The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-09-12
Decent Citizens of West
Hammond in Mass Meet
ing Help Uplift.
fINNERANS PLAIN TALK
MAX and Markham scored for Abetting
the Town Curse-BrOther Calls
Attention TO Insincerity.

AYou, the people of West Hammond
nre to blame for that disgrace 10 our
village, whisky Row. You have only
xoer.eIves to blame because your
wives aud daughters are daily insulted
on the main street of thss town. You,
the voters of this village, are alone TO
blame for the fact that the snenking
scoundreI. Markham, the village at
torney, who Is the power behind Max
has permitted these dives to exist. You
are 40 blame for the fact that you new
have men In Office who are trying TO
compel me to pay them nearly $4,000
In spoiIs j am glad TO know that at
last you have been aroused by the in
tolernbIe conditions which have
bYought our village into dIsrepute, but
a hundred mass meetings like this will
be OF no avail unless you are pre-
pared to go before your city officials
demand a change and back up TINT
demand by your vote on election day
which is not far away"
This Is an extract from the speech
of Martin Finueran, the village clerk
and was the keynote of the mass meet
ing that was held at Blissmefs hall
in west Hammond last night.
The meeting was called by Herman
Rohlon at the instigation Of his
friends and neighbors, who realized
tint sofn Trims must Ds aone to RI lire
village of its dumps and again make
1t a place where a respectable person
could live without being insulted by
the habitues of the dives.
Asked to Revoke Licenses.
Mr.. Rohloff got up a petition in
which the trustees of the village were
asked to revoke the licenses of the
dive Keepers and take any other meas
ure that may be necessary to rid the
CITY of these places of i'll fame. He
readily secured over three hundred
names on the petition and encouraged
nv the strong sentiment that he found
against Markham. Max and the dive
keepers he determined TO call mass
meeting at which some plan of action
could be determined upon.
Edward Schettler. an attorney, who
lives In West Hammond on State Line
street. was elected chairman of the
meeting and Richard Lahman was
elected secretary. Mr.. Schottler brief
" explained the object of the meeting
and then introduced Herman Rohloffe
as the first speaker. Mr.. Rohloff made
no attempt to make a set speech, be-
ing man Of action rather than words,
but he told of the insults to his wife
and children and said that If the peo-
ple would only act they could put
the nfaces out OF business in a month.
George Lawton spoke of the places as
an evesore William Kerber spoke in
oh va IN IL
applauded Henry Kirehseeper said
that a Ben Hur lodge had been started
bat that the women could not go to
the meetings on account of the dives.
James Finneran injected a little fun
into the meeting when he got up and
saia he hated like HI to see one
or the speakers get up and talk about
these places when you could see his
WAGON in front of one of the houses
almost any time of the day"
II was some time before the uproar
that followed ceased and order was
restored, but the speakers that follow
ed impressed upon their hearers the
Importance of considering the matter
seriously.
Children "VVant to Know"
Henry Martens told that recently
when he was passing one of those
places with his little boy, the child ask
cd "what those women were doing in
there smoking cigarettes" He SAID
that those little fellows hear the music
and are curious to know more thar
they ought of those things. Adolpt
Small was followed by Martin Fin
neran. Henry Wleklinski. one of the
trustees of the village. said that he be-
Heved that at a cost Of so cents tc
each man the town could be rio Of 1t:
dives. but that he would he Wi 8 tC
nav $40 to see the joints out here
A committee was appointed pre-
sent the petition to the truste a:
soon as more signatures had bee Sc
cured and Chairman Schottler appoint-
ed Mr.. Rohloff Mr.. Liszcynsh and Mr.
Kerber
The meeting will be productive Of
much good. Public sentiment is now
so strong that nothing can stop tn.
men who have this job of house clean
ing in hand until the village of Wes
Hammond is swept clean of every dive
and the coterie of politicians who
have looked upon their Offices as mere
~ an opportunity for graft are ousted
There will be an election in a few
more months and it is safe to say
that after it is over Markham anC
Max will no longer be a factor in poll
tics in West Hammond.