The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-08-28
MISS BROOKS
IS HEARD BY
LARGE CROWD
Woman Who Purified the
Graft-ridden City of West
Hammond a Most Enter
tanning Speaker.
CONTINUED from Page One.)

1.-THE little mother" of West Ham
mond, SO to speak.
The residents of the town called on
her for help and she did not fail them.
And she uncovered and ran to
tor municipal robbery ever concocted.
Its details she gave last evening.
And it included every phase of mu-
nicipal activity, from the incorpora-
ton of village into city, the con-
sequent running up of tax valuations
to excessive and prohibitive figures,
the private enrichment of public Of
ficials, the abuse of the administra-
tive and police powers, the assess
ments for alleged public improvements
which were consummated through
scandalous and bare-faced cheating,
the collision with state officials and
all the rest of the sorry mess more or
less familiar to the student, or mere
observer, of municipal administration.
The most thrilling part of Miss
,Brookss relation of these incidents is
that In which she describes the pro-
test a number of women made against
the defective paving of street,
which, in the first place didn't need
done in f1agrantly inefficient manner.
At the suggestion of the mayor who
stated he had no authority to stop
these proceedings but ironically ap-
pointed the feminine property-holders
deputies. the latter went into the
street and tried to prevent the con-
tractors going on with the work.
The noble mayor had, in the mean
time, telephoned the police who charg-
ed the women with guns, knocked
them down, beat and cursed them,
and in the case of Miss Brooks, drag
ging her by the collar down an alley
and throwing her into Jail. Miss
Brooks stating that when the police
man struck her
Slapped Policeman.
"This is the first time I had ever
been struck by man. And l slapped
him in the face,' this eliciting the
greatest applause of the evening.
Miss Brooks then described the
manner in which they organized their
forces and put reform ticket in the
field, this ticket being elected, despite
the furious Vaccinations of the graft.
ers, last spring.
Since that time this administration
and the reform element has sought to
clean out the gambling dives and the
red light district which have made
West Hammond notorious and they
have just succeeded in getting the
licenses of these houses revoked as
recorded in the papers of last week.
Miss Brooks's strenuous activities
in this latter phase of municipal house
cleaning almost incapacitated her for
her appearance in this city
Miss Brooks is an attractive young
woman of superior birth, breeding
education and social affiliations and
that girl of her type should devote
her life to the interests of the people
lrighting their wrongs in so far as Is
within her power, and making an eff
fort to assist in bringing this country
back to that plane where it would
Indeed be "the land of the free AND
the home of the brave" is an example
(which should be emulated by every
citizen of both sexes.
The StroIlers.
"The Strollers,' an aggregation Of
four singers and instrumentalists de
lighted their audiences yesterday il
their two appearances, the evening
one in costume. The members of the
company are the possessors of excel
hot in in
semble and have with them an accom-
lplished violinist who played las
evening,
Afternoon Session.
Mr.. Adrian Newnes pleased. large
audience in the afternoon with the
presentation of dramatized excerpts
from THE Message from Mars" anG
DR. Ross gave another of his series Of
lectures, this on THE Sources o.
Americanism."