The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-03
Indianapolis Reporter Re-
sponsible for Agitation of
Hammond's Morals.
RAISES ALL THE HUE
Question Means Much to Hanly-In
Mean Time, Lake County
Pursues Even Course.

Hammond hears very little about
that word lid" either pro or con. un-
less some "stan correspondent" rep
resenting some indianapolis paper
comes strolling up this way. If it
weren't for the stan correspondents"
OF indianapolis and few space taxi
ers who occasionally sell things TO the
Chicago papers. we would hardly know
what has happened or what is about to
happen next in Hammond.
indianapolis takes the same interest
In Hammond that Chicago takes IN the
levee. When STAFF correspondent is
ordered to pack his pale gray telescope
and make a sortie into Lake county.
he arranges his AFFAIRS so that they
can get along without him IN case he
never returns. bids his folks possibly
long farewell, hooks on his blue hard
ware and--to take his word for it.
takes chance.
He knows what he is going after
when he starts out for it. He is sat
urated with the BELIEF that he is taxi
ing a head-long plunge into the tough
est tank in Christendon and that he
must keep HIS sloueh hat pulled 1toxus1
over his eyes in order to keep inviolate
his incognito. He knows that in Ham,
mond he will be approaching danger
ously close to wicked Chicago and that
he must guard against being kidnapped
The Hammond ud.9 off or on. is a
fearsome thing to the staff CORES
pondent." 1t has mainly to do with
the making or unmaking of Governor
j. Frank Hanly. The Hammond lid is
the dominant issue in Indiana politics.
At least It butts into the Indianapolis
front page pictures more often than
anything else.
Just now we are informed by a staff
| correspondent of the Indianapolis
Morning Star that the Hammond lid Is
off. The wind has been pretty high Of
late, but nobody hereabouts has seen
the Hammond lid blowing down the
street However. If the staff cores
pondent of the Indianapolis Morning
Star says it's off, its off and that settles
it.
The lid is off in Hammond" says
the staff correspondent. 1T was not
blown off by any spontaneous uprising
of saloon men. gamblers, or dive keep
ers, who have been exceedingly rest
! less for the last year, but was ordered
off by a republican board of police
commissioners appointed by Governor
Hanly for the express purpose of keep
ing it screwed down tight"
When anybody in the state wants 70
take a wallop at Governor Hanly
Hammond must be brought face to face
with It's iniquities, real or alleged, ac-
- rf 81. f,,
spired staff correspondent.
According to him local sentiment is
overwhelmingly against the lid" and
he sets about finding out why this is
so.
He says:
In an effort to find reason for the
present sentiment IN Hammond that
favors wide open town. the Star cor
respondent questioned number OF re-
putabIe business and professional men.
The answer OF one prominent mer-
chant was typical.
IF we didn't have West Hammond
to contend with we might be in favor
: OF a strict enforcement Of the liquor
: laws here in Hammond, he said. But
2 West Hammond is in Illinois and there
, they never heard OF the lid Con Tai
ty, who owns several saloons and
P. dives. IS boss over there, anC through
2 mis- influence with the politicians in
Chicago he keeps everything wide
: open.
Now, when the lid was put on
D here in Hammond by Governor Hanly
f and our saloons Were forced to obey
0 the law TO the letter Hammond people
$ on Sundays took their money and went
j over to West Hammond and spent it
r with the saloons near there. And the
e big population living near Hammond
: that had been coming here to trade quit
n coming.
I The result was that Hammond was
a dead town and every merchant, pro-
fessional man, restaurant and hotel
). keeper began at once 70 feel the effects
and the lid policy was unpopular with
d nine-tenths of the people. 1t must be
r remembered that Hammond is almost
as cosmopolitan as Chicago. and the
overwhelming foreign element here
n must have it's beer
: The present population of Hammond
: is estimated at about 1900 and. ac-
e cording to police statistics. there are in
the nefghborhood OF 100 saloons.
: These saloons are doing fourishing
n business. Hundreds or dollars are
IS spent every dag and the carousing con-
ltinues invariable until after midnight