Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-16
Lrr Us % aorrsr VIM oUasrLvas

LhA ~ 81 hoNeaI WITH
In defining his position on the market
house General Henderson goes clear out
Of his way e levamp the "welI-denned
rumors7 which had been exploded BY
the recent grand jury and seeks to create
the Impression that tolerated lawless
ness and vice are more rampant IN
Omaha than they have ever been in the
history of this community. going 20
far as to demand the strict enforcement
Of every law and ordinance on the
statute books.
Let us be candid and honest with our
selves. Twenty years ago. when Omaha
had not exceeding $4,000 population,
James b. Boyd was mayor and Charles
+. Henderson was his city attorney.
The town was a good deal more wide
open then than II IL now. The social
evil which exists IN every city existed
here then as now. only with this differ
ence, that proportional to population
there were ten women plying their out
lawed vocation to one at the present
day. There are today no open gambling
houses In Omaha, although gambling
may be carried on behind closed doors
and by the surreptitious sale OF lottery
tickets. But where one professional gam
bier operates ID this city under cover. ten
gamblers were then fourlshing In
Omaha without cover OF p~retense Of dis
guise. There is no record so far as We
know that the mayor or city attorney
Of those days took any steps to suppress
gambling or prostitution in the courts.
From Boyd to Moores the change in
the suppression of vice and Iicentious-
ness has been for the better rather than
for the worse. Under Broatch the burnt
district was allowed to burn. and the
chips, red, white and blue, had free and
unlimited coinage at 10 to / Of the
present day. The sale Of lottery tickets
Louisiana, Havana, Honduras and
Mexico-was p-romiscnously carried on
without let or hindrance and no word of
protest zane from people who have only
recently discovered how awfully wicked
Omaha has become. Under Bemis the
council, against the protest Of The Bee,
passed an ordinance designed to license
open gambling and the sheriff OF Doug
las county wen furnished safe conduct
for prisoners to the gambling houses.
In its EFFORT to break up these corrupt
and lawIess practices The bee received
little encouragement from those people
who now profess to be shocked by ru-
mors which have not been sub~stanrated.
AS a lawyer General Henderson surely
knows that the bedrock Of eli these evils
Is the greed of owners Of buildings who
rent their premises to the vicious
and lawless classes. It is not for
the mayor. to prosecute the own
ers, hut Tor the county prosecutor
and sheriff, yet II these oflcers
should try to do their fun duty
there WouIdlbe a sensation in social high
life ak4MhiB as in@po1itical lcircless Men
way up In politics and in business do
not seem to hesitate to take the money
Of the proscribed elements 80 long as It
comes In the shape Of exorbitant rents.
But II General Manderson is really in
earnest about the regeneration OF
Omaha, the remedy Is within his reach.
A majority Of the new Mercer-B roatch
police commission are certainly only too
anxious to follow out his wishes and
suggestions. aud If Omaha shall be
afHicted with any more w~ickedness
hereafter. the people who desire the sup
preston OF vicious lawlessness win
know where to locate the responsibility.