The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-12-28
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, DEC. IS, 1912.

nave been morally certain or the
facts upon which their report is
based, and yet not be able to re-
tu1n an indictment against any
individual that would stand the
test of legal hair-splitting on the
presentation of evidence. Furth-
ermore, one needs no very great
familiarity with the conditions
that prevail in this city to know
that, even if the Grand Jury had
not sufficient evidence to indict the
guilty parties, its description of
actual conditions is pretty accu-
rate. There is altogether too much
laxity and favoritism in the en-
forcement of the law regarding the
sale of liquor III unlicensed saloons
and during prohibited times. It
is useless for those in authority to
attempt to throw dust in the eyes
of the people. The situation calls
for remedial action and the sooner
an attempt is made to clean up
the city the better. The wide-open
policy is so apparent that one
must be blind if he does not know
what is going on. Those whose
duty it is to enforce the law
should see to it that the social
evil and the saloon traffic be
kept within legal bounds.
We must not close our eyes to
the real state of affairs. A similar
condition is found to exist in Min
neapolis. The report Of the De-
cember grand jury calls attention
to 'the fragrant violation Of our
laws in regard to this (the SOCIALLY
evil. Immoral conditions are
widely scattered into various res
idential parts Of the city, and
there is danger to our schools as
we'll as to the growing boy and
girl in his or her home neighbor-
hood. AS between the open re
sort, the drinking place admit
ting women and girls, the rooming
house admitting women and girls,
the drinking place and the
rooming house undoubtedly are
the most dangerous. The resort,
if placed into residential sections,
will demoralize the youth, but the
drinking place and rooming house
are the recruiting places for the
resort. -
cit is certainly more important
to a city's well-being to save it's
boys and girls than any other
thing that can be done by it's citi-
zens. Minneapolis has many
places contributing to the down
fall of girls and boys. Most drink
ing places have rooms in connec-
ton, and there are fashionable
restaurants where liquor is the
principal commodity, rather than
the food furnished. These fash
ionable downtown restaurants and
chop suey houses and their ap-
parent so-called responsibility are
a constant menace to the girl and
boy. Some Of them even go so
far as to offer presents or pre-
miums to the girl bringing in Gus
tom. The fathers and mothers
ignorance of their children s
whereabouts is also largely re-
sponsible for these conditions
The rooming houses, which per-
meate the downtown section, adj
hitting young girls as we'll as
older women, in some cases even
having solicitors on the street, are
a still greater menace, and a
means of supply to the regular
resorts. -
The foregoing gives a good in
sight into the moral conditions In
the Twin Cities.
There must be some foundation
in fact for reports of this charac-
ter, otherwise they would not be
brought in regularly by the grand
juries. 1t is about time for the re-
spectacle citizens who ought to
take a pride in preserving the fair
name Of the Twin Cities to bestir
themselves and insist upon the
sworn upholders of the law doing
their duty. There is no excuse for
such laxity in the enforcement OF
the saloon laws and those relating
to the social evil as has been tol.
Grated in the past The morals
Of our young people are in danger
and some effort should be made
to purify the atmosphere which
the rising generation breathes
But it is useless to expect q
change for the better unless the
reputable and law-abiding citizens
of the community make it very