The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-19
BIG STORM
IS BREWING
Mayor Ames' Inspection Or
der Brings an Avalanche
of Potest.
The Scheme Is Branded as
Illegal, Immoral and
Useless, Anyway.

Illegal, immoral and absolutely use1esa
as a preventive measure against disease
are the specific indictments made against
Mayor Ames' recently declared policy OF
inspection in the red light district.
Specifically and in general his action
Is widely condemned in the community.
The popular sentiment is that the admin
istration has in this matter touched the
low water mark of municipal indecency.
Legal authorities declare that neither
| the mayor nor the police department has
the slightest authority for enforcing such
a regulation, and that the parties affect
| ed by the order will be easily Within
| their legal rights in resisting it at any
| cost.
Physicians on their part insist that as q
preventive measure the mayors scheme
is positively without merit. The same
| thing has been tried in other cities, most
| ly in Europe, and the results have invari-
ably been such as to condemn the system.
Abandoned in St. Louis.
| Such a system was in effect in ST. Louis
between 1870 and 1874 and then abandoned
as Of no practical benefit. There is now
| no city in the United States, it is claimed,
| that has any system of sanitary control
| in effect. Minneapolis will, therefore,
| stand in class of her own in this regard.
To make such a system effective the ply
sicians say it should be thorough and free.
But to make it thorough would require
| the services Of at least half dozen ply
| sicians and two or three city bacter1olo-
| gists. ...E
| Much criticism is also aimed at tbs
mayors order from the fact that it in
cludes only the inmates of the houses
that pay bimonthly fines into the city
treasury. These women, it is asserted,
form only small proportion of the wom-
| en- of their class in Minneapolis, and
it is among the others that the danger of
Infection is great. Just the class most
in need of sanitary regulation therefore
is not affected by the order.
| There is no question but that the mayor
| has the power to enforce his rules. for
these institutions are wholly at the mercy
| of the police, and any resistance would be
followed by severe disciplinary measures.
/! Those involved know this fact we'll, and
7t9while Troy now protest loudly aud I'M.
| dignantly, they will hardly take the
Z. chances of inviting disaster by resisting
/ the order.
The fact that Mayor Ames insists that
none but two of the three assistant city
physicians, both strong administration ia
vorites, shall have power to give certifi-
Gates Of health and that a fee of 81 a week
is to be charged, is generally regarded as
an impolitic act on the mayors part. The
universal verdict is that this stamps the
act either as inspired by desire to do
a kind service for these favorites or is
intended to create source Of revenue in
| anticipation of the need of big campaign
fund this fall
1t is estimated that about 300 women
will be affected by the order. One can
easily figure up the revenue from this
source between now and the close Of the
year. 1t Is claimed that this number
does not represent. more than one-third
of the women who ply their trade in the
city. The rest are found in the favored
| private houses that pay no fines into the
city treasury, and among the eVer-pres-
ent 'roomers.'' ~
1t is probable that mass meeting will
be called for next Sunday to make public
protest against the measure.
Not the Philippines.
DR.. Martha S. Ripley could scarcely re-
strain her indignation when talking Of
the matter to-day.
@"This isn't the Philippines she said,
and DR.. Ames will find it out before he
gets through. We don't propose to have
our boys contaminated and ruined by this
shameless system, which has been tried
under far better auspices in many cities,
especially of Europe, only to be aban-
! doned as worse than useless. We shall
hold a public meeting-probabiy next
Sunday afternoon in the Lyceum theater
if we can get it-that will bring down
such storm about the ears fthis man
that he wish he had never been born.
IT know there are some good men in
this town and they will never submit to
this infamy. 1t is their fight as much as
it is that of the decent women. All de-
cent people without regard to sex or reli-
gion, will unite in the campaign against
Ames and his system"