Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-11

right to refuse license TO any applicant
even when no complaint is made. whsn
the police commission knows that a resort
Is patronized altogether by the vicious az
all classes and colors. its plain duty Is
TO refuse TO grant the license. Il should
not compel any citizen TO come in and
complain because complaint necessarily
implies knowledge OF the fact for few
people want to say that they have been
visiting such resorts and mngling with
their habitues.
1t il a matter Of general notoricty, how
ever, that a dozen such resorts are in full
blast in the Third ward Two Of these
are conducted for the especial benefit OF
the coored people. When l called the at.
tention of one Of the police commissioners
recently to the horrible condition Of the
Midway, he said: THE negroes have got
to have saloons as we'll as the white folks
They cannot get along without liquor
and why shouldn't they have a saloon for
themselves" said, do not see any
reason why they should not. Negroes have
exactly the same right to drink liquor as
other people, but is 1t necessary to plant
negro saloon in the very heart Of the
burnt district? Is ii necessary that the
worst characters of white men and women
should congregate in these places and in
dulge in all the criminal vices OF the cal
endar? Is II necessary that our police
court should be kept busy day in and day
out with lawbreakers who congregate IN
these places? II negro saloons must be
had, why should they not be located IN
another part Of the city? Is it necessary
TO maintain hell-holes in the Third ward,
black and white, where all the criminal
vices are exhibited in their most repulslve
form2
Liquor and Social Evil.
Concede that social vice is to be toll
Grated. Why should We permit the liquor
traftic in conjunction with It? They saw
that we cannot separate the liquor traffic
from the social evil. There IL no truth
in that, however. IL can be done and
has been done and is being done in other
cities. There is no reason why the liquor
trafic should be licensed in the pro-
scribed district. The answer has been:
I'VE are told that we must have mouse
traps. We must have places where the
police will know that crooks and foot
pads who come to Omaha will surely con-
gregate so that they can keep their eye
on them and catch them in the mouse
trap better than in any other place"
Well, l am against mouse traps alto
gether, and IL had my way Mayor Moores
would have suppressed those mouse traps
long ago. The next mayor Of Omaha
should be committed against mouse traps
There will be no trouble then about catch
ing those fellows that come here to hold
up people. When any of these crooks
come from another place or locality, the
very first thing they go to is the saloon
in the district. There they find out who
would go their bail in case they got into
trouble, then they fix up their pull and
begin to operate on the people.
BrOatch and His Record.
I presume you want me to give you a
few other reasons why believe Mr.
Broatch ought not to be nominated or
elected mayor. Mr.. Broatch served the
people OF Omaha so badly that they do
not want him again. The first time he
came in on his good behavior, but when
he got there the people did not want him
again. He had violated more pledges or
rather had more unredeemed pledges than
all the pawnshops in town. Laughter) He
had pledged everything and kept faith with
nobody. He is pursuing the same course
now. at
Ten years ago he managed to work him
self back on the anti-Catholic wave. The
A. r, AS. were bound to Danish the Cath
olics from public ONCE and in that wav
he got in. Whether he was really elected
or not 1 never yet have been satisfied.
His second term, like his first, was dis
tinguished by breach of faith with his
constituents. His last act as mayor dur
ing the first term was to order a Judgment
confessed against the city for a gas claim
that amounted to $4,000 and costs, which
could have been defeated readily in the
courts. He closed his second term by
signing an electric light contract between
two days at an exorbitant price