Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-05-05
Law MAY
CLOSE HOUSES
Of ILL-FAME

DECLARING. that, under the present
laws, any citizen or corporation In.
Honolulu has the right to demand the
cIosing-down of houses fostering the
social evil in any particular district,
eight large corporations whose fac
tories are located in Iwilei have call.
ed upon Sheriff Jarrett by petition to
enforce the law in regard to all houses
within this district It is declared
that. under both the territorial laws
and the federal Edmunds act power
is given to enforce the closing-down
of all houses of i'll fame. The cor
porations which have chosen to make
use of what they believe to be their
prerogatives are the Hawaiian Pines
apple Company, the Hawaii Presery-
ing Company, the Honolulu Gas Com
pany, the oil companies, and the Lew
ers & Cooke Company.
+. ]. Lowrey of the Levers & Cooke
Co. said this morning that the cor
porations are not asking that the
houses in the Iwilei district be moved
elsewhere in the city. I'VE are, sim
ply asking Sheriff Jarrett" he said,
to enforce the law as it is stated
both in the territorial statutes and
under the Edmunds act A large
number of young girls and women are
employed by the corporations signing
the request and it has been found that
they have been molested by men of a
low order while passing to and from
their work"
Sheriff Jarrett now has the matter
under his consideration but has taken
no action as yet. Among those who
believe that the corporations have the
right for which they are petitioning is
Senator James Coke, who stated be-
fore the senate that the present laws
are stringent enough to permit OF the
closing of all houses of ill-fame by in
junction upon the petition of residents
in the affected districts.
In case the Hawaiian Pineapple
Company and other corporations are
able to require Sheriff Jarrett to en-
force the law in Iwilei the direct re-
suit will be that citizens in all parts
of the city may make like demand
upon the powers enforcing the laws.
In this case, according to opinions ex-
pressed this morning, the people of
Honolulu, in spite of the fact that a
wavering legislature failed to pass the
'.Red-Light bill'' for their protection
will have a weapon in their hands
with which to do away TO a great ex-
tent with the social evil in the city.
The petition signed by the five cor.
Forations located in the Iwilei district
was the subject of a great deal of
comment this morning by those inter
csted in the eradicating of the social
evil from the community. Judge
Whitney of the circuit court, who. in
company with a party of legislators
and others, made visit to the re-.
stricted district in Iwilei last Monday
night, stated that the houses of III
fame are now located in the midst of
what is perhaps the greatest indus
trial center of Honolulu and that for
this reason no worse place for the.
segregation of the vice could be
found. Guy II. Buttolph, also a mem
Der of the committee who accompanied
the legislators, stated that the closing
down of the houses in Iwilei would be
productive of great good for the en-
tire community.
Reverend A. A. Ebersole. President
Griffiths Of Oahu College, and William
Thompson, after making an inspec-
ton OF the Iwilei district, recommend
ed the closing down Of the houses and
requested that the nold-oyer commit
Tee Of the senate take the matter I'M
der advisement
Sheriff W. p Jarrett, when asked
about the matter late this afternoon,
stated that the petition of the corpor-
atoms TO close up the houses OF i'll
fame in Iwilei VIII be brought to the
attention of the grand jury at the ear
Hest possible opportunity City and
County Attorney John w. Cathcart
said that the matter has not as yer
been brought to his attention and that
he would therefore make no state
ment in regard to the action to be
taken.