Arizona republican., 1907-01-11


 s ready solved. The bonds Of the city which fell to sixty after the storm, ar, now worth more than par. The credi . of Galveston-city and country-wa. never so good before. And the city i' 7 protected forever by the huge sea wal 7 -four and a half miles long and sev- ; enteen feet above the level of the Gull -one of the greatest engineering work. of modern times.
 CLEANING UP AN OPEN TOWN. So much for finance Now for the
 general government of the city; and
 first of all its moral regulation. This
 was no fortnight's task. Galveston lies
 at the meeting place of two frontiers
 the far bounds of the land and sea
 For half a century the folk of both
 have met at this border and swaped
 sins. Out of the sea came the reckless
 sailors; off the land the hordes of wild
 excursionists, down for big Sundays
 full of the joy of life after the dun
 coloIed monotony of the up-country I farm. Galveston was certainly an "open" town. There were writers for the policy shops on half the corner groceries and barbeF-shops in the city, | teasing for the nickles of the negro
 and the child. Every afternoon the two or three headquarters held their draw
 ings. It was a primary department in gambling for the children of the place
 and the average colored servant sent
 to market with money could safely be expected to filch a part of it for the lottery. There were a dozen public gambling houses in full blast: there were several variety shows so-called, as nasty holes as the barbarian of modern cities sustains: and a great number of unregulated saloons. open wide, and charitable as the gates of Hell. seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.
 There was no systematic tax on vice i during the worst days of the Galveston government The saloon keepers were well represented on the board of alder men. Both they and the gamblers con- tributed toward election expenses. Va riOus members of the police force oc- lcasionally borrowed" money from the liquor dealers on their beats. but there was no organized grating. There was no occasion for it. The laws were loose, and public sentiment was low In no Southern city can public senti- ment be considered really prudish. The young man must have his fling. and the town is kept open for him. In Calves ton it was well recognized that one Of the principal sources of the city's in come was amusement. and Sunday amusement at that This could not and can not be avoided. The business sen timent of the city was very tender against giving Galveston the reputa- tion of a "closed'' town. It is yet, and Galveston is now no home of the saints. But the improvement has been striking. nevertheless It has been more striking, indeed, because of this fact.
 The Commission moved early against variety shows and their dance halls. and soon made it impossible for them to conduct business They then took up the better regulation of the saloons. These were compelled from the first to obey the regulations for keeping clean ! and orderly places. Later it was de- cided they must close at midnight and l this ordinance has been strictly en- forced. The last matters to be attend 1 ed to were the policy shop and gam | bling-house. These institutions had | been fixture for years. but they had | become unbearable, even from the tol- ! erant viewpoint of the Southwest. The | weeding of them out was not, however. ! line are not very favorable for the au- | thOrities in Texas. and. in fact, there | are laws of property in the state. | which make it costly and dangerous for officers to break into a place. if | no evidence is found. To this day. Chief Rowan is convinced that there is one gambler in town who keeps lights going in his old quarters every night | simply to get the official into trouble for breaking in the door But the Commission was not easily scared. If they sue you for breaking into their places" said Mayor Landes to the Chief of Police. you come to me. l ! personally will take cG-c of you on your bond" The Commission moved against the policy-shops and gamblers. More than eighty places of writers" and operators of pOlicy-shops were |, closed up by prosecution The gam ' blers were all sued off into exile In Oklahoma
 In all the time of the Commission there has not been the slightest thought of any connection being estab- ished between the law-breakers and the commission government The Of the old police force. who were under suspicion, were removed as far as possible in the reorganization. Only fifteen of a force of fifty-one men were retained, and the few doubtful ,nes who were kept have been watched During the five years of commission rule there have been twen- !, y-nine changes in the small force due |, O removal. resignation. and death. <, Practically the whole body of patrol nen, which was where the corruption 'eally took place in the old days, has ! )een changed. The Commission has ; low an honest instrument with which O handle the criminal element of the ! Forty-four men do the q york of fifty-one in former days, and ' To it incomparably better As for any U Ittempts to corrupt the governing . 'oard or their higher officials, such pol cy would be unthought of by the bold st criminal, in a small city like Gal eston. where personal acquaintance 5 with the character of men is so inti- U nate. It would be silly. Galveston is now a city where laws re thoroughly enforced. Not longer go than the last term of criminal s ourt during the past summer the E udge in charging the grand jury took ], U