The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1906-11-17
ARE UP AGAINST IT
PROPER
ELKO COUNTY GRAND JURY GO
AFTER COUNTY OFFICERS
Find Sheriff and Otners Are Not En-.
forcing the Law and Demand
That in the Future the Laws
Be Enforced

ko county resulted in some startling
disclosures, in which the county clerk
and sheriff have not obeyed the laws OF
the state. A portion of the finding of
the Elko grand jury is as follows:
Attention of the grand jury has been
called to the immoral conditions of the
part of the town known as the red
light district, and some of the places
the inhabitants thereof frequent; min
ors on the testimony given us, frequent
the houses and saloons, and liquor is
sold to them. The conditions are a men
Two of the saloons especially have been
noted by us. The attention of the pro-
per authorities was today cited to some
of these acts, but the commissioners
decline to accept except upon com
plant and petition signed by ten per
cent of the free holders of the dis
trict, which is a violation Of section
1, chapter 55, statutes of 1908.
1t will be seen from the foregoing
that the people of Elko have remedy
in their hands. The conditions could
not well be worse. We would suggest
that all saloons that permit women and
boys and men to lounge and drink
therein should have their licenses re-
voked.
Attention has also been called to the
collection of licenses by the sheriff and
his deputy. Our laws provide that
every one doing certain kinds Of bust
ness is required to pay license to the
sheriff, and the statutes say when and
in what manner this shall be done. In
the case of ordinary licenses blanks
signed and filed out by the auditor
may be had by the sheriff. In the case
of gambling licenses the application
thereof is required to be made to the
sheriff, and description of the room
in which the game is to be carried on
filed with the county clerk. The audit
or is required to fill out the license N
detail and keep a stub reciting all the
facts on the license. and deliver to the
sheriff who must collect.
County commissioners are required
to withhold all bills of the sheriff until
his license account is collected.
We have examined as many of our
citizens as our time woud permit and
obtained practically the same informa-
tion from all of them. We saw no use
to carry the inquiry any further. Our
examination results in the following
conditions: No description of the gam
bling rooms have been filed with the
county clerk, no blame for this attaches
to the clerk, but no license should be
issued until such description is filed.
The county auditor has not, upon the
admission of the sheriff and his deputy
filed out any of the gambling licensese,
nor kept stub as required by law, al
though repeatedly notified Of the law
and his duty. The sheriff has not
collected licenses for all the games
played, nor for all retail liquor licenses
although fully cognizant that the laws
were not being obeyed, as he admits
The sheriff states that he has been
following a custom of many years an
while he knew he was not acting ac
cording to law he felt justified in the
record of the past. There is no ques
tion of the disregard of the law. 1t has
been freely admitted by many witness
es. We have carefully considered al
these facts in all it's forms, and while
we might have brought indictments
against the offenders, we feel convinc
ed the best results may be attained BY
a full and complete recital Of thes'
matters rather than by indictment, be
lieving that much has been done In ig
norance and much is due to public opin
ion. The auditor is i'll, and has not beer
seen by us, but the grand jury has ad
monished the sheriff and deputy u
these errors, and they have promised t.
fully observe the laws in the future
We have suggested to the sheriff tha
he can enforce the gaming laws by th'
arrest and prosecution of the first per
son who hereafter conducts an unli
censed game under the sections quote'
above. The grand jury cannot fore
any officer or citizen to take any step
but 1t can admonish and caution them