Arizona republican., 1898-05-25
GAZETTE'S RECONCENTRADO
That Moral Exponent and It's Pro
 posed Plan of Relief

The Arizona Gazette is clamoring for a disintegration of block fl. In doing so it is disregarding many facts and charging Mayor Adams and the city council with obstructing the pur- pose of the late grand jury to remove this species of immortality from Phoe- nix. Speaking of the Gazette's as sertions, Mayor Adams said last night: ''I do not believe the Gazette repre- sents the moral sentiment of the city and l am sure it has no influence with any member of the city council. The recommendations of the grand jury have been misrepresented by the Ga zette When the grand jury got ready to very properly take steps for the suppression Of growing immoral ity in this town it summoned before it the city and precinct officials to e1 tress their views on the case.
 Among these officials was Mayor Adams, with whose views the commit tee coincided to a man. The thing most complained about was the spreading of prostitution beyond the limits within which an effort had been made to circumscribe it and the dis position of not only the women of the
  fringe on it's outskirts to flaunt their sin in the face of passers-by. He be- iieved that it was possible to suppress the business, but it could not be done in a day. Suppression must begin with absolute control, after which it might within a short time be driven out entirely. He proposed that all prostitutes be driven upon the block; that high board fence be erected about it with single entrance guard ed day and night by policeman, and that no intoxicated person be allowed to enter. He proposed also that no women Of the block be allowed to ap- pear on the outside in the daytime or until so late at night that decent wo- men had deserted the streets. Under such control, he argued, the business could not last long and the object sought by property owners in that vi- cinity would be attained. Another course could result only in scattering the evil through the town. He fur ther suggested that the county assist the city in carrying out this work.
 As has been stated, the mayors views were approved by the grand jury committee, and though its recom- mendations did not detail the above described plan of close herding, they carried out his suggestion by direct ing the board of supervisors and cOun- ty peace officers to assist the city au thorities in the control and ultimate suppression of the evil. The grand jury report described the term, "nec- essary evil" frequently applied to this species of sin, as a misnOmer, but there is nothing in the report looking to the abolition of the block until it can be accomplished in such a manner that the inmates will not be distrib- uted about town, but driven out Of it. This is sufficient to show that there is no difference of opinion between the mayor and the grand jury.
 Regarding the charge that the mayor is carrying out a prediction contract, MT. Adams said that he never had any conversation before the elec- tion with any property owner of that block or with any one interested in it on this subject He further says that he has issued no special instructions to the police, but since the report of the grand jury was filed he directed the police to begin taking control Of the evil as the report had recom- mended. As to the arrest of Antcne Gould, the first victim of the police, when he was getting ready to con struct his new building across the lNn"NC C Nn n