The Columbus journal., 1911-05-31
He MUST GET BUSY
ATTORNEY OF DOUGLAS COUNTY
IS Sinking DUTY.
EITHER ACT OR Get OT7;''
Must Get Busy Or BE Replaced BY .
Man Who Wili-Request to Don
ahue 10 But = subterfuae.

Governor Aldrich sent q stinging
letter to County Attorney English Of
Douglas county in which he states
that that ofacial's sidetracking of the
recent communication sent out by him
In regard to the enforcement of the
Alberts disorderly house act does not
meet with the executives approval.
He further says unreservedly that
unless proceedings are instituted at
once he will take steps to furnish
Douglas county with an attorney who
will not hesitate to conform with his
wishes In the matter.
The letter goes to Attorney Eng
lish in reply to one received by Gov.
ernor Aldrich In which the Omaha
man said he had referred the state
executives communication to Chief
Of Police Donahue with a request for
Information of the existence of houses
of ill-fame in the states metropolis
In his letter Governor Aldrich says:
Il observe that you say in your let
ter that you have transmitted to the
chief of police of your city a copy
of your letter to me and upon receinpt
Of Information you will take such
steps as the evidence justifies.
Permit me to say. Mr.. English.
that I am calling on you as county
attorney in and for Douglas county to
enforce this one of the statutes of
the state. II 1t had been the duty Of
the chief of police I would have call
ed upon him and not upon you"
Il do not believe in French diplom-
acy. II l did. would be tolerant Of
evasiols, subterfuges and equivOca-
tons and In short. anything to evade
a plain performance of duty. Chief
Donahue is in no way under and by
virtue of provisions of this statute
connected officially with your Office
Governor Aldrich then says that
the statute is not hard to enforce and
he quotes from its provisions to illus
trate to the county Official that his
duty in the case is clear.
so when you refer this matter to
the investigation Of Chief Donahue I
must plainly say that you are GER
tainly not acting in good faith. and
do not intend to enforce the law II
you possibly can evade 1t. l have
decided to see to it that this law is
enforced and shall use all the means
at my command to see that 1t is done.
II it is necessary for me to get q
new county attorney in Douglas coun-
ty to enforce this law. I shall take
the necessary steps to do so and will
not hesitate to assume this RESPONSE
bility. This measure is one of the
most important to good government
and to society that has ever been
placed upon the statute books of this
state. It is indisputable that these
designation houses are the headquar-
tiers of murderers. criminals, thugs
and thieves. When it is necessary to
hold public meetings to provide for
the safety of life it seems to me that
no Official should for an instant hest
tate to lend his most energetic aid
in the performance of his duties.
Murders are too common and
holdups too frequent to conduct the
enforcement of this statute along dip
tomato lines for the purpose of evad-
ing a plain duty. You and you alone
are called upon to do your duty in
enforcing the provisions o: the stat
ute in question. shall hold you and
you alone responsible for its enforce
ment. Now it's up to you to say.
Yes or NO"