The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-11-14

The petition circulated some time
ago by the w. C. T. u, asking for
the removal of the redlight district
were presented to the city council last
night by Mrs. j. B. Sinclair, backed
by strong delegation of ladies ana
gentlemen.
The petitions contained 731 sigma
lures, 1852 of which were men and the
remainder women. The committee
in charge appeared on the scene just
as the council commenced the regular
business, and Mayor Logan asked
that the regular order OF business be
suspended and the question of petit
lions be taken up. There was no OBJ
lection on the part of the aldermen,
and Mrs. Sinclair handing the petition
to the clerk, asked to be allowed to
make a few remarks, stating also
that Rev. McVey Fisher and Mr.
Avery wished to talk on the subject
Permission was granted and Mrs. Sin
clair spoke briefly On the subject be-
fore the meeting. She said that as
the w. @. T. U. stood for social pur
| ity, they had been asked to take up
the work of circulating the petitions,
and while it was not pleasant by any
means, the ladies had agreed to do
So. AS it was not the wish of the
circuators to embarrass the council
or give the movement a political as
| ho1 oh
! scented until after election She
closed by urging the mayor and coun-
Gil on behalf of the wives and moth
ers of the city, especially on the west
side, to carefully consider the matter
and try and reach SINE decision
whereby the menace to the morals
of the city could be averted.
Rev. Fisher Followed and expressed
his sympathy for the movement, and
hoped that some action would be
taken whereby the insults, intentional
and unintentional, received by the
wives and daughters of the residents
of the west side, while crossing Sec
ond avenue west, would cease. Prop
erty on the west side, he said, was de-
preciated in value because of the
bawdy houses being located where
they were, and he did not think it just
that, while the residents of that side
of town were taxed just as much as
the east siders, their property did
not have the same value in market.
He also spoke of his desire that the
great political party that put Mr.. Lo-
gan in the chair would have the
credit for having man in, power who
would enforce the laws and aid n
social purity.
At the close of Mr.. Fishers re-
marks, Mr.. Avery arose and at once
got to the point and spoke of the
folly and nonsense of spending thous
ands of dollars for educational pur
poses, while the children going to and
from school learn more wickedness
than the money for schools can learn
them of good. He said that if there
was any financial, legislative or any
other reason why the inhabitants OF
the bawdy houses should be allowed
to remain where they are, he would
not have a word to say, and asked
the council to show him, as in this
instance he certainly was from Mis-
: souri, and would have to be shown
+ He said the people had elected Mr.
f Logan as mayor, and the different
: councilmen, and that they most Ger
q tainly expected them to enforce the
Y laws upon the statute books and tx
> live up to them.
He said that he wanted to bring
up his children to obey the laws, bu
n how could he do it while there were
e laws that the people who had powe'
t to enforce them failed to do so ant
) openly connived at their breaking.
y After Mr.. Avery had closed Mr.
e Logan asked Mr.. Fisher if he had an!
e suggestions to make, where the red
+ lighters should be located if the!
n were removed from their present 10
cation. Mr.. Fisher did not think i
necessary for the city to find loca
ton, and gave the opinion that tn
u petitions were not for that object
3 but were signed for the upholding o
} the law. He realized that the coun
D. ell had a hard proposition to solve
l. but thought they should come to SOM
G. satisfactory conclusion. Mr.. Aver!
suggested that limit be establishes