Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-18
DOUBTS WISDOM
OF RESOLUTIONS
BURDETTE SEES ADVANTAGE
IN SEGREGATION
But Few Members Of Temple Baptist
Congregation Vote to Close Cribs,
Though Prohibition Union
FaVors Il

The Los Angeles church federation
which is attempting to keep the crit
district closed, received a severe tolt
at the Temple Baptist church yester.
day morning, when DR.. Robert j
Burdette came out openly in favor OF
segregating the moral lepers" in the
lower part Of the city
The stand was taken following the
reading of a set of resolutions from
| the church federation calling upon the
city officials to rigidly enforce the
present laws against the cribs A coDy
of these resolutions had been sent tc
every church of the federation yester-
day morning with the request that the
congregation approve of them and send
signed petition to that effect to May
or Harper. At the Temple church, at
least, the plan faded away into thin
air. OF an audience of almost 250C
scarcely hundred voted at all, and
of these score were opposed to the
resolutions.
The Resolutions
The resolutions drawn up by the fed
Grafton are as follows:
Whereas, the daily press has in
formed us that the crib district is to
be reopened and the statement has
been confirmed by trustworthy investi-
cation; and
Whereas, to permit the reopening
of this moral plague spot would jeop-
ardize the purity and chastity Of our
sons and daughters and destroy their
integrity and character; and
Whereas, to permit the reopening Of
said district after having once driven
1t out of existence would be to adver-
tise to the world our moral decadence
as we'll as our inability to cope with
the powers Of .iniquity; and
Whereas, for our mayor and city
officials to fail to exhaust every au-
thority within their power to suppress
this crime would be to fail to measure
up to the duty Of their oaths of Of
fee; therefore, be it
Resolved, that this church and con-
gregation hereby express its most en-
phatic protest against the reopening OF
the crib district; and be 1t further ,
Resolved, that we demand that the
mayor and police authorities shall Inn
mediately notify all owners, lessees and
occupants Of all premises used for i'm
moral purposes that the law now upon
the statute books will be rigldly and
impartially enforced by them"
Only seatters Women
A pause followed the reading Of the
resolutions and before DR.. Burdette put
the question before his congregation for
the vote said:
1T cannot bring this subject UP before
my people without being honest with
myself and them. This Ia q problem
that has vexed civilization for thou.
sands Of years, and 1t seems will con.
tinue to bother us. We closed these
places where all these fallen womer
were segregated several years ago, anc
1t has been question in my mind ever
since as to whether we pursued the
wisest course When we drove then
out Of their haunts have never beer
satisfied that they all became pure
sweet women and settled down in life
nor am I satisfied that they all lef
this city for other towns. fear very
much that by far the greater number
stayed here and scattered around II
the various rooming houses and hotels
"It is a question In my mind as Il
whether scattering an evil destroys 1t
I sometimes wonder whether to have {
place watched by the police who know
every man that goes in isn't perhaps
better thing than scattering them II
the residence districts.
What Police Think
"In my talk, with the police and plaii
| clothes men their testimony proves tha
when we closed the red-light distric
| before the women scattered to the ho
tells, rooming houses and lodginl
places, and instead of little area tina
could be watched easily they are nov
all over the city.
1T did not want to bring this resolu
tion before you without expressing m!
frank opinion of it. The resolution 4
against segregating this evil in one lit
tie tiny spot of this great city, unde
strict police surveillance and under
conditions that would be infinitely bet
ter for the city than the present way
with these women even in the mos
fashionable residence districts"
Although the vote that followe,
showed a majority of those voting IL
favor of the resolutions a protest cam
from the audience against putting $50
! people on record as being in favor o
what scarcely two per cent approved
At Prohibition Union
At a meeting of the Prohibition uniol
in Symphony hall yesterday afternoon
the assemblage adopted the resolution
with wild enthusiasm. The union hat
| appointed a committee to investigat
the rumored opening of the cribs ant
at the meeting yesterday Afternoon
Fred f. Wheeler, the chairman, report
ed on what the committee had done. H
said that they had gone to Mayor Har
per and he had received them cour
| teously and had listened to their ar
guments attentively. Extracts iron
the daily press to the effect that Mayo
Harper and the police commission ma,
refused to give permission to reopel
| the cribs were also read.
"Your committee" said the chair
man, visited the Tenderloin last nigh
and found that while the crib distric
was not open, disreputable houses wer
drance and were being visited b,
thousands of young men and boys
This is clearly violation of the law.
Wiley j. Phillips, editor of the Cali
fornia Voice, who led the crusad
against the cribs two years ago, is on