The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-12
RITTER WILL TESTIFY
MAY TELL \ FEW THINGS TO STAR
TIE THE BOARD OF SAFETY.
or Taggart-NOt Making Admin
~istration ScapegOats.

members of the board. \ subpoena was
issued for Mr.. Ritter yesterday morning.
IL is understood that the Good Citizens
League has had a number of private de-
tectives taking notes of dates and specific
violations of the Nicholson law and that
Mr.. Ritter is prepared 10 substantiate the
charge that the liquor law is being violated
as 1t never was before, and that winerooms
are numerous in the city.
Yesterday MIR. Ritter gave out the follow
ing open letter To the mayor:
Dear Mayor Your interview i'm the
News concerning myself mas been duly re-
celved and contents noted. Permit me to
suggest that II Will do you no good TO get
req IN the face and say hard Things. You
complain that Information was rot brought
10 you OF particular disregard OF duty by
individual patroimen. II d few patroImen
nave been guilty OF negligence of uuty when
there was an earnest determination to
faithfully enforce the law on the part of
your administration, then the proper course
WOULD be To expose the derelictions, but il
would be pusillanimous TO be led into an at
tack ana hot pursuit after a few individual
patrolmen. who nave become demoralized
by the well-known tolerance of violations
OF the law on the part OF some saloon keep
ere, propr1etorS OF WineroOmS, gambling
houses and resorts, who nave long been un-
disturbed.
NOT FURNISHING SCAPEGOATS.
II am not declining TO aid you in any way
that L might be able in exposing special
cases, but l do not intend TO assist i'm fur
nishing scapegoats for your administration.
] have a few things L want TO say TO you,
as mayor. as the head of our city admin
istration. as the individual who can control
the forces and enforce the laws of our city.
Let me call your attention to the fact that
the late grand jury returned eighty-one in
dictments to the Criminal Court. The law
1..;,o- 49,. - &c A. -
material evidence shall appear on the back
of the indictment. These indictments are
not all open TO public examination yet.
because arrests have not been made in all
cases named. All of them, however, are at
this time, or i think will be, subject to
your examination within a few days. L
think IL will appear that not a policeman'S
name will appear on one of these numerous
indictments as a witness. No doubt, police
men were subpoenaed before the grand
jury at the December and November terms.
IL is a singular thing that in this very
large number of indictments for the Decem-
Der term against violators of the liquor law
that not a policeman in The city who is on
duty day or night i'm the immediate locali-
ties where these offenders did business-I
say that Ii is singula that not a policeman
knew anything about these numerous vio-
lationS of the law. You may say that po-
licemen present cases to the Police Court,
and that L understand. but the cases pre-
scented there are mere petty offenseS. L ask
you TO run over the docket of the Police
Court for six months and name the cases
where men VINO are pTOprletOrS OF WINE
rooms have been presented to that court by
the police force. The police docket Is load
ed with charges of drunkenness, fighting
and some trivial offenSeS. but II would take
a very short time 10 dispose of every case
against saloon keepers, Wineroom Keepers,
gambling-room keepers and bawdy-house
keepers for violations OF the liquor law.
LEGAL WINEROOMS.
.You say, i'm your eloquent remarks in
the News, that the police keep all wine
- - -.Ioo~- -.itH;Ya 4ha 1auoI r a
quirements.' What do you mean by keep
ing the winerooms within the legal re-
quirements? The wineroom cannot be kept
at all without u violation of law. 1t is a
lawless institution. You know that the no
tel bars are not closed as the law requires,
and you know what the law requires in
these cases. You are the proprietor of a
hotel and the proprietor of the saloon In
your hotel, and you hold the license In
your name. j do not intend 10 do the cow
ardly thing of complaining of little saloons
In the suburbs. or holes in the wall in OBJ
scure places. I call your attention to the
saloons i'm the New Denison Hotel. I'm the
Bates House. Grand Hotel and the gilded
saloons kept by the nabobs I'm that bust
ness. These places have no more rights
than have the most obscure proprietors
with the most insignificant saloons.
NOTORIOUS ROADHOUSES.
II call your attention TO the sale of liq-
uors without license and the violation of
law in winerooms that now flourish all
over the city. / call your attention to the
roadhouses in the suburbs, notorious and
infamous. that flourish and against which
no proceedings have been instituted by
your force. You have not only a large po-
lice force, but you have a detective force
expressly for that purpose. and it will not
do for you to say that all this force of
H. En@4-
and presented these viclators of the law.
where the grand jury was able, without
any assistance from force. to ascertain the
facts and return Indictments. i do no want
you. in this, to understand that / am COM
planning of the policemen and detectives.
/ am satisfied that there are men on the
force who would gladly do their duty and
walk into any danger with the same cour-
age that men walk into battle. would face
death in the discharge of their duty, If
they are inspired by a commander to do
SO. and know that they will be rewarded
rather than condemned and their position
jeopardized. If they are faithful In the dis
charge of duty. | an not talking about
these men who have not had a fair chance
and who are demoraliZed by the conditions
about them. / am talking to you, you are
the man who is responsible, and you can
not escape this by getting angry and say
ing hard things. IT is very apparent to any
man who is observing of the situation that
during the present session of the LeSisla-
ture great privileges are TO be allowed,
especially to influential violators of the
law and certain depraVed members or the
Legislature. / want to say, with pleasure,
that | have the personal acquaintance
with "a large number of mem
bers of the Legislature who are men
of as clean lives and character as can be
found in the State of Indiana. 1t is hui
initiation TO them and TO the State of In
diana. TO the good morals and common de-
cency of our people. that privileges and i'm
munity for the violation of law shall be
granted and permitted with impunity. in or
der to accommodate "A few who chance &c
be members of the Indiana Legislature
Against this as a citizen / protest. and In
this protest let me say l do not stand alone
WEAK LEGISLATORS.
Some Of the weak members of the In
diana Legislature are going to have a HARD
time of it during this session with the in.
fuence of wine suppers by the controlling
influence of the street-car company, sa'
looms, gambling schemes and resorts.
You and we all ought to exert ourselves
to the utmost to rescue and protect these
weak brethren. They are only a few, but
their number is large enough and they are
worth saving. 1t has been notorious here.
tofore, has gone out over the State with its
demoralizing and blasting influence or
young men. that the vile associations anC
disgraceful conduct OF some men in the
Legislature could be laughed at as "A joke. TC
me these things are no jokes. 1t is "A ques.
ton now for your consideration whether
their eyes, turn their backs and absent
themselves from their posts and fail TO dc
their duty. in order that these disgracefu
things and these violations of the law shall
be repeated. The people in this city anC
State of Indiana in very large and infu.
gNffaI Nnnk 49, hoo NJ rs~-l - H.