OCR Text |
Show CHIEF OPPOSES THE 0PE1O0FS0UP I HOUSES . Salt Lake Feb 18 B P. Grant chief of Sail Lake City police, dc-, dc-, plorea the establishment here of "hobo soup houses" and advances j some rather pointed argument in support sup-port of his position. In an Inteniew last night Chief Grant said. "I Lake no issue with citizens who, according to report, are contributing I to the support of these places, for their intentions doubtless are of ih-I ih-I best, but 1 very much fear that they have not analyzed the situation. This sort of misdirected philanthropy la a thing that is bound to react very seriously upon the welfare of this City, as I believe I ran convince any business man who will take the time to talk with me thirty minutes During the present winter, when other sections of the country, includ nz the larger towns in Utah, outside out-side of Salt Lake City, have been hobo-ridden until the condition has he come an insoluble problem, our city has boon kept practically free from ibis undesirable element And how" Simply by saying to the migratory class commonly referred to as 'floaters' 'float-ers' that they are welcome to threo meals a day just so long as they aro willing to perform some work in pay mcnt therefor Free Meals a Menace. ' In my humble opinion, Salt Lake City will open wide her gates and hang out the welcome sign for the riff-raff of humanity by providing free meals for all comers I am not denying the unfortunate fact that there are worthy men here out of employment, and hope that some plan will be devised which will gie them work, but the free soup house is not the solution There are men with families dependent upon them who need work, and I should like to see the legislature pass an appropriation providing employment at the oapito! grounds. If this is done our lawma kers will find that there are more U -, II,.. lli'au , .1 J-W.. lUI-ll llJctll lllCJt fl U T 1UC for, and that every one of them can show that others arc dependent upon his labors, and that he ia a citizen, and in many instances a taxpayer. Xow those are the men who need to be helped; they ate our own people spend every dollar they get for their work with our local business houses and many of them are raising up children chil-dren to become good citizens. "On the other hand advertise to ;'he wnrlil that Salt Lake City maintains main-tains free soup houses and eerv un-I un-I desirable character that can beat his way Into this town will come here The holdup, the housebreaker, the petty thief and all the scum of the earth will be with us in numbei-s. Then what will happen'' Citizens will be up in arms demanding to know j why their homes and families can-,not can-,not be protected. They will do thh without pausing to figure out how helpless would be a police force numbering num-bering less than one officer to every 1000 population in coping with th jsituation Prediction Is Made. "I will wager that no fewer than 5000 hoboes from the smaller towns of the state, all within a night's ride on a freight train from Salt Lake City will hasten here jf it becomes advertised adver-tised that free soup houses are main-I main-I tained.' |