The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-18
ENFORCING THE LAW.

- 'bV VI tHS SUIoICtNnPnI ul
the law on common criminals, Salt Lake
City is not in the least behind any
city of its metropolitan character
There Is no Just complaint here with
respect to the enforcement of the gen
eral criminal statutes. The only Just
complaint, the only fair complaint, is
against the laXity of the courts in the
enforcement of the law against known.
open and avowed violators of it.; those
who claim the right to violate the law
as part of their personal prerogative
as theocrats, and who have made the
statutes and court practice so that Grim.
inals have in them many an evasion
and refuge.
AT no time in the history of the city
has prosperity been so general, the con.
tentment of the people so universal, and
the enforcement of the laws more per.
feet. In the days Of the church rule
there were transgrcssions of the law
even more frequent than now. Muir.
ders occurred from time to time and
nothing has been seen in the city at
all comparable with the shooting down
of the chief of police at the corner of
Main and Second South streets in open
day, and the lynching of the murderer
by the police who beat him almost to
his last gasp, and threw him out to be
trampled to death by a bowling mob in
the street, We all remember the days
of the so.called "Jack- the Ripper. -
when there was real panic in the city.
when people feared to venture out in
the night, There is not now, and there
never has been since the incoming Of
the American party, any such feeling
of fear and panic as there was when
"Jack-the Ripper" (who was never
discovered, by the way,) was perform
ing his slashings and maimings on the
streets here in the night under a church
administration.
| When one recalls these things, and
when one recalls further the boastful
declarations of the Sheriff of this coun-
ty with respect TO the rcd light district:
when we remember the tearing down
Of the wall Of the crib house and of the
bombastic proclamation issued by the
Sheriff that never more would he allow
the opening cf that district. we must
pause in wonder at the hardibood of
those who would falsely claim now
that this city is in a panic and is sub.
merged in al wave Of crime. There is
absolutely nothing to Justify any such
On assumption. while if it is true as
/ b.p hot bo 1-b .xr
been rcopened. what has become of the
Sheriff IS proclamation of his claim that
he had torn it down and would never
allow it to reopen, and his pledge to the
people of this city that he would SEQ
to 1t that there was no red-light dis
trict established here.
AS to gambling, we all remember the
open, public robbing gambling games
under the last church administration in
this city, that of Mayor Morris. from
1908 to 1905. We all recall that no
matter what protest was made, no mat.
ter what public rcmonstrance was made,
and protest and public remonstrance
were daily presented. nothing could be
had by way of relief The church ad.
minstration absolutely refused to make
q move. The Green Light" and the
"Red Onion" had their cappers strung
along Second South street and Main
street, roping in drunken men who were
supposed to have a few dollars in mon
ey, and robbing them by the games that
, were put up and. whereby they were
! fleeced All this was open, notorious
| and was maintained in spite of remon
STRANGE. petition, and protest. Not tho
, least notice was taken of any showing
or objection. Not one step was made
to abate the evil. 1t was supposed, ant
, probably the fact was. that "tbt
: gambling vote would go to tho sup
r port of the church ticket: and doubt
S less it did so GO The result was thai
G even after the election, public open
e robbing gambling games were protecte,
] by the church administration here, an,
I were not abolished until the American
+ party game into power in January. 1906