The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-11
LAWLESSNESS IN TOWN
ELI f. RITTER DwELT on HIS FA-
vORITE TOPIC LAST NIGHT.
Advised His Hearers to Bevare M
Political Clubs. Of Which He
Speaks Very Harshly.

mass meeting in the interest OF good
citizenship was held last night at Roberts
Park Church under the auspices OF the
Christian Endeavor and Epworth League
Unions About three hundred people most
of them young men and women. were
gathered in the lecture room. and APP
plauded enthusiastically the sentiments ex-
| pressed.
Eli +. Ritter was the speaker OF
the evening. taking for his subject, Law
lessness in Indianapolis-What are We Co
ing TO do About It?' He was introduced
by the chairman. II. S. McMichaels. and
proceeded with his customary energy to de-
nounce the way in which the laws are be-
ing enforced in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis. he said. is one of the best
cities in the country, yet ii is not good
as Ii should be, he thinks Especially in
the last six months has there been open
and shameful violation Of the laws. During
the recent political conventions held i'm the
city, he said. the saloons were allowed to
run wide open with no attempt to close
them. People seemed to think il was the
proper thing for them TO do so at such
times, and even at the hotel which was
headquarters for one of the parties the bar
was open all night and all day Sunday
Such a state of things is not necessary he
said, but is simply allowed TO exist by rea-
son of the negligence OF those i'm authority.
Said he: IF the police of this city can trace
and capture and put in jail the three men
who robbed store in Carthage-and to
their credit be ii said that they did it-you
needn't tell me that they can't ascertain
that saloons and winerooms are openly
violating the law" He said there are police
men on the force who would like do
their duty and who would do il but for the
fear of losing their positions. That fear he
thought well grounded.
The speaker was pleased TO note that in
the last Few weeks there has been a some
% .,nh better enforcement of the liquor laws.
force the law a little more. Before they
were only ordered to enforce the laws. Be-
fore long they will be ordered to enforce
them some more"
THE wineroom" he said. as an unlawful
institution Our opponents claim there is
law against it Some years ago China
an opium joint The statutes of Indiana
and the ordinances of the the city were
turned over leaf by leaf and no law could
be found which said anything about opium
Joints or about Cinnamon Yet hat
Oriental was fined $500 and sentenced to
sixty days Imprisonment. But he was a
Chinaman and couldn't vote"
PYNE CASE REHASHED.
The Board of Public Safety came in with
the mayor and the police for a share of Mr.
Ritter's condemnation. Referring TO the
well-known Pyne case in which Mr. and
Mrs. Pyne made afidavits as to vile prac-
tees carried on In Quinn's saloon and wine
rooms. he scathingly roasted" the board
for its summary dismissal of the case with
out giving him a chance to prove his
charges. Said he: Its the first case I
ever heard of trial where the judge only
heard one side of and rendered a
verdict. The board got the testimony of va
rious persons who knew nothing about the
case, and that of Superintendent Colbert.
who said he knew nothing either but ut
terly refused to hear the testimony of those
VINO Knew what they were talking about and
who were willing to give their evidence"
Speaking of himself, personally, Captain
Ritter said he had been charged with the
desire for notoriety in his attack on the
after" he said 'ft's the cheapest kind OF
notoriety 1 know anything about There
isn't any money in IL and there isn't any
Office in Ii. / am only doing what every
man who is a man should Outstanding up
for the enforcement of law. ! would rather
help the mayor and the police in the en-
forcement Of law and commend them for
their good work. than to be thus censuring
them for their neglect and completely. But
/ have TO take things as they are. A man
who does fight for the right lays himself
open to all sorts of attacks They call him
a crank, a 'goody-goody' man. "A Sunday
school politician. and even try to tear down
his character But true man will stand
in his place and do his duty, trusting God
to look after his character"
Political clubs were also named by Capt.
Ritter in his category of law-breaking and
man-depraving institutions. There are a
few respectable political clubs i'm this city"
said he, but most of them are places where
LIQUOR is sold without license and on Sun
day in absolute violation of law. and where
men congregate TO tell vile stories These
clubs which claim 10. and do largely control
the politics of the State. are places to be
avoided. / warn you. young men, against
the political clubs of this city
There is strong sentiment. the speak
er said. for the enforcement of law. IL is
the same sentiment which secured the pas
sage of the Nicholson bill and which would
rise up again nightly in case of an at
tempt to repeal that law. He said he had
almost half wished that such an attempt
would be made in order that the better ele-
ment might have a chance again to show
it's power. But in face of this moral senti-
ment the immoral repeatedly triumphs. The
reason for this the speaker held. was the
lack of organization on the part OF the bet
ter element He showed that among the
young peoples religious societies alone
there ere 5000 voters in the State OF In
diana. force sufficient almost, If organ
lied to hold the balance Of power. He paid
a tribute to Governor Mount a type OF
and to REPRESENTATIVE Nicholson. who
he said '.still sits in the Legislature despite
the efforts of the lawless element TO defeat
him" His solution of the question was or
and Christian citizens. Without the same
degree of organization which Is attained by
their opponents those who stand for the
right can never hope to succeed, he said.