The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-04-08
Commissioner Asserts How
ard Street Houses Were
Not Only Ones Visited
During Raids
CHIEF OF POLICE
BELITTLES TACTICS
Denies All Charges But Ad-
rnits That Unsegregated
Districts Were Known

Police Commissioners Max Kuhl ac-
knowledges the raid that proved that
there are districts outside of the ten
derloin" in San Francisco that were
| little brothers of the richer redlight
sections of the city. Mr. kuhl said
yesterday afternoon that not Only were
the premises at '747 and 74s Howard
street raided by himself and Commits
sioner Theodore Roach, but that dis
tricts other than those raided were in
vestigated by the two commissioners
where violations of the law. under the
noses of the police, were discovered.
Chief of Police White bentties the
raid of the two police commissioners
and the city IS in the position of facing
a crisis in police matters with Chief
White in the "offensive and defensive. :.
according to the police commissioners.
Chief White denies all charges and In
the same breath admits that the un-
segregated districts have been going on
for years and this in accordance with
the knowledge of the police depart
ment.
The chief takes the stand that the
women, whose haunts have been raided
| by the commissioners, are licensed
women He said that Corporal Scully
| had been for years on the beat and that
the police commissioners had known
all about the houses there. He said
,,x,at..,,,o,. L ~ 4,e.,, v,<1 he
by his attitude in the matter. seemed
TO think that the effort of the enthusi-
astic commissioners was overplayed
and that IL was only another step in
the direction OF making the town
tight wad
solutely correct" said Commissioner
Kuhl THE only change in 1t that
might suggest Is that / took the
initiative in the matter and asked Mr..
Roche to join me in the Investigations.
Il had information. even to the dia-
information OF a similarly direct char
acter as to locations of brothels in
other parts O. the city and these we
investigated also This viii come out
later
The houses we investigated were
they mad the double violation of the
law in having saloon attachments. We
found plenty of evidence to show that
the law was viciously evaded and that
some one is responsible. ] don't want
to say that Captain Wall of the south
with the permission granted these
houses to ran. This is something that
we must look into later.
Il will say, however, that I believe
in the restricted district. Localities
that are now under fire are the result
of the scattering Of evils rather than
the concentration of them in places
where they can be best handled. The
scattering CT immoral districts always
offers temptation to policemen, and
others. When we get the districts
where we can handle them we will
know what we are doing.
Chief of Police White said that the
maintenance of districts outside of the
tender1oin, so called, had been a Gus
tom of years. The chief says that
the police department has known of
the existence of the Howard street
places. through others than he, for
many months.
II do not care to talk about this
matter said the chief II do not think
that it makes any difference If women
have licenses
Some Of the women are said to have
produced clinic licenses" that appeared
In the days when doctors fees were
charged for such things through civic
collection agency. The report is that
Commissioner Kuhi and Mayor Rolph
have been together on the question of
whether or not the mayor is going to
stand for cleaning out of the police
department
This Mr.. Kuhl refuses to affirm. 1t
is said on good authority that Mr..
Kuhl has demanded that he have an
absolutely free hand and that in his
efforts to clean up San Francisco he
has Commissioner Roche with him.
Commissioner Cook will not discuss
the scandal and says that he. would
prefer to have the matter settled be-
fore the regular meetings of the board
rather than by hearsay
The commissioners are said to have
positive knowledge not only of the ex-
istence of many immoral houses in the
city, but of the operations of a gang
Of pickpockets who have been given
protection. probably not by the police,
but by those who are closely identi-
fled with them.