Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-27
Council Bluffs
Councilmen Rush
New Ordinance
Large Batch Of Revised Laws
Adopted, One Of Which Raises
Laugh at Session.

II IL now a very grave question whether
any woman or other person can legally APP
pear in public or even the most Sc
cluded street in Council Bluffs, wearing
peek-a-boo waist or a modestly pronounced
decollete costume and escape the danger OF
arrest and punishment by imprisonment or
fine to the extent OF at least thirty days
or siO0 Al least that appears TO be
strong probability II one of the five new
ordinances rushed through the city council
last night under suspension Of the rules
should be rigdly construed by Police Judge
Snyder or his SUCCESSORS.
The council last evening began the work
of passing amended and emended ordi-
nances that City solicitor Kimball was in
structed to prepare in the hope that con-
victions can be secured for ordinary mis-
demeanors that will not be reversed In the
higher courts on the grounds that the city
ordinances under which the prosecutions
are brought are in conflict with the states
laws.
Five Of the large batch in contemplation
we're quickly put through the mill and the
other would have been included II City
Solicitor Kimbalrs typewriter girl had not
aocidentently omitted a penalty clause In
her haste to copy the voluminous docu-
ments In time for presentation All the
ordinances adopted repeal all others con-
fIicting with them and the whole batch
were very skllfully and carefully drawn to
meet the bad conditions that have pre-
vailed to prevent the police court maintain
ing prosecutions for scores of msdemean-
| ors.
A section of the "peek-a-boo' ordinance
says: Whoever shall willfully appear In
any open place, or before any assembly OF
people clad in insufficient garments, or in
the attire of the sex opposite that OF the
wearer, or any dress or attire exposing the
form as to create disorder or disturbance"
| shall be guilty of a misdemeAnor and shall
be fined or Imprisoned. This ordinance,
however, is meant to provide punishment
for number of obnoxious things and to
permit prosecution under city laws Of per-
sons found wearing the wrong kind OF
clothes. The old ordinance governing such
things was imperative on account of con-
flict with state laws.
Other ordinances define vagrancy, dis
turbanoes. drinking in public plaoes-this
one especially relating to can rushers
and hobo parties-and others to defining
"dsorderly houses and their inmates" who
have been immune from punishment under
the old ordinance whenever they took the
trouble to appeal from police court judg.
ment. The work of making new city laws
that are believed to be strong enough t.
Withstand the high court Interpretation Ii
to be continued until all of the defective
ones are eliminated.
A resolution was passed authorizing thu
water and gas companies to use the con
duits on the new Benton street bridge To-
carrying their mains across Indian creek.
A large batch of cement sidewalks in tn,
Fourth ward were cut from the contract
at the request of Alderman Evans. Gross
streets on Eleventh, Eighteenth, Twenty
third and TWEEN y-fourth avenues wer
affected.
The council referred the protest OF Z. j
. Abbott and others against the paving o
Damon street to the committee Of tn
whole.