Rock Island Argus., 1897-07-20
NO KNOWLEDGE OF I
ePeesaeIe ~ % the once
Police lGetRon.

Au0 Ouloo VI toouy pr0eeubo D 10.
entable spectacle Of the small
knowledge is possesses Of the object
Of . eity in providing . police ma
tron ard of the duties that pre perly
attach - such an Office. 1t is very
evident that 1t is the same old dispo.
sition of pure cussedness that led IL
to oppose the paid fire department,
the park commission, and many
other Improvements in the past with
out kno wledge Of the good to come
from the change. that il at the bot
tom of its present hostility to the
desired innovation in the police de-
partment. Time and space are too
valuable to be wasted in detsiled
reference to the morning papers ex-
PLANTATION of its previous attempt to
convince the local public. aud Incl
dentally the world at large, that
Rock Island is content with accept
ing its population of 1890 ss basis of
judging how she should conduct her
se.f with reference to the police ma
tron. It need only be said that the
council Is capable Of estimating Rock
Islands present population without
accepting the figures of lSs0-which
were at that time 1000 short-as ap.
plicable.
In its discussion Of the duties of q
police matron the Union exhibits
what small conception it has Of the
position and the requirements Of the
incumbent. The duties Of the police
matron are not to be exercised solely
In dealing with the fallen, the VIC
ious and the immoral of the sex, nor
Is the province Of matron the car
rying out of spirit of federation.
The idea. is to prevent vice; at least to
check it. 1t often becomes necessary
to detain wayward girls, who, il
thrown into contact at police head
quarters with the hardened classes
Of both sexes are simply punished
and dismissed, would depart further
from the paths of rectitude as q re-
suit Of the disgrace and degradation,
than if they were shown that instead
OF having suffered the mortifi ,asion
OF imprisonment they we're simply
checked in their folly and given the
considerate and kindly advice shat
would arouse their better nature if
they possessed it. The esta blish-
ment Of the Office Of police masron
Is not the furtherance of q policy of
federation nor in line with the car
rying out OF the outrageous propo-
sition which the Union suggests ito
traffic in beastiality." The policy is
one Of prevention of vice before it 10
too late-a duty the state and the
city owes to humanity, while it is no
less a duty that fem ale prisoners, re-
gardless Of the offense under which
they are detained, be given separate
apartments from the men, and in
charge Of one Of their own sex.
A lady whose indignation is
aroused has written The ARGUS .
communication with refsfsrence to
the Uaion's position, In the course Of
which she says 1t "was language
which must be considered as q re-
Election upon the good judgment OF
those interested in this enterprise,
and which should not pass unchal.
lenged. 1t remarks: The idle and
vicious are not confined to one sex,
and il We wish to pander to the curse
Of the age, OF course we should have
. house of sympathy in charge of
sympathetic persons. where strum-
pets may be considered as unfor-
sunates. instead Of being driven
out OF town by masc culine stern
ness, which regards their pres
ence as pollution "Of course, :"
says the lady. 1--WE will con-
cede that snow1stes do not like
smut. but up to this date We were
unaware that the moral atmos.
phere of Rock Island was kept pure
by masculine snowfiakes.' Passing
unrestricted the unwarranted as
sumption that the office Of police
matron is created solely in the inter-
est OF fallen women. consider the
terrible charge Of sympathy sup
posed to be purely feminine" The
correspondent maintains correctly
that the Union is not sufficiently
logical to discuss the difference b e.
tween sympathy with the sinner and
sympathy with the sin. and closes
by saying that the morning paper
"would ruthlessly push on to de-
struction those whose feet have al.
ready slipped"
The Davenport Democrat of Sun
day last had this argument which
may be used now in reply to some
OF the misconceptions printed in the
Union today: 1.-The Davenport house
OF detention has done a greater work
in the reclaiming of straying girls
than it has in the imprisonment OF
abandoned ones who are under ar
rest. It all lies in the sort of ma.
tron the house has, whether its work
will be merely punitive and coercive,
or whether it will be reiormatory
and reclamatory. We prefer the
latter" This is the correct opinion.
Tlfsr, Nervous, slsspisss
Men and women-how gratefully
they write about Hoods Sarsaparills.
Once helpless and discouraged, hav-
ing lost all faith in medicines, now
in good health and "able to do nv