The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-03-05
MAYOR FORCES UP
PUBLIC MORALS
Auctioneer Executive of Indianapolis
Makes Red Light Vice Unattractive
and Gets After Saloonkeepers.
BY ThoS. z. kIsAR.

This city is wondering how high her
rcw mayor. former auctioneer, Will
force her morals before he drops his
administration hammer.
! When Samuel Louis Shank New for
short, and it's usually short) slipped
into the mayors Office on the strength
OF his smile and his caterer-wife's good
cooking, nobody dreamed that the city
had fallen into the hands OF an uplift-
er or reformer. The church people
hadn't worked for him, though many
voted for him as the lesser OF two
evils. He didn't promise much moro
than that there would be no discrim-
ination I'm law enforcement
But Shank has determined to solve
the big American municipal problem,
the regulation Of saloons and vice.
Here's his principle:
Saloons and the social evil are
wholly bad, but they cannot be up
rooted suddenly by prohibition. Let
US trim them by making the brewer
and the saloonl,eeper good citizens.
Let us put the vice Of the city in the
hands Of ministers and public-spiritel
laymen and allow them to do all they
find to be practical.
So he mas appointed a commission
OF 80 citizens TO advise him In city az
fairs, mainly in the regulation OF vice.
The commission includes a Catholic
priest, a Hebrew rabbi a Methodist
pastor, Unitarian minister brewer,
a doctor, a saloonkeeper, printer an
undertaken. merchants, manufacture
eIs, wholesale liquor dealer. a
former secretary of the Anti-Saloon
league, professor of surgery, a real
estate dealer.
None Of these men was in politics.
Some will watch the saloons; others
will work TO keep the moving picture
shows clean. Others will keep their
eye on the red light district. Vice is
not to be intrusted to the regulation Of
policemen.
The result OF it all is that ministers
Of Indianapolis are Passing resolutions
indorsing the new mayor.
Shank and his commission are going
10 call together all the mayors. edi-
tors, brewers, saloonkeepers and re-
formers OF Indiana TO draft a saloon
license law TO limit the number Of
saloons, 10 restrict them TO towns AMI
cities, and provide for a license, self
renewing. during the saloonkeepec's
good behavior.
Shank has been followed up by
Mayor Busse, OF Chicago. in his ORDER
to prohibit the sale OF liquor in iIo-
moral houses. But Busse hasn't taken
the cheap glamour out Of the red light
district as Shank did Shank ordered
out all auto-piaDos and other musical
instruments that help make a livey
time. Stopping the sale OF liquor Is
putting nalf the resorts out of busl-
ness Rents of such houses have gone
crashing down 10 one-ffth of what hal
been charged and as result many
Of indianapolis respectable citizens
felt hole in their pocketbooks.
Shank's campaign brought out the
fact that such property was renting
for about five times what 1t would
bring under moral conditions.
Roadhouses, too, nave been stripped
OF their pianos and dance halls, where
JOY riders were wont TO disport them
selves. Now they're just prosy sa-
looms.
When Shank took Office he at once
ordered all saloons closed on Sundays.
or the $50 saloons, about half dozen
had been strictly obeying the law.
Seventeen saloonKeepers were arrest
ed. Their licenses were suspended for
q few hours: long enough, Shank
thought. to show them he wasn't blum
ing. The next Sunday six were ar
rested and several licenses were sus-
rended FOR several days. Nine who
were still unconvinced that Shank
was in earnest were arrested the next
Sunday. Shank called on Louis Burk-
hart. a valuable political friend, and
told him he would have TO quit selling
on Sunday. Burkhart laughed Ills
friends expostulated with the mayor,
but Burkhart paid a fine of $50 anu
costs.
Now there's only an arrest or two
Sunday. Saloonkeepers are at least
very careful.
Shank's church probation for errinS
saloonkeepers shows best Of all his de-
termination for the uplift. He sus-
pended the license Of Marion Cummins
until he could bring a signed state
,nent from a pastor that he had attend
cd Il church service. Shank said that
would be a real punishment. Well,
Cummins did. One who refused paid
q double fine.
And now this remarkable mayor pro-
noses to have women on the police
force regularly appointed, who shall
serve In the downtown district
NEW VENTHATOR TRIED.