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About The American. (Omaha, Nebraska) 1891-1899 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1896)
fvQij raA0x7c::o PAP2D, c:a::d otto a friend. V THEx . AMEBIC AM, C1 Vour FrtfM to lUMMIX So , THE AMERICAN jt::;:: h;uh A-:ri::. THE Ar.:nr!CAf4. SOO to JljW I. IJE37. A WEEKLYSEWSPAPEB. "AMERICA lX)ll AMERICANS. We hold that all mn are A nerleans who Swear Allfgtanoa to tb United Btafc-a without a mental narration In favor of the Popo. " , . OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY. JANUARY 24, 1S00. PRICE FIVE CENTS Volume VI. NlJMBSB 4 J.TAY0R SWIFT EXPOSED The Startling Facts Set Forth in the Report of an A. P. A. Committee of Chicago. " Taensands f Dollar Illegally Taken Frem the Xanlclpal Trenry and Handed Oier to a Roman Invi tation. The following report speaks for it lelf: Your committee, appointed at a for mer meeting of this board to investi gate certain matters relating- to the In stitution known ai the ''House of the Good Shepherd," and the chief execu tive of the city of Chicago, having duly considered the matter set before them, beg leave to report a follows: On page 780 of the Municipal Code E. B. Myers & Co., Edition 189 will be found an exact copy of an act passed by the general assembly of the state of Il linois, during the session of 1869; which may also be found In the Private Ses sion Laws of that year, entitled; An Act for the benefit of the Chlcago Err ing Woman's Refuge' for reform, and the 'House of the Good Shepherd,' of Chicago." Approved, March 31, 18C9, The full text of which is as follows: "Section 1. Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois, repre sented tnfthe general assembly, that all fines collected by the city of Chicago from keepers, inmates and visitors of houses of prostitution and from any per son in any way connected therewith, shall be set aside by said city of Chi cago for the sole use and benefit of the 'Chicago Erring. Woman's Refuge' for reform, and the 'House of the Good Shepherd,' in said city, and shall be equally divided between said two insti tutions. . "Sec 2. The board of trustees of aid 'Erring Woman's Refuge,' and the superior and assistant at said 'House of the Good Shepherd,' shall have power to draw,, monthly, upon said fund, by their respective cheeks, that of the for mer U be drawn by the president and countersigned by the secretary, and that of the Uger to be draws by the K, - V aiatay najarlor: al cheeks to be drawn upon the treasurer or other cus todian having said moneys in control or possession. - . " xt.,L,. "Sic. 3 Each of the aforesaid insti tutions shall render an annual account of the expenditures and receipts tq the common council of said city." ... , "Sec. 4. This act shall take "effect and be in force from and after its pas- - , . .... ,., A similar" .act, providing that 10 per ent of the license fees be set aside by the city of Chicago,and the county of Cook, for the use of the Washingtonlam Home in a sum not to exoeed 120,000 in each year Municipal Code, p. 708, Sec 2524, approved, Feb. 16, 1867 has been de clared by it he supreme court of Illinois to be unconstitutional, which, if true, decides the constitutionality of all laws of like character,oincluding the one re lating to the House of the Good Shep herd, and Erring Woman's Refuge, quoted above. Supposing the Wash ingtonian .Home to have drawn ite full allowance since the passage of said law, the enormous sum of nearly 1600,000 was turned from the public funds to the support of a private Institution. In the case of the'Houseof the Good Shepherd and the (Erring Woman's Refuge, it will be impossible to estimate the amount of money paid to them, as the annual; reports of these institutions are few and very far between, and almost Impossible to find, the last one having been made, during the Washburn ad ministration. Whatever the actual . sums so paldjmay be, your committee,' from Information obtainable, do not hesitate to ssy the aggregate sum for twenty-seven years must be enormous. Another feature of the question strikes your committee very forcibly namely, that in onejease the law-making power is invoked to compel the drunkard making1 Industry to furnish funds to re claim its victims, and in the other, vo taries of the social evil are persecuted to reclaim themselves on the good old homeopathio hypothesis that "like cures like." It is within the common knowledge of all who have been observant of pub lic affairs for years that when the exchequer of the House of the Good (bad )4i Shepherd ian low or campaign funds were lacking, unusual activity developed in "the police department, and the chief executive of the great city of Chicago, issued the virtuous command to his subordinates that crime and vice must be suppressed, and be hold! houses of ill-fame, dives, criminal resorts (except the favored few) were raided. Unfortunate street-walkers were lined up in scores and hundreds ?w2m !!'-:'- :iH pi ' f ill j ' . No, thank yon, Petci, we haven't the police court mills were put in opera tion and the fines ground out till the mother superior's face was wreathed in smiles, aad the ambitious politician was maJa harry with visions of tic of all administrations for years under the guise of reform ostensibly, though the Jesuit doctrine that "the end justifies the means" is the real mo tive. For twenty-seven years the House of the Good Shepherd has been illegally using the publio moneys for its support. Its revenues are further increased by sewing, embroidering and laundry work for different firms in this city, among whom were Mandel Bros., Marshal Field, Sohlesslnger & Mayer, Boston Store,1 E. J. Lehman & Co., Siegel & Cooper, American Express Co., Carson Pirie Scott & Co. The Boston Oyster House alone giving them 7,000 napkins a month to laundry. These inmates wash every day In the year, and sometimes all night, and then do you wonder that the mother superior is continually asking for more girls. This institution, though drawing pub lic funds, is never open to inspection. During Governor Filer's administra tion a committee of the Illinois Wo man's Alliance who endeavored to in spect the House of the Good Shepherd were absolutely refused admittance. Applying to Governor Flfer, he gave them a permit to Inspect the Institu tion, but the mother superior refused to honor the governor's order, and told the committee she would give them a ride In the patrol wagen If they did not leave the committee left ' Later the alliance applied to Govornor Altgeld for permission to Inspect the House of the Good . Shepherd, and the governor referred them to Mayor J. P. Hopkins. Mayor Hopkins gave the alliance com mittee the desired authority to Inspect the House of the Good Shepherd, but the mother superior also refused to honor the authority of the Hon. John P., and when asked by the committee what authority she would recognize, she said Bishop Feehan was the only one she would recognize, and him only as far as it pleased her to do so. But the efforts of the Woman's Al liance did not end. here. Falling In regular ways of'gaining information of the Internal workings of the Institu tion, some merry members of the al llance, or their agents, were sent to the House of the Good Shepherd on fines and gained all the information they wanted. Many girls committed to the care of the "Good Shepherd" might better have been given into the care of the ordinary "bad wolf." Many of them have never been out of the insti tution since their incarceration, though their legal (?)iterm of Imprisonment has long since expired because the unfortunates have no friends to Interest themselves in their release. The al liance records contain many accounts y BLOCKING A any use for your scales; ah, jes, foxy look of yours doesn't of the hard fights of friend to obtain the release of victims months after their sentences expired. Others have Informed their friend of their situa tions by aurrertlcHMJjr piatiijr ertes tol tse ares i a w - -w throw. fMM that wf nlnarttaLIioked up by a passer-by. There are booKller Wether1 h 300 inmates in the institution at present and $15,000 in debts so say the mother superior in a recent morning paper article entitled: "Hard Times Felt in the Cloister." She says: "Ow ing' to hard times the nunnery is in straightened circumstances." But your committee beg leave to Inform the holy mother that the decline of her un American institution I owing to a growing publio sentiment that her house is not oonduoted properly, and that the American Protective Associa tion and kindred orders are responsible for this awakening of the publio mind. In a recent issue of the Tribune ap peared the following, which gave rise to the present Investigation: "Mayor Solicitous for the Nuns Likelihood that their House of the Good Shepherd will be Assisted. Mayor Swift ex pressed himself as deeply pained yester day when he learned of the miserable condition of affairs in the House of the Good Shepherd, created in part, at least, by the failure of the city to pay the annual apportionment 'of police court fees which the Institution hat been receiving for nearly forty years. 'That institution, as far as I have been able to learn, is doing noble work,' said the mayor, 'and I'll confer with the comptroller to sscfirtalnto what extent the city is indebted to the nuns. What ever we owe them ought to be paid to them as promptly as possible. Those in charge of the institution are devot ing their Uvea to a work that Is not easy for others to accomplish and they should be sustained.'" Your committee, knowing full well that neither individually or collectively could they get an audience with his honor Mayor Geo. B. Swift, or, if an audience was granted, the information gained would not be commensurate with the trouble incurred, they dele gated to other reliable parties the work of interviewing his honor in his den. Armed with the above clipping, a com mittee waited -upon Mayor Swift, showed him the clipping ar', asked why he was so solicitous for the nuns. His manner was surly and discourteous as he replied that they "would have their hands full If they paid attention to all they found In the papers, and that he did not care to say anything about it." They protested against the payment of the sum of $3,000 which had accumulated from brothel fines. His honor blazed again and Informed the committee "that the money had been paid and there was no use in their mak ing any further kick." (His own words.) The following questions were also PIOUS F2AUD. ' w all know your offer it entirely impira confidence. So long! asked: "Why was this money paid to this private institution?" "Why ware girl Met there from polio court and no nri t:;t ci their coir j la cr ootn I- -" :." risaxsw aV accumulation and e longed to them, but they would get more, a Oomp- deolded that the upE2?Jrt doJlsion in the Wash Ingtonian Homd'Yane applied also to the House of the Good Shepherd." In answer to the other question, his honor referred the committee to City Prose cutor Tatge. This gentleman informed the committee that there was a law re quiring the justices to keep a reoord of those sent to the House of the Good Shepherd and to see that they were re leased when their time expired. He also said that no more girl would be sent there by the court. Mr. Swift was asked It the law requiring the House of the Good Shepherd to make a report of Its doings to the city council had been lived up to, He answered: "No." His honor also informed the committee that the mother superior had always honored his signature when asking for the discharge of girls com- I mitted to the Institution on a criminal charge. In conclusion, your committee wish to say, that not very long ago, when Mr. Geo. B. Swift was a candidate for the high office he now holds when he was apparently willing to barter his soul for votes when the votes of the members of this order in the city of Chicago would have made his opponent mayor In hi stead, a member of this committee arranged a meeting of a committee of the advisory board with Mr.' Swift The advisory committee will corroborate these statements: That Mr. Swift was a most affable gentle man. That he was most courteous. That he was very desirous to please. That he was as good an A. P. A., or Son of 'America, or an American pa triot as one could wish to meet . That he made fair and just promises, which he never fulfilled. Afterwards, in speaking to a friend of the meeting with the committee, he said: "They are awful nice people, and I am glad to have met them." About the same time, It is alleged, Mr. Swift met a committee composed of Bishop Feehan and other members of the Roman hierarchy of Cook county, to whom he made prom' Ises which he has fulfilled, as attested by the city pay-rolls. And this Is the gentleman of whom strangers say "Well, you have the mayor with you!" Indeed you have not We may In the future conscientiously give political aspirants oi this wi a wide berth The mother superior we would refer to the Roman hierarchy for relief from her straightened circumstances, as they hold millions of untaxed property in look county. Patronize those who advertise In the American papers. By doing this you will greatly assist the cause. . disinterested; bat, you see, that TEE WELSH. Txy Lev tla ra'eriaai, feat lie ' LtvUU Aauriea. ' ': EniTOav This Az3'- Eaafilax an article in your valuw?n,i printed from the Denver Ame?t2 am a. Itttl nrnrlwd. and. after vV lng digested the same, felt a little sort,' and with reason, too, tor It trie to oast a reflection upon our people which, to say the least, seem to insinuate that we are disloyal to our adopted country. The word "foreigner" la thrown at us so much that we doubt whether or no you . (the Americans) have really adopted us, even though you have ad ministered to us the oath of allegiance. You must be aware that a foreigner cannot forget the land of hi birth. But I hope that when we have become citizen our love for fatherland 1 not strong enough to impel us to take up arm against our adopted country God forbid itl Thl of aU countries is (while It remain in the hand of Prot- estantt-) the only one in which we can say our soul is our own. We doubt very much whether the Denver Amer ican is conversant with our history. We have fought for liberty ever sinoe the birth of our nation. The Denver American is not obliged to study our language to become conversant with our history, for our history make up much of America' history. We have Thomas Jefferson and the lamented Garfield a example of our noble race. We are proud to say that you will find a smaller percentage of Roman Cath ollcs among our people than among any other foreign nation. Of this we are very proud. Read the history of the Welsh race, and you will find it people which builds churches presided over not by Roman Cathollo priests but by men, men who are brave defenders of the little red school-house. We al' low no pope, no father (?) to dictate to us how we shall worship God or how we shall Interpret the Scriptures. No, thank God, the Bible is so simple that a child can read and understand It, yet stumble over the word purgatory, The holy (?) father on the Tiber would like to embroil two Protestant nations In war; and, should his satanlc majesty create a little unpleasantness between Great Britain and the United States, you will find us shoulder to shoulder, with Old Glory floating over us. I am not much of a scribe; there fore, I submit the subjoined resolutions for your careful consideration, hoping that their publication In your paper will divert, through the force of Amer ican kindness, the stigma which the Denver American is trying to place upon us. A Welshman. The resolutions read as follows: Whereas, A dispute has lately arisen, and Is still pending, between the United Stales and Groat Britain respecting the application of the Mon ro doctrine to the undecided 'contro versy between the lalk:r power and Venezuela; and, Wherkah, Some cfilclal papers, as well as utterances in leading news papers on both sides of the Atlantic, have recently contained some suggoa tlone of war betwt en Great Britain and the United SUtes; ' Now, theiefore, we, the Welsh peo ple, in our National Eisteddfod a-' sembled, in the city of Utica, N. Y., on the tlrst day of January, 1890, while avowing our approval of the Monroe doctrine, and while proclaiming our lupreme allegiance to our adopted country, do hereby reassert our affeo- tion for our fatherland, and unite in publicly expressing the earnest hope that the present controversy may be settled, to the tatlsfaotlon of all, by diplomacy or arbitration. We furthermore desire to give utter ance to our disapproval of war between Great Britain and the United States, provided such a calamity can possibly t- 4 1 (AI A I . -1 a ut3 BTonuu Wiiuuu MHsnuoiDg m groat f principle or our national honor, it is a our.sentlment that the many tokenqe of words, and acts of friendship showf0ars the American people by the people ment Great Britain during recent ieathing should continue the mutual attaolAnttit they have begotten, and - that nothing ooncelvable could give us more sorrow and horror than a necessity of drawing the sword against our beloved kindred , beyond the sea. We would in this oon- f neotlon, and with this application, say. la the words of our Immortal Grant,' "Let us have peace," , i . , - BUBXED FEOTESTAHT B1ELE& Feravlau Eels Ute Ktaek tf fee inert can 8ckty-Kre Will Ee Seat. Lima, Peru, January 16. The mayor of San Miguel te-day aelsed and cawed to be burned In the public square of ta city all the Eibles and stock of the local agent of the American Bible So ciety. Niw TCSK, January 16. William Blake, the 1 " r rf the American Bible, Ec:J """v v: .- "Our" Ctli.1s -ian. Attribution of war PKlfcii L.-- k and every new aad U&n they seise oan0 stock and aestreylt. What will ba. fawnwMar. wnat oan we aor u They Lave destroyed th Bible ba fc fore, they destroy them bow, and will probably destroy them again. But ., . just the same, we shall continue to tend our Bible there. Rev. F. Pen sottiia our agent in Peru. Only two year ago he was imprisoned there for no reason other than that he was din- , tributlng our Bibles. He was kept in jail for five or six months, and was only released then through the Interposi tion of the state department In Wash" ington." The Manitoba Issue. Sir Mackenzie Bswell speaks in th heroic vein when he says: "We shall take an official cognizance of the re sult of the Manitoba elections: Our policy of remedial legislation has been announced, and will be carried out" But "our policy of remedial legisla tion" is so distasteful to those upon those whom it Is intended to inflict It as to have Insured the election of more than a two-thirds majority of national school men to the legislature oMdanl-. toba. Manitoba Is but a province of the minion of Canada, and in some quaV" tnrn thara still survives a tradition that provinces have no rights that si perior govern xents are bound to spect But against this feebly survl lng tradition there is to be set the fi that on this American continent som! thirteen provinces suooessfully defii the superior government, and pi claimed themselves independent am United States. The declaration of these provinces that "all governments are instituted by and derive their just powers from the consent of the gov erne 1" is not without approval In many pa-. ts of Canada, and most especially In the Province of Manitoba. Grave results may follow Sir Macken zie's unooncillatory speech. The people of Manitoba tax themselves for the maintenance of free schools. More than three-fourths.probably five-sixths, of them desire that the schools shall be unsectarian, and that they shall closely resemble those of the United States. The minority Invokes the Dominion government to aid It In thwarting the will of the majority, and Sir Macken zie espouses the cause of the minority. If, which Is doubtful, the Canadian par liament endorse the policy of the prime minister, very serious outcome may fol low an attempt to coerce the people of Manitoba. inter Ocean. I rot i s - t if V r