Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-06
Illustration is Had in Good Re-
suits that Have Followed Re-
formation in Davenport.
RIFFRAFF is DUMPED HERE
Rock Island Today Menaced by the
Dive Saloon, the Street Walker,
Gambler and Thug.

ing of Brady street by spring. Iowa
has mulct law that is in operation
pretty generally over the state in reg
ulating the liquor traffic. Davenport
fought the mulct for years, but finally
has submitted. The saloon there, as
here, however, was not so much the
offender to the good people as its
kindred evils, the street walker, the
gambler and the crook. Hundreds of
these infested the city. They had
held sway for generations. They had
become so strongly entrenched that
they were accepted as a recognized
part of the community. They came
forth at night in the beer-garden
dance halls, a number of which were
flourishing in the heart of the city.
There was music and drink and rev.
elry. 1t continued through the night.
The keys were thrown away. Young
girls and young boys, lured by the
lights and the music and the free
dom, were ruined. The city was
known from coast to coast among
commercial travellers as one Of the
most wide open" cities in the United
States. And concededly it was.
No Attention to Protests.
Spasmodic protests were made. but
no attention was paid to them. The
invariable answer of the authorities
was that the city was big; it had to
have the bad with the good; that to
close the dance hall and the disorder
ly saloon and the gambling room
would mean the loss to the city of
several hundred good fellows" who
spent their money freely, and that
practically, it would amount to the
conf1scation of properties that had
been occupied so long by these lines
of traffic that they were marked and
could never be brought up to the
point of responsibility where a mer-
chant would be safe in leasing or pur-
chasing them. 1t would mean, in
other words, a depreciation of any
where from Is to SO per cent in bus
mess property in that section which
would be most affected by the de-
manded reforms.
Criminal Element Grows BoIdcr.
This presentation of the case was
so religiousIy adhered to by succeed
ing administrations that the people
were beginning to accept it's plaus-
Utility. Thus the protests from the
pulpits and from other sources grew
less frequent and the criminal ele-
ment grew holder. The history of
every misgoverned city in the United
States upon which the light of pub
licity has been turned has shown the
same result. There could be in Dav-
export, as elsewhere, but one conse-
quence-the disorderly dance hall,
the den saloon, the gambling room,
had to go.
And they all have gone. together
with the street walker and her best
friend" The last session of the Iowa
PASSED an enactment that
made 1t compulsory for municipal
and county authorities to enforce the
laws governing these evils. The To-
cal official had no alternative.
Liable to Impeachment.
Refusal to observe laid him liable !
to impeachment by the voice of any
citizen who might choose to take the |
initiative. And there were plenty |
men and women in Davenport; they |
we're not cranks: they were men and !
women who knew whittier their city |
" do lItIt WSsS DfCuIy Ol
.hese men and women who stood ready |
to assert their prerogatiyes under the |
new legislative enactment. 1t should !
be said to the credit of the officials |
Of Davenport that they lost no time |
IN performing their duty to the full |
est limit.
So the riffraff has gone from Dav-
EXPORT; the low dance hall has dis /
appeared: so have the den saloon ard |
the gambling room-and Rock Ls-
and has whole lot of them There /
was no particular furore across the |
river. The city still survives. The |
promised deterioration in property |
has not yet manifested itself. On the /
contrary, Davenport today is present
ng a better front than It has in 90 |
years.
New Business Houses Rising.
Where the dens stood new business |
houses are rising-like a rose bloom
ing in the desert. There is noticeable |
4 broadening tone of cleanliness, a |
harmony of purpose among the own |
srs of business property and the mer- |
chants generally to do things in the |
way of improvement and develop |
nent. If you feel interested, take a |
rip over to our neighboring city and !
walk leisurely through the main bus
ness streets, beginning at the Rock |
Island bridge approach, and what yon |
will see will tell the story. Whsre |
here were novels and colored lights. |
and foul-smelling "red hot CARTS
and noisy saloons, there are already |
some new buildings, new lights and |
IN air of safety where before II was
on account Of the pl.alanx
Of crooks and street workers that
9ne was obliged to pass
Analogous situation Here.
Rock Islands situation of the pres
snt is analogous to that of Daven-
port before the reformation took
place, minus the disorderly dance
nails These were suppressed under
he administration of Mayor II. Z.
Schaffer and their reestabi:shInent |
laS navar haan ATTEMPTED. Rock Is ]