South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-07-13

program. anyhow the COnf eSSlOrl
Is good as far as Z. goes. and
coming from the organ OF Gods
Own Party" can be taken by
-ity hall adherents at its full face
value. suggestive OF a lot more
hat rs not confessed. The Trib-
1ne. dashed into an attempt at
saving its face. puts its sudden
findings this way:
Moral conditions in South
Bend have not been so deplor-
able in years. II ever, as at
present
The accuracy Of this state
ment is borne out by investiga-
ton which leads 10 no other
conclusion. BIZ gambling is at
high tide, bawdy houses are
operating without visible mo-
lestation and petty gambling is
gradually edging It's way into
those stores which seem 10 have
a notion that their customers
demand IT, In fact. the situa-
tion is exceedingly bad and
even the good that was accom-
plished by the Keller admins
tration in at least partially sup
pressing some popular evils has
been replaced by a laxity that
has permitted these evils 10
gain "A strong fOothold.
When the present admins
tration assumed charge OF the
city IL January, 1918. the city
was fairly decent with respect
10 those evils often SO publicly
Haunted as 10 cause caustic
criticism. While conditions
were far from perfect. morality
was at 2 reasonably respectable
point and public gambling. at
least. was not o. great extent.
Some bawdy houses were in
operation and street walkers
exercised more or less freedom,
but on the whole conditions
were far from as bad as today.
What Mayor Carson Promised.
voluntary suppression of
public vice. il S pointed out.
seems 10 be almost foreign TO
the present administration in
spite of Mayor Carson's state
ments before election that 'mu-
uicipal government is business.
not politics. that L stand for
law enforcement that If elect
ed mayor ! would see 70 IL that
fiHblic gam bling. street walking,
Illegal sale of liquor and kin
dred OffenSes are not tolerated.
that he would appoint on the
board of public safety broad
minded business men fully in
accord with these views and
with the stamina and back bone
20 carry them out. and that
moral problems are pressing
as and must be dealt with in a
Loughtful tactful, prudent and
conscientious manner These
and numerous other laudable
utterances suggested high
valuation by the prospective
mayor upon the duties of the
office and the responsibilities 20
the people. Today South Bend
is regarded as suffering rather
than profiting from those high
sounding phrases.
square i'm the heart of the city
bounded by lines only four
blocks from the business center
are no less than is diSreputable
resorts of various types. These
include houses of prostitution
and gambling bells in which
roulette. one of the worst
games of chance ever devised,
is played IL is but a short
time ago that "A gambling place
was raided and a roulette wheel
conhscated.
Done Only on Pressure.
This was not done, however,
upon administration initiative.
but because of outside pressure.
Nearly half dozen wheels are
said 10 be in operation at this
time Punch boards, small
gam bling devices which lead TO
bigger gambling. are in opera
ton i'm store after store where
boys and young men cOnEre-
gate. other forms of gambling
have slowly worked in their
insidious way and houses of bad
repute have multiplied until. as
one lawyer recently remarked.
South Bend in the days OF
Fogarty was not as bad as it
is today
The blame for these condi-
tions is laid on the only source
that can be held responsible
the Carson administration IL
Is pointed out that these evils
can be suppressed or. al least,
minimIzed if Mayor Carson but
gives the word People who
know the situation wonder why
the administration. after all OF
the mayors prediction ayowals
OF clean government. municipal
progress, etc. has allowed mat
tiers 20 assume such a deplor-
able state. II any reason exists
they would like 10 know what
il is"
That part OF the attach on the
city administration, that il has
never done anything of its owr
initiative" but only under pres
sure. is significant of the fac
that neither has the administra.
tiou organ ever done anything e
bring pressure. except wher
Smarting under exposure, as In
the instance here recorded