The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-31
SHERIFF'S HOT SHOT
SOMMER TELLS OF VICE IN
NEWARK.
Aroused by Question at Orange Cam
paign Meeting, He Defends His
Various Crusades.

Sherin Frank II. SOmmor mace d speSOh
on his vice and gambling crusades that was
the feature Of the Orange campaign and
reused a meeting that was dull and
apathetic up to the time he rose to speak
iuto a frenzy OF enthusiasm. The Sheriff
had his attention called to the failure OF
the court to sentence William II. Gaines,
. negro, Of this city, who pleaded guilty
10 running a disorderly house here and
then went on the stump for the Repfb,
lieat Ticket, by a ilni who said he .idi
been sent 10 the meeting 10 get an answer
from the Sheriff on the affair, and the III
ference was SO plain that the Sheriff was
In collision with the politicians to save
Gaines that Sommer gave an answer. dls.
closing evil conditions in this city, that
provoked a sensation and stlenced his IN
quisitor.
THAT liz absolutely true said the Sheriff
rs he discussed the statement that the coii-
victed man had been on the stump, but
be has not been speaking lately. When
the matter was chilled to my attention l
made my sentiments known and be was
Immediately removed from the list OF
speakers. Why he was not sentenced In
the court with the others l do not know,
but ] know the Court of Common Pleas, and
exact Justice Will BIO dealt out to him just
as has been done to every one who has
been presented at our criminal bar"
Then turning to the man who had cate
chised him the Sheriff bristled up, and
taking q table from In front of him so he
could get better foot space he started off
with n revelation OF the inside work of
his Office and he called a spade a spade.
My friend, you have raised the moral
Issue and / intend to tell you men OF my
Stewardship as your Sheriff liz Essex Coun-
". To any man who puts a proposition
up TO me-, intimatlng by so doing that |
am trying to stand ~ with the politicians,
my answer Is that what ] have done hos
been done against the wishes of the poll
ficlans. i caple 70 office III Essex County
rs a result of just such a campaign. |
told the people exactly where l stood ana
I said to you people In Orange that If you
wanted an official WHO would rio his solemn
and sworn duty. then cast your ballot for
ne, and If you did not want such a Sheriff
then vote for someone else. You gave NE
your answer and the story since then has
been the attempt upon the part of a public
official to be true to the pledges made In Il
political campaign.
IF any man was fooled it was not my
fault. But the flowers sent me when l
took office were scarcely withered when a
man caIne to me to have something done.
I told him | would not do 1t, and he said
sheriffs always had done the same thing,
and then ! reminded him of my promises
TO the people. His reply was. oh, hell,
who believed your ] am not responsible
for mistakes of thai kind
Now. / hope, many of you are fathers
OF boys and girls. l am, and when l got
TO my work in Newark 1 found houses of
a certain description that some of you may
think are necessary social evils. But these
places were not of the general character
you have in mind, and some places were
so vile that none but the most depraved
could imagine what awful resorts they
were. I stamped them out with the as
sistance of the prosecutor and the courts.
/ thank my Maker that these places were
found out who were operating them. l
found in New York as vile q combine as
ever existed and which for filthy lucre
dealt In the souls of women. Girls from
the east side we're seized and dragged
from their homes. and the tenacles of this
monster of vice extended to our fair city
of Newark. and In one instance did enter
n respectable home and seize upon a poor
lass. / nave tried, with the aid of officials
in New York, to deal that combine what
l consider its death blow. I wanted to
know how one house was permitted to
exist In Newark and another was stamped
out and / learned that the vice trust was
enabled to make a combine with police In
Newark.
THANK God, the police were not the men
who patroiled the street. but men higher
up, and they are no longer In the depart
nlent. I found tint these police had madn
q deal with the vicious agents whereby n
certain price was exacted on the opening
of q house, and then. for a certain sum
monthly. chese people had a chance to
desecrate. if they saw fit, your lass and
Now. do you think that in all tina work
I had the assistance Of the politicians of
the ward heller tyre? No; they gave 1t
me in the neck every chance they got.
do you think politics entered into my
work. or do you think any politician seek
ing to protect the men who were running
these places, or the men who protected
them. found favor with me7 I don't think
YOU do. and I don't think, as that man
does who asked me the question, that l
am going to start on that tack now.
Now about cocaine. If you don't know
the evil of the Illegal use of that drug, 1
hope you never will. II you saw your boy
come nome at night exhilarated unduiv.
and paid no attention to him, it would be
repeated, and then YOU would see the
checks sinking, the eyeballs dilated. md
I hope YOU may never wake up to the fact
that a fend hns been at work on that lad.
The only result will be placing him In nm
II found in the heart of Newark a gang
ready to give your boy or girl that deadly
srug. And we found a hundred lads and
less girls suffering from the drug habit.
We put some unde arrest and some of
gou may have thought we were acting
barshly, But we arraigned the ringleaders
10 court and sent them where they will do
no harm for some time TO come. With
lhe young victims we considered every
Individual case and sent for their parents
and friends. and the clergyman or priest
where. they had a regular parish, and
Influence. Then we put them in charge
Df your friend and mine. Probation Officer
6ascoyne. and sent them on to the destiny
which God Almighty had planned for
them. Interesting the politicians then did
no good, and 1t is too late now for me to
listen to the wlles of politicians, no matter
NII4I fllb NaiAAG " W
Gamblers were put out of business. And
I want to say to you that not a single
gambling establishment was put out of
business but that II you went there to
MAY you would have had no run for your
money. The cards were marked and
against you. We may differ as to the en-
eorcement of the laws against gambling
(where there Is the law. that Is enough
for mel, but there Is not a man that does
not believe that when he wants to gamble
ne Is entitled to a fair chance.
Nov about policy, and you know some
thing about that in Orange. 1 will say
that II / had 10 1 would do the work of
getting after these fellows again gladly,
IL It We're necessary. 1t is the meanest
and lowest form of gaming that l know
Of. These policy men would take the last
ten cents a woman had earned by wash
Ing, and he would know she had no chance
because the game was right In his hands.
Handbook men? You know something
about them In Orange, toe. laws have
ito be enforced and a man must believe
When Gutenberg and other winter racing
reused the people of this state. you put
IN the Constitution so that It could not be
~altered-that the penalty the statute ixed
could never be altered. You meant 1t when
YOU did. or you made another mistake
when you elected me Sheriff.
NOW. ] am in no wise responsible for
the situation my friend has brought up,
and have not been moved in that matter,
nor In any other, by partisan politics. ]
Intend TO go ahead and finish my term OF
Mason "a good man, and he's 4 Democrat,
tool, and stay on the job till my term ex-
The conclusion of the Sheriff's statement