The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-03-05
Seattle's Moral Condition
Today Is Unquestioned
as the Best of Amy
City of Its Size
in America

Wntn SlAtkAe N AfA- ANN = E'NNtA'
ion of only go. 600. the administra.
ion 81 Mayor George i. Cottcrili was
snhiected 10 the same mean criticism
that has been directed againS, my
administration and our city suffered
IN loss Of reputation accordingly.
Toaay Seattle has passed the too,'
90 mark
DISCUSSING the Police Department
in bis Annual Report Of 1913. Mayer
Costerill said;
The total OF 1887 arrests Gin
isia includes 1910 males and i,9oS
females. The latter number, on an
ayersgc Of only five women and
s.rls per day. Is an eloquent answer
70 tho msndaclty and distortion OF
facis with which our City has been
sSsaiied AZ home and outrageously
misrcpresenied abroad. These lis
ures shat,er the eoneocted deiuslons
q a persistent. though discredi,ed.
vice proparanda. We should indeed
ts thankful Tor a state OF affairs I'M
dsr which Seattle maintains deecncy
ana civic cleanliness 20 so marked a
degree as 70 receive The constant at
iaeks q vice advocates and apollo
sisis, and yet has occasion 20 ar.
rest only five women per day for
causes related TO social vice"
CONTRAST THE CONDITIONS OF
TO-DAY
Ten years later. with a population
Al least half as large again as In
Mayor cotterili's time, my Annual
Report for 1898 showed that during
me year 1922 there were 23.27I ar.
rests. o. which i.1ss we're male. and
ISIS female" The necessity for the
number OF women and girls arrested
vas actually less than In 1919 In
su.te of.the increase Of over $50. 900
population In the meantime. After
discussing the decreasing costs OF
the Police Department under my ad
minlstrafi0n, ! added; The time
uhsn a police officer was merely n
punitive agent Is passed. aud the
sn'iss q this public official now re
e4ire 4 higher standard Of morality.
citizenship. and educational auaiifi.
cations than In former years"
Mayor Co,;eriI was up against the
ana psrverse criticism that have
ben: and the facts conciuslvcly prove
htc Ae absolutely unwarranted and
Yrrus In both cases. Then. as now,
er-tain class OF ambitious politi.
ears did their best 90 blacken Seat.
t.s coed narre To-day. as then. the
sserds 81 the Police Department
=.ss e-=alsss answer 20 the assaults
a hsns and the Outrageous mis-
fspFrxziatlon from which our City
Z nab TO suffer abroad.
Every resident OF Seattle. and es-
ecally those who are defaming our
ci;Ys reputation. ought 10 study the
rzher-wide survey on prohibition re
Gently published by Golfers Weekly
aad republishcd In the Literary
Digest Looking only for facts. those
publications have just given Seattle
hlsh standing for enforcement Of
prohibition laws. They show chat
New York state continues 95 per
ee1t vet: Georgia and louisiana are
- per cent wet: San Francisco and
immediate vicinity are s. per cent
vet: Maryland. Including the Dis
trict Of Columbia and our National
Capital is IS per cent wet
Massachusetts, IS per cent wet Ant
20 i goes throughout the nation.
But along the northern border
west from the Great Lakes. and in
cudlng our own state Of Washing
ton. the whole region Is rated as 81
PER cent dry. though bordering OF
he wet provinces OF Canada. This Il
'ha best rating given any Of tht
states. except n few OF the agricul
tural states remote from the border
This impartial survey proves Sc
attic TO be more diligent and effec
i've In law enforcement than an,
city in the United States Of it's size
ana actually drier than any other bii
city In the United States with IN
possible exception Of Denver. GU
trouble is that some Of our own pee
pie are doing their best to give So
attic bad reputation in this RI
spect. Since he became a candIdat
for mayor. Mr.. Lundin has taken
leading part in this defamation O
his own town. It's bad bushes,
poor patriotism. rotten policy an
puirescent politics TO insist tina. s.
aiile IL so much worse than an
other city. when national publics
tons like Golfers and the DIges
give "a such high rating for d
aency and obedience 70 law.
EDWIN J. BROWN. MAYOR.