The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-03-23
THE MORAL SIDE
OF THE QUESTION
Letters From Prominent Citizens On
Gamblinu, Saloons and Other Evils.
EVILS CANNOT BE LEGALlIED
The Experience oi Others Cited hhat the
Saloons DO FOR Community hesolu-
tions rassed By the Ninistefs.
EVILS CANNOT BE LEGALIzED

.ihn)--As our city council represent
Ing party which was taught by
my father 10 believe was a party Of
great moral ideas. has passed TO the
third reading an ordinance licensing
gambling-an acknowledged vice-and
M you have given considerable space
on your firn, page 10 opinions favor
able 10 this ordinance. win you give
equal prominence 10 testimony on the
other sidc-rem1nbering that many
Of the patrons OF the Astorian do not
favor the flegaliEation Of vice.
Two gentlemen in your paper have
referred to 81 louis, France, and
Germany for support Of the licensing
OF prostitution and gambling note
they place prostitution In the same
category as gambling. and wisely. too,
for II Il be righ, 10 license gambling
on the plea that II cant be stopped,
hence should be- licensed" the very
same plea will apply also to prostitu-
,ion or any other vice. But can II
ever be righ, TO legalize vice. II so.
why not also apply the same reason
ing 10 theft and robbery
Bu, on the low plane OF merely ex-
pedieney. does the experience Of 81.
Louis and other cities which have
tried licensing vice encourage US in
trying the same experiment? BEFORE
the last legislature met In Salem.
when Il was feared n license law for
prostitution would be introduced. re-
ceivcd from the president Of the Ma
tionni Purity Society. Hon. Aaron NJ.
Powell. and from the president ot
the Society 10 Prevent State LeHallza-
tion Of Vice many documents showing
the futiiity ot such license laws wher-
ever enacted. and l see that much
fewer places have ever attempted to
licnse gambling than have attempted
TO license prostitution. because, with
prostitution they can to some little
extent cloak the horror OF such law
under the disguise OF Contagious
disease act" Great Britain. after n
few years experiment OF licensed pros
tItution, under the plea OF hygiene
act" repealed the act by parliament,
both for Great Britain and India.
NJ, Lecour late head OF Police des
Moreurs Of Paris. where licensed pros
titution has been In existence, says In
his ofiicial report; THE evil Is
social ana moral one. and cannot be
regulated or controlled by the police"
On the continent all pretense OF good
moral results from regulation OF vice
has been openly disavowed,'
NJ. Lenairs. the chief commissioner
OF police in Brussels. reported to the
burgomaster in 1897 that after thirty
years trial OF license system. the
most complete In existence. "prostltu-
tion has 80 greatly developed in ,Brus-
sells that new measures are neces-
sary"
ST. Louis has been referred to IN the
Astorian as a good example Of the
benefits OF licensing vice. have
never heard that st. Louis licensed
gambling, but II did once license pros
tltution, so presume II is to that
experiment reference is made. and Il
Is practically the only American city
that has had the effrontery to openly
license this evil. And In regard to
Its law and the result, quote from
the testimony Of DR.. Elliot, chancellor
OF Washington University in st, Louis
THE authority to license vice in St
Louis was obtained by a legislative
trick, the Interpolation OF the two
words, or regulate after prohibit IN
an amendment to the clty's charter" 4"
But after four years trial OF licensed
vice the law was repealed and the
power taken from the city to again
license vices prohibited by the state
The agitation for repeal was partici-
pated in by the archbishop. bishop
and priests OF the Catholic church,
by almost all OF the clergy Of the
Protestant church, irrespective OF ma
tionality, and by the majority OF the
St Louis bar, A petition for repeal
was sent TO the Missouri Legislature
signed by one hundred and fifty law
yers and physicians. Another petition
was signed by four thousand women,
beside the petition signed by thou
sands Of men.
The Missouri legislature, after pro-
longed discussion. repealed the act by
a vote Of three-fourths OF the senate.
and 90 to in the house. Surely. after
such an ending of the ST. Louis ex-
pertinent OF licensing vice, Astoria can
find no encouragement to follow In her
footsteps. Every state in our Union
including Oregon. prohibits gambling,
To license It means to repudlate state
law. True, the Astoria law prohibit
Ing gambling has not been properly