The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-18

feSt80llSRmeuls ana VIII Su0 CASSPss>..s
tof Rag Alley had practically locate
all disreputable houses in one district.
We suggested that he report 70 the
attorney general what We have Done:
and our plan for their control. and Il
| he was not satisfied with the situa-
ton he could write us. giving speci-
fic instructions what further dispcsi-
ton he would have us make OF these
lunfoYtunates. and IL his demands en-
braced q pfaa for more perfect con
troll. or for Graduating the evil instea.t
| OF scattering it to other parts Of the
|, city, we would see that his orders
were oheyed to tue letter. This ME-.
Bronson promised to do. From that
day OF this no orders have come from
I the attorney general on the subJecs,
and we took 1t Tor granted that a,
was satisfied with the situation. THIS
last secret raid OF the 4th inst, was
Mr.. Cosson's only answer to my re-
;auest for further instructions. and we
do not think il was q fair nor frien.i-
sly answer.
BY painfully slow process war has
been waged against the social evil N
all lands since the dawn of creation
by stoning, beating. drowning, burn
ling and other fendish modes OF pun
,ishment, nearly all of which was In
fllcted ON the victim instead OF the
real culprit. and yet the condition
here today is the average net result
LOT worlds effort to suppress It. b
ing conscious OF my own inexperienc
land inability to deal effectively with
this problem OF the ages which so
far have baffled the wise heads of the
Rockefeller endowment fund commits
sion, soon after entering office, W.
'recounted to a dozen or more as good
citizens as there are in the city, whas
we had done and our plans for tn ,
future Without an exception the
approved OF our action In every re-
lspect. Mr.. Bronson practically did the
same, as he would make no arrests
when last May. without first submit
ting the facts to his superior officer
During this last raid these detectives
succeeded In inducing some OF TIL.
!colored inmates of Rag Alley to buy
land sell them liquor. We do not OBJ
ject to this method OF their obtaining
evidence, for it would be impossible
for this office to employ any man who
would be a creditable witness to 81
ito such q place and make purchase
and then testify to It in court All OF
these arrests would have been mada
lby our local police II we had been
appraised Of any new feature OF the
law. or that the methods we hal
adopted were not efectual and prose
icuted by the district attorney who Is
willing to enforce the law. Some may
Task why we did not continue to en-
force the law without further orders
We answer. because we had human
beings to deal with and we could not
treat them as brutes. We also knew
then and know row that we cannot %
what many wiser men than we are
suppress this evil. It is easy for Us
Ito close every one OF these open
houses. but that would not be onE
isixteenth part OF the trouble in any
city. That would be as foolish as Il
shut one OF the gates Of our might
J dam. in an effort TO lover the stage
!of the mississippi river in front of the
icity, and leave the other one hum
idred seventeen Open Rand park
| Kilbourne park, Walcott addition. the
| blum and the river road are all to Dc
taken into account and then some. II
lean be controlled to certain extent
land the time may come when Il VII
mot flourish on the earth, but when
that time comes there will be Cd
new heaven and new earth" and We
may not be in either place If we are
as bad as some good people think We
are.
! These men were sent here At the re
quest of our citizens. and are reput
able gentlemen OF whom we have ne
cause for complaint They are doins
their duty under the state law In Al
lenort to better society and in 30 fal
las they succeed We all should re
Iioice, but it is not their fault thai
latter working four days. they wert
tonIy able to seize liquor In q few
bawdy houses In quantities which W