The San Francisco call., 1913-08-19
NO REGARD FOR PRECEDENT

Acting Chief Of Police John Moo
nev has supplemented his fairly ef-
fective attempts to suppress gambling
by raiding an alleged vice resort out
side the restricted district.
Under orders from the acting chief
the police battered down the doors OF
an establishment in Webtser street.
They arrested a dozen men and
women.
They did not search the records OF
the equity court in an endeavor to
find that an illegal Joint was being
conducted with judicial sanction.
AS far as can be learned they did
not ask the proprietress to exhibit
articles of Incorporation. Neither did
they decide that she had been in busi-
g ness long enough to establish sort
of adverse possession right to violate
. the law and the police regulations.
They took her, the inmates and fre-
quenters of her house to the city
prison. They performed their sworn
duty
Acting Chief Mooney has ordered
the precinct captains to keep up the
good work, and particularly in the
southern district, where Chief White
refused to act on the information fur
nished by Commissioners Kuhl, be-
cadse, he said, the resorts had been
conducted unmolested for years.
There is a wide divergence of hon
est opinion about the expediency of
the segregated district plan of vice
regulation. There is no hope of
reconciling the opinions of the ear
nest men and women who are arrayed
for and against that plan.
However, they are ready enough to
agree upon the necessity of law en-
forcement outside the segregated dis
tricts. 1t is only the exceptional in
telligence Of a Chief White THAI can
appreciate the beauties OF the theory
that commercialized vice supported by
precedent may ply its trade among
the homes of the decent men and
women of San Francisco.
1t may be assumed that even Chief
White would bestir himself. if a vet
eran vice master should attempt to
establish a resort on Pacific Heights,
the Preside Terrace, West Clay Park
or any other Of the many ultra fash
ioDable residence districts of San
Francisco.
The owner or renter of a humble
home in the Mission or south of Mar
ket street stands before the law the
equal Of the man who lives in a man
sion
His daughter, who sells her labor
to exc out the slender family purse,
is entitled to the same protection
from contamination that is the right
of the rich mans daughter
It is the sworn duty of the chief
of police to afford her that protec-
ton within the limits of the law No
house Of prostitution can be main
tanned in the Mission, south of Mar
l1et street nor in the Western Addi-
tion without police connivance, with
out violation of the oath taken by the
head of the police department.
: Acting Chief Of Police Mooney
seems to have but slight regard for
precedent.
His failure to recognize the sane
tity of things established in defiance
2 of law inevitably results in deduct
i've comparison of police methods
more complimentary to him than
Chief White. The absence of Chief
white on vacation has resulted in an
exhibition Of law enforcement unlike
anything the decent people of this
town have enjoyed for several years
The law abiding people Of San
Francisco could easily reconcile them
selves to an indefinite extension of
that vacation