The Alaska sourdough., 1911-11-07
GRAND JURY REPORT

was filed:
nited States District Court for the
District of Alaska, Division No. 1, at
Ketchikan, October, 1911 term.
To the Hon. Thomas R. Lyons, Judge
of the above entitled Court
We, the Grand Jury, summoned to at
tend the October, 1911 Term of the I'm
tied States District Court for the Dis
trict of Alaska, Division No. /, having
completed our labors for the said term
and concluded the business before us,
now beg leave to report to the honora-
lie Court as follows:
We have been in session ten days,
and have acted upon twenty four bound
over cases, have conducted several 9TH
or Investigations, have found twenty
true bills and five not true bills. We
lave summoned SO witnesses and en-
poyed three interpreters.
We have examined the jail and find
t clean, well kept and in good condi-
ION.
We have examined into the manner
which the municipal government Of
Ketchikan is conducted and find that
Cor approximately five years, no en-
ieavor has been made to enforce the
police ordinances of the city and that
no arrest has in approximately that
Of do fnr
of any such ordinance-except that the
public women of the town have been
hailed before the municipal magistrate
once every two months to pay fine
into the municipal treasury-and thai
furing that time the municipal author
aies have habitually called upon tie
ederal authorities to enforce law and
-der in the town. Instead Of bring
ng disturbers Of the peace and persons
uilty Of other misdemeanors before the
unicipalmagistrate, they are taken be-
lore the United States commissioner
md placed in the custody of the I'm
led States marshal This seems utterly
inexcusable.
The municipality has been given full
!. power to define misdemeanors and to
] take such action Gas may be necessary
to protect and preserve the lives,
health and safety and well-being of
the people of the town. These func-
tions should be exercised. To fail to
take advantage Of and exercise such
powers is public declaration that the
people Of the municipality are unfit for
such responsibility. When the muniei-
pal has been operated solely for, and
municipal authority has been devoted
exclusively to, the collection Of subsi-
dies from fallen women, it will natur-
ally give the outside world the impress
Rule only for the sake of sharing in
the profits of debauchery and vice.
The common council should see to it
that all offenses over which the munich
pality has jurisdiction should be tried
before the municipal magistrate.
Especially do we recommend that or
dinances against drunkenness in public
places be thus enforced vigorously, in
order to cleanse our streets from drunk
en- men. 4,.
It has been admitted to the jury that
bi-monthly fines of from ten to fifteen
dollars have been collected from each
Of the public women by the munich
pal magistrate in the form Of fines, and
that this was not done as punishment
for past offenses nor as deterrant to
future transgression, but purely as a
tribute to needy government from
the fourishing institutions. sst .se
We unhesitatingly condemn this prac
tice as an infection of most vital moral
principles which cannot be violated
with impunity. municipality which
insists upon replenishing it's stores from
the profits of the brothel cannot escape
the condemnation whichthe instincts of
humanity universally place upon the
Individual who gains a livelihood in