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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1901)
i VOL. XVI., NO. VI ESTABLISHED IN 18S6 PRICE FIVE CENTS .. LINCOLN, NBBR... SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 0. 1901. THE COURIER, BMTXKKOnC THE POSTOFFICE AT LINCOLN SECOND CLASS MATTES. AS PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY BI IK CMRIEB rRIITIIG AND PUBLISHING GO Office 1132 N street, Up Stairs. Telephone 384. SARAH B. HARRIS. - Editor Subscription Rates. Per annum tl 50 8ix months 1 00 Rebate of fifty cents on cash payments. Single copies 05 The Cockier will not be responsible for vol sntary communications unless accompanied by ratam postage. Communications, to receive attention, must be aimed by the full name of the writer, not manly as a guarantee of good faitb, but for publication if advisable, OBSBRVAT 1 OBSERVATIONS. t 1 "A Study in Crime." Mr. Joseph M. Deuel in Town Topics has collated a comparative study and .tables compiled from the police re ports of one hundred of the large cities of the United States so scat tered as to cover all sections of the country. Mr. Deuel's object is to show the moral tone and condition of one hundred cities in comparison with eacli other. Actual arrests made during a period of twelve months, mostly for 1899 or for a year ending in 1900 were the data used and as the basis of computation is identical the comparison is fair and just. It is gratifying to know that Lincoln has a high average of good behavior, even if the thoroughfares and public build ings are very dirty. Mr. Deuel's aver ages are computed on a basis per one thousand of population. According to the census in 1900 Lincoln had 40,169 inhabitants. Grimes such as larceny, burglary, arson, frauds, per jury, forgery, felonious assaults etc. Mr. Deuel classifies as mala in se be cause these crimes involve moral tur pitude, as to which police vigilance and zeal are fairly constant every where and influence and pulls play an inconsequential part until after ar rest. In 1900 then, the proportion of mala in se arrests to 1000 population in Lincoln was only 2.09 as compared with 9.43 in Mobile Alabama, 7.G7 in Little Rock Arkansas, 7.57 in Spokane Washington, 7.41 in Omaha, 5.57 in Denver Colorado, COS in Peoria Ills.. 24.81 in Fort Wayne Indiana, 4.11 in Davenport Iowa, G.87 in Topeka Kan sas. "Savannah leads all other cities in serious crimes, Lexington in as saults, Atlanta in disorderly conduct and in volume, Spokane in intoxica tion, disorderly houses and vagrancy, Covington Kentucky in gambling, Manchester N. H. in excise Lincoln Nebr , is the most economical in po lice expenditure, and has the largest numerical ratio between police and population; the cost per capita for police protection is only thirty eight cents, and there are 2,678 inhabitants for each member of the police force." The excessive gambling rate for Cov ington is explained by Chief Pugh thus: "We have, during the year from one to four pool-rooms operating daily, and the name of the party op erating each is placed upon the docket every morning and a plea of guilty accepted and a tine of 812 each entered and paid." The revenue from four pool-rooms a year is therefore $17,120, half of which is given to the city library fund. Apian like that oper ated by Covington in dealing with pool-rooms is in vogue in Maine, and in western prohibition states, in the treatment of saloons. Portland Maine lias 30.89 and Bangor 40.96 drunkards in each one thousand of population. Lincoln has 11 92. Boston and Spo kane Wash, eacii has more drunkards to population than New York city has of all crimes on the catalog. vor, I got to do him one aint I? The City Hall people want their graft just as much as I do, an' they aint lyin' about it. A town ought to be either open or shut, an the gang ought to say which it's to be. We know what Chi is, an' that's why we hold 'er down." Mr. Flynt's testimony is exact and every committee ot investigation into the police administration of the cities informed against corroborates it. He says that the surest-evidence that a city administration is hostile to the grafters and determined to en force the laws against them is their desertion of a town. That Lincoln is deserted of professional grafters is shown by the testimony quoted, taken from the report of a New-York sta tistician, totally disinterested in Lin coln except as to getting a report from the city which should add to the number of cities examined and make his data more exhaustive. Mayor Winrretfc was elected by the order-loving- people of Lincoln with the understanding that he was to en force the laws and shut up the town. He has kept faith with his constitu ency He appointed chief of police Routzahn were city detectives in the Graham administration when these gambling houses ran without moles tation: Saunders and Webb, cor. 10th and P streets. Louis Huldburg over the Abbey saloon. So. 11th St. George Bradcen, cor. 9th and P street. Rhody McNamara North 10th St. be tween O and P. Langdon and Uont zahn were frequently found in these places, placidly watching the gamb ling. Glcason and McNamara. were sent to the pcnitentlary.forgamblingv The blessings of an orderly tow are not appreciated until another ad ministration has set it wide open-. Mr. Woodward can only succeed ir his ambition through the apathy of republican voters, with whom Mayor WInnett has so established a reputa tion, that they do not take into ac count the votes which an incessant candidate can occasionally control. "One striking result of the tabula- Hoagland with this understanding. tion disproves the general belief that a higher ratio in seriousness and vol ume of crime is a concomitant of very large centres of population." This report taken in connection with the discoveries and revelations of Josiah Flynt in regard to the col lusion of the New York and Chicago chiefs of police with the habitual criminals located in those two cities, establishes the integrity and good faith of the police department of this city. The credit and honor of ridding the city of "grafters" is shared by Police .ludge Comstockand by chief of police Hoagland. who fulfil their respective and complimentary duties to the full intent and purpose of the laws made to repress and punisli crime and drive criminals away. "In spite of last year," (1900) says Mr. Flynt in February McClure's, the concensus of opinion among the graft ers, witli whom 1 talked was that Chicago is the best stopping place for tramps and thieves in the United States." A sort of a king among the grafters said to Flynt tint he liked Chicago because it was ''honest." "The City Hall gang went intootlice on the promise that the town was to be open, an' they've kept it open. Course they've got to put up a little blull when the reformers get after 'em, but I know, 'an the push knows that Chi," (grafter's slang for Chica go; "is goin to be 'right for the likes of you an' me as long's the push is in power." I know ex actly how far I can go an and what 1 can do in Chi, and that's the reason I feel so at tome. It's the same way with the gun (thief). Course he's got to cough up to the coppers ev'ry now an' then, but that's fair enough. You can't get somethin' for nothin' any Some of the policemen are not above reproach, but the citizens have con fidence that the excise board will dis cipline them and get rid of those who offend against the law and a strict in terpretation of a policeman's duty. Mayor Winnett has no favorite saloon keepers. Those who pay their licenses and obey saloon restrictions are pro tected against irresponsible saloon keepers who pay no attention to the restrictions against closing time, sell ing to minors etc. The mayor's strict and exTact interpretation of his duty according to the laws of the state and the city charter deserves the com mendation of all lovers of law and order. His services to the city are carefully and faithfully rendered. If such services are uot almost unani mously recognized by the 4000 repub lican voters of Lincoln what does it profit a man to deny himself and ser ce, except for the secret and final com mendation of his own conscience? When the day of the primaries is at hand every republican voter who loves his town and knows the differ ence between a demagogue and a man will deposit a vote for Mayor Winnett who is about to conclude the first term of a notable administration. j J His Friends. Mr. Woodward who is asking the nomination for mayor has not a coun cil record that can be of any assist ance to him. His anxiety to be mayor leads him to make foolish promises and derogatory friends. Those who seem to be most interested in his nomination now are ex-policeman M. F. Williams, detective Pound, ex constable Bentiey, A. C- Langdon, O. M. Routzahn, Pat O'Shee, Bud Gritter, Captain Murtin where. If the copper does me a fa- and pawnbroker Adler. Langdon and The Normal School. The Peru Normal school is an old institution. It has.furnlshed hun dreds of good teachers to the state. To move it from Peru, where it lias been the educational center forso long would have been a ruthless act. Lincoln does not need any more edu cational institutions and there were many disinterested citizens of Lin coln who rejoiced, when" the bill for the establishment of a normal school here was defeated. The defeat of Mr. Thompson's senatorial ambitions, largely through the influence of his townsmen, may have deadened the in terest u! the Lancaster delegation, in Lancaster appropriations, but "It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good" and Peru is the gainer. The normal school is Peru's only distinc tion and dignity. Lincoln's crown is jeweled with the State university, Wesleyan university and Union col lege, jewels which are (contrary to the nature of gerusiconstantly increas ing in size and lustre. Our Manners-. It is a thankless and barren task to call attention to the misdemeanors and vices of our own townspeople, but the need cries out. Citizens of Nebraska are not likely to acquire a reputation for culture, exclusiveness and conceit for some time. If there were more and deeper reasons for self respect there are a number who would be willing to run the risk of a reputation of self-righteousness. In Nebraska the amenities of life are trampled upon now with the same disregard as in the early sixties. There is only a change in the outward appearance of the men and boys. The youth in the university are vainer,, they wear high white collars and m longer stutT their trousers into their boots. But they chew tobacco and spit on the floors of the class-rooms so that the girls who chance to occupy the same seats, an hour later, must r . ;'1 vm M . til i. '- il N fl
