The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-08-09
SAYS CONDITIONS WERE WORSE
THAN DEPICTED IN THE PRESS

The visit of Charles Stevens. manag-
ing editor of the Joliet Daily News, TO
Gary is explained.
In Fridays issue of The News Mr..
Stevens devotes two columns to tell of
the vice conditions in the Patch" and
what former Joliet citizens are doing in
Gary. He finds that they are in the
lead socially. politically, financially
and. in fact, industrially.
Despite the fact that five Gary minis
tiers for some unknown reason sent out
a statement to the press saying that
conditions in Gary were exaggerated
by the newspapers, a personal investi
cation by The News is expressed in this
manner:
The entire Joliet delegation at Gary
is taking an active part in the fight
against the vicious conditions that ex
listed in the new steel city up to the
beginning of this week. A represent
ative of The News made a visit to
Gary last night and learned after
throughout investigation that THE
CONDITIONS THERE HAVE BEEN
FAR WORSE THAN WAS PORTRAYED
IN THE CHICAGO PAPERS"
Mr. Stevens goes on to tell how
Knots defeated the plans of the Unit
ed States Steel Corporation to make all
of Gary a city. He recites Knots
methods in the Patch and how they
prevailed until last week, when the
crusade of THE TINES purged Gary of
her great shame. He says:
ITO understand the exact situation
at Gary, it is necessary to go into
Co &c oft xyaf
1t is still a village as far as its form
of government is concerned. Mayor
Knots, as no is called. is the president
Of the board of village trustees.
KNOTS during his term of office has
shown a decided hostility to the steel
corporation forces. The company that
has poured out its millions to build
the new city where but two years ago
there was a wild waste Of sand dunes,
has attecpted to make of Gary a mod
ell city as far as 1t was possible to
make it such. It's plans for public
service utilities. including water serv-
ice, sewage system, paving of streets,
curbing, street railway service and a
score of other lines the steel company
desired to keep under control in order
to give the town the best possible serv-
ice.
But Mayor Knots had other ideas
and that led to a clash between him
and the steel corporation forces many
months ago.
Another thing that the steel cor
poration planned-and this is the i'm
portant feature in the present situa-
tion-was the plan to hold vice con-
ditions in check and restricting sa-
looms.
In laying out the town certain sites
were set aside for saloon purposes aEc
in all other locations on the property
controlled by the steel corporation the
sale of liquor was forbidden in the
deeds.
There was a section, however. 10
Gated up Broadway something like
mile from the mills which the steel
corporation failed to secure. 1t was
in this district that the tough saloons
and resorts sought a refuge and have
been able to defy the efforts of the
makers of the town to Gust them.
The steel corporation erected a large
building on Broadway for saloon pur-
poses. and it was there that the Binzen-
hof, conducted by a former well known
resident of Joliet, was located
This saloon was conducted in ac-
cordance with the ideas Of the steel
corporation for a well conducted place.
The company did not make any effort
to shut out saloons entirely, but it did
try to keep them within the bounds of
decency.
1T sought to minimize the saloon evil
and keep temptation from the work
men as far as it could.
Patch the BLACK spot.
The Patch, however. was the black
spot that succeeded in defying and
setting at naught the efforts of the
steel corporation.
Last April new situation devei-
oped. In Indiana they have what is
known as the remonstrance law I'm
der this a petition sigend by a major
ity of the voters at the last general
election can petition for the prohibi-
tion of saloons within a town or coun-
ty. AT the last general election in Gary
there were only about 800 voters in the
town.
In fact. at that time there wasn't