The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-09-06
FORMER SEGREGATED DISTRICT NEAR LAKE FRONT
NOW SWARMS WITH COLORED COURTESANS.
Innocent Little Children Contaminated by Immoral Sur
remdng- Finnish Families Resent Illegal
and Lawless Condtions-One Hundred Heads Of Families
Sign Petition to Grand Determined Mass Meeting
Passes Resolutions Of Protest Which Will Be Submitted to
Present Grand Jwy-Names Of Men Who Draw Rents.

There is a general belief throughout
the city Of Duluth that the old red
light district in st. Croix alley and
on South First avenue east no longer
exists.
Such is not the case, however.
Once upon time, as many well
know, there was segregated redlight
district down there which was motor
ious from Dan to Beersheba, so to
speak.
Some years ago, the highly moral
city fathers, strongly backed by pub
Lie sentiment, discontinued the policy
Of monthly fines for each Madam and
her certain number Of girls. The white
Jezebels got out from the score or so
Of dumps and scattered here and
there.
Many highly moral, unsophisticated
and trusting citizens, reading only the
eomplacent daily papers, will be sur
prised to learn that the redlight
women again infest that section of
the city and they do so to an extent
that vexes scores Of humble but highly
respectable people who are compelled
by circumstances to reside there and
rear their families there.
Instead of American, French, Irish,
Scandinavian and Spanish girls down
there, all belonging to the white race,
the section is monopolized by Negro
women who disgrace their race and
make their haunts unsafe for decency.
These colored women started to come
back under the spineless but foxy Sill
berstein regime. Negro prostitutes are
famous for their love Of brightly col.
ored silks and velvets and the Silber-
stein store specializes in fine raiment
for women. Black redlight danes are
not barred from the Silberstein store,
80 far as anyone has heard.
Further than that, prominent He
brew capitalists and merchants own
aome of the houses that formerly
= eltered notorious redlight dumps.
Those houses are veritable white ele-
plants ON the hands Of the owners if
not yielding rent. A Negro prosti-
tute can and will pay more rent than
decent Finnish family or even q
decent but humble Yankee family.
1t was. partly good fellowship,
therefore, that induced Onkel Bernard
to permit the Negress prostitutes. to
swarm into Che old dumps. Men like
Freimuth, Loeb, Davis and others
needed the money to support high
moral endeavor in the aristocratic East
End. g.. ~s~ -~
Many times citizens and even dele
cations of citizens went to Mr.. Sill
6erstein when he was commissioner Of
unsafety and the mastodonic Nc
Kercher was running his wild course.
They got smiles, fair promises and
even 15-eent cigars, but they never
got much more. Now and then black
prostitute would be arrested and even
fined but she would be back at her
immoral stunts, the very next day. as
From Michigan street to the ship
canal and from Lake avenue to the
lake front, many people of Finnish
origin have taken houses, made their
homes and even started different kinds
OF commercial business. They are
compelled TO- live in that locality be-
cause they are q humble folk, not bur
dened with-this world 3 goods and com.
PEELED TO- live within their means. =,
But great majority 'of these Fin
nish people, Americans and even some
very respectable colored people have
become weary with such open immor-
ality as characterizes South First ave-
aue east and st. Croix alley. .~, @1o.
Big, fat, black wenches sit in win
dows, stand In doorways or even stroll
out onto the pavements in quest Of
men with whom to act shamefully.
fhey find them, too. Many a white
man Is seduced by the Establishments
OF black Sirens who smile, beckon and
call out, "Come in hea'h, honey. "rg
Innocent little children, some Of them
with brilliant futures in this land of
liberty and opportunity if their moral
senses are not blighted by becoming
too familiar with the scenes Of i'm
morality and low moral endeavorers,
are important factors in the, problem.
There is a little church and even
a school down there, but the devil cas-
lily can eounteract their influence. Fin
nish fathers and mothers love their
Children just as dearly as do the East
End aristocrats their pampered off
spring, or even their precious dogs.
These Finnish fathers and mothers
bitterly resent the liberation Of brazen
immortality and nastiness that are ram
pant in the old st. Croix district. They
may admit that democracy has been
made safe In America but they do