The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-27

Corporation Attorney James c. Mi
chael, at the Democratic mass meeting
at st. Francis hall, James and Warsaw
streets, last night made vigorous re-
ply to the attacks recently made by
several of the ministers of the city
upon the police administration of ST.
Paul.
In his speech Mr.. Michael took up
the charges made and replied to them
in detail. He covered the ground very
thoroughly, and showed that there was
no such thing as public gambling, in
the sense the term is usually employed,
but his speech in the main was a
sweeping comparison of conditions in
st. Paul as they existed under the last
Republican administra ton, that of Col.
A. r. Kiefer, with those of the pres
ent.
He showed from the records that.
| outside of the so-called redlight dis
trict, there were in Kiefer's time 1853
low women paying licenses to the city;
that there were fifteen cigar stores, in
reality brothels, whose owners paid
fines into the city treasury and that
there were twenty three hotels whose
proprietors hid under the cloak of the
law by paying liberal fines to the city
administration, and whose inmates in
tested the streets at all hours
He then turned his attention to pres
ent conditions, and declared that no
more orderly and we'll policed city ex-
lists on the continent than ST. Paul;
that security of person and property
is as nearly absolute as is possible to
maintain.
Mr.. Michael was frequently inter-
rupted by applause at telling points in
his address, and his truthful and ju-
dicial presentation of conditions then
and now made a deep impression on
the audience. He said in part:
Michael Answers Charues.
1T has recently been charged from one
of the pulpits of the city, in effect that
disorder. immortality and vice, consisting
of public gambling and the social evil
flourish to an unwarranted extent in the
city and without attempt at restraint by
the police authorities.
"A charge of such seriousness coming
from so respectable a source. should COM
mand fair and frank consideration.
In the first place, that such a thing
as public gambling, in the common ac-
ceptance of the term, exists, l deny.
There has never been permitted to exist
under this administration those dens of
iniquity where card sharpers and conf
young
and unsophisticated out of their money,
by means no less reprehensible than high
way robbery. The existence of any such
place is always accompanied by public
disorder, and such q trail of distress as
to become nOtoriOuS-So much so, that
the first knowledge of its existence does
not await discovery as an aid to the ex-
igencleS OF q political campaign.
Absence of Complaints.
1.-THE absence of any complaints of their
IN o. a Y G no owl
dence that no such places exist. Parties
may. and doubtless do, meet occasionally
at various places for social games at
cards. The police department. no more
than the churches, can prevent this. Each
citizen is the guardian of his own morals
in this respect.
Secondly as to the social evil. Those
who criticise present conditions in this
city doubtless know, If they would but
stop to consider, that only approximate
results can be attained in controlling and
localizing this evil-its suppression is i'm
SThe best minds Of all ages have
Wrestled with the problem of controlling
and subduing the vices and passions Of
''The clergy of all denominations have
preached Christianity and morality from
a world wide pulpit for nineteen hundred
years They have accomplished untold
good and have cleansed modern society
of many of the former gross and shock
ing displays of vice, but the same pas
siOnS and vices are ever with US, and in
too many instances now travel in the
garb Of refinement and culture, and will
ever exist as long as men and women
are born.
LocaIize the Resorts.
GAS a problem of municipal government
experience in all cities has demonstrated
that the only efficient method of dealing
with this evil is to localize the resorts
in some isolated portion Of the city, and
subject them to strict police surveillance
Excellence in municipal government is
relative term, and it is only by select
ing some particular administration as
standard that we can illustrate by COM
parison.
Now, to do this, suppose we take the
last Republican administration under
Mayor Kiefer, which ended in June, 1900
as basis for comparison, and see how
this evil was then regulated and with
what results.
Il hold in my hand book, kept in the
handwriting of the desk lieutenant at pO-
lice headquarters, under Mayor Kiefer,
which for the year 1899 shows some
what remarkable state of affairs.
Outside of the so-called red-light dis
trict, which was never before so popu-
lous, this book shows that 1853 low wom
en-, styled roomers, were in the center of
the business district, and operating under
a license by paying SIS each every three
months. Any person who then resided
here does not need to be told that most
If not all, of these creatures were openly
and VIGOROUSLY soliciting on the public
streets every night, without police inter-
ference, to say nothing of many favor
ties who were not required to pay the
license, and whose names do not appear
in the book.
Still More Comparisons.
"The book also shows that fifteen cigar
stores were run by the same class, who
paid a license of $25 every three months
Most of these places were run by wom-
en- who came from Chicago and Kansas
City, and were Of the most depraved and
diSsolute character.
1.-The rear of the stores kept by these
women were dens of immortality and
gambling and they served as fences for
all kinds of thieves burglars and Grim
inals, with whom the city abounded. 1t
was then indeed veritable city of refuge
for all classes of offenders known to the
catalogue of crime.
The book also shows that twenty three
hotels and lodging houses were licensed
as places Of ill-fame by paying $25 every
three months. This was the browning
shame of the already long list
MEN and women of limited means who
frequent moderate priced hotels for board
and lodging, We're ignorantly introduced
into the foulest type Of designation
houses Think of housing your wife and
children in such a place,