin is of course out of the question,
but that Salt Lake can be made much
better than it is admits of no ques-
ton. If it becomes known that the
law in Salt Lake is rigidly enforced
against this evil, many of those who
have come here to engage in that bust
ness viii, like the Arabs, fold their
tents and silently steal away, and the
evil will be that much reduced. If
men who resort to such places are
arrested as well as the unfortunate
women. and their names as relentless
ly published to the world and they
made to suffer the penalty of the law,
they are going to keep away from the
dens Of infamy, for fear of detection
and the shame that follows it-and the
evil is again reduced. 1t is no answer
to all this to say that the women will
simply scatter throughout the resi-
dence portion of the city, and the evil
will be as great as ever. People jeal-
Gus of their own responsibility and
that of their neighborhood may be
trusted to keep the vicinity of their
homes clear of such esta blishments.
Let the officers steadily continue to
enforce the law against this class of !
and the moral atmosphere
of the city Will be improved.