The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-28
TELLS HOW CITY
CAN Be CLEANED
Mayor Of Charleston Has Made
Notable Record In Abating Vice
District.
ITS Up TO THE POLICE"
Popular CHIEF Sign of Rotten Town.
He Tells Richmond Audience At
University Club.

"A popular chief of police is the
! best sign could ask of a rotten
town" This is the statement made
by Hon T r. Hyde, mayor of
Charleston, s c.. last night at the
University club, in an address mace
to a small group of officials and CT
liens interested in law enforcement
and social conditions in Richmond
"If YOU are going to enforce the
law you must have a good police de-
nartment." he continued. Charles
ton is fortunate in having red
headed Scotch PRESBYTERIAN for the
job. II is said that he is not afraid
of anything For the first twelve
months my friends said he was going
to ruin the administration because he
had no experience. They urged me
to take someone else. l said ! didn't
care II II did ruin the administration
wanted man who would do what
I told him and tell me the truth.
was going to do this Job When my
chief OF police came to me he had
been a railway engineer and piano
salesman. He had had no experience
But today he Is known over the en-
tire country. He is doing the business
and ! can Depend upon him.
When tine marines came to Char
lesion. Secretary Daniels said that un-
less the town was claned up they
couldn't stay. At a meeting of the
business men in the chamber Of com
merce the matter was discussed. /
was present listened They raved,
and when they finished they called
on me. ] arose and said to them !
want TO say two things to you, Ny
feelings are rot hurt. II you are after
l. -. t. II
me. If you can show me anything 20
better enforce the laws of this city.
am with you. But / am free to
say that this Is the most ludicrous
situation I ever faced When ] ran
for mayor OF Charleston on a clean.
up program you said 1t could not be.
that 1t would hurt business. | started
this thing from the highest motive
in the world and now you have come
to see that 1t is expedlent and You
all want 10 come to my sunday
school"
az had been Sunday school sup
erintendent, and so had some handi
ps as the politician sees It, ] have
not resigned yet: | am still in the
business and make no apologies.
Secretary Daniels orders were 70
be carried out. We closed the gamh-
ling dens That was easy The lights
were turned out by the gas depart
ment and they had to go,
we enforced prohibition. II can
be done. | was elected on the goth
OF Decembe On the frst day Of
January the prohibition law went into
effect I had not been IN favor OF
prohibition for Charleston because !
had not thought it would work. But
when the law came I enforced it. |
found that people would lot rather
live in a decent town I also came
to realize the fallacy Of some of the
arguments against prohibition, that
II would raise the tax rate. The first
year In Charleston we ran the city
government, paid it's debts and came
out with a substantial balance and a
lower rate OF taxation than before
prohibition. So, we had proved that
liquor money is not necessary to the
life OF town. We have not borrow
ed any money and we owe no more
than We did before.
Then came the suppression or
vice. Several years before some good
people had formed a Law and Order t
league. They shut up the segregated
district and scattered these people all
over the town. Our Job was TO To-
cate them, We did. The police t
them up without any private /
10 help. We drove them
back to the red light district. with {
out giving them any assurance that |
they would he allowed to remain |
there. Then We got their names. We
went there every night to see that
they were still there They had to
stay there. they had no place else to
go.
The Fosdick commission recon
mended that they be sent out NJ town |
but said TO the gentleman who made |
that suggestion that II would not he |
done. There was no sense in send |
ing them from Charleston to Column |
lesion to any other place, Nor would
| stand for these cities dumping their
upon us.
I'VE fitted up an emergency home,
We took IN these women and gave
them homes. We put It in charge Of
the director OF the Salvation Army.
He looked after it on the inside and
the police looked after the outside.
We told the good women OF the town
thet we were going to handle this sit
uation. that we did not wish them to
worry over 1t. 1T was our Job
Ninety per cent of the women
found in this life are either feeble |
minded or simple minded They
come from rural districts. know moth |
ing about the city. Many of them !
come under false representations, !
false promises Of marriage. and so on |
In 1917 and 1919 we have handled |
l29 girls and women; we have sent |
Is Of them hack home: we have found /
legitimate employment for 90 OF them. /
md only three OF them have gone 4
back TO the old life--three out of 12a. T.
These women show a disposition 10
anI Job h,tt nfg
rot. One poor girl was over 5000 in I
oh IN the Of ha Il