Arizona republican., 1916-09-20
LID |S TO bE CLAMPED DOWN
 TIGHT I TODAY

Vice in Phoenix must go. Houses of prostitution must close. and gamb ling must cease. The scarlet woman must make her way to greener fields or cease plying her questionable call ing in this city. The gaming table must be silenced and card sharks will be called upon to leave the city or find some more tangible occupation.
 This, in substance, will be the man date sent forth today by Chief of Police George o. Brisbois. And this time he is in deadly earnest, for he is working with the hearty support and complete cooperation of City Manager Robert A. Craig. Today City Attorney Rich ard r.. Sloan will be called upon by Manager Craig and Chief Brisbois to draft complaints against a score or more proprietors and inmates of dis orderly houses and against several proprietors and employees of gambling places. Warrants will issue on these complaints, and tonight the entire police department both night and day
 
 these warrants and instructed to serve them wherever there Is even a semb- lance of an attempt to continue in de- fiance of the law
 City Manager Craig returned from the coast q day or two ago. Almost immediately afterward Chief Brisbois reported to him the result of a quiet investi yatioa he han been conducting for two or three weeks. and preceded for his consideration a long list of places and names against which he has been enabled to secure direct evidence of law violations. He asked for the approval Of the manager in closing these places and arresting proprietors and inmates. Yesterday afternoon for two hours Manager Craig and Chief | Brisbois were closeted in the formers office, and when the conference ended. the chief was clothed with authority to proceed
 Last night every member of the night | police force was busily engaged in se- curing the struggling ends of evidence l necessary to make the clamping down 1 of the lid today thoroughly effective.
 The work of gathering evidence has been conducted so quietly not more than one or two members of the police | force knew what was going on. Not I . | far-reachiug had been the investiga ton Of Chief of Police Brisbois. And i the chief himself never dreamed wher
 he first undertook the work just how
 vast would be the revelations from the
 underworld of Phoenix
 There is but one aim on the part oi the manager and the chief That is tC
 close every questionable resort in tho city It is not a matter of arrests, nol yet of balls paid or jail sentences
 served. It is simply a determination tt
 rid the city of such places and sucl persons.
 And these places will remain closed Chief Brisbois told Manager Craig yes
 .erday that the only way he could in
 sure the strict enforcement of the Hid
 mandate was to instruct his men to ar
 rest on the first suspicion that ther
 were violations and to bring prosecu
 tions under the previous complaints i
 there is not evidence enough to secur
 conviction on later apparent offenses
 The city commission meets thi
 morning. but there will be no effor
 either on the part of the city manage
 or the chief to bring the situation be fore that body unless called upon b the commission itself to do SC Whether the commission of it's ow volition will take any action in tn premises cannot be stated.
 In the event of arrests today ther will be no John Doe or Jane Doe en
 tries upon the police docket. And tn { names of every one arrested will b ! published. The Republican promise ] this long ago.
 . The lid goes on today Chief Bris Q bois says it will stay on so long as h - has official backing in keeping it on.