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Show VICE AND DRUNKENNESS ki , IN SALT LAKE. j Three weaks &go The Standard gave ill! an account of the experinco of an Og- i I I r denite in Salt Lake, who was invited (J I to have "a drink," and of a party of Ogdenites in a cafe where liquor was being freely served. Since then investigations have been carried on in Salt Lake, and. as a result, re-sult, there is a serious row brewing which promises to create a sensation. No one familiar with conditions in Salt Lake will deny that the capital is flagrantly disregarding the prohibition prohibi-tion law, and, equally as offensive to deconcy. bawdy houses are on almost every block in the business district-Where district-Where are the great moral forces of Salt Lake City? Asleep? Ogden is not so deeply concerned as to what Salt Lake does except, insofar as Salt Lake's remissness directly affects af-fects thfe welfare of tho people of Ogden. Og-den. Salt Lake is a big part of Utah, and if the liquor laws can be openly ignored and made a farce in that city, then Utah, including Ogden, will slip back to the days of rum. The attention of the war department has been called to the conditions In I Salt Lake, and there is a possibility Ithat Fort Douglas will be abandoned, iif an improvement is not made. On this subject the Salt Lake Tribune has been forced to make this admission: In reality Salt Lake is on trial before the federal government. A federal law passed last spring making it necessary to clean up-and up-and keep clean towns close to military reservations has been ignored ig-nored and the United States authorities au-thorities have begun to take notice of tho fact that Salt Lake Is ranking rank-ing Itself with one or two other cltieB- whose police officials have seen fit to defy the federal government. govern-ment. Moreover, we have a prohibition law on the statute book. Legally this city is dry; actually it is woL Intoxicated soldiers have frequently fre-quently been seen staggering through some of the principal streets to the rage and indignation of decent people, who have resented resent-ed the non-enforcement of the prohibition pro-hibition law when Its enforcement would do so much good for our soldier boys. Vicious harpies have been- permitted to ply their trade, thus subjecting the soldiers to other oth-er perils which the federal law sought to remove. In a word, there has been a failure fail-ure on the part of the police department de-partment to suppress flagrant vice and naturally this failure is ascribed as-cribed to J. Parley White, the head of the department. We are not here making an attack upon Mr. White which can be described as in any degree prejudiced. Wbat I we have stated is matter of common com-mon knowledge, and matter of widespread disappointment and indignation. in-dignation. Mr. While, whatever the causes, has failed to make the police department de-partment effective against vice. Bootlegging and gambling have thrived and evil women have flocked Into Salt Lake, knowing that they would receive protection. protec-tion. ! The situation has been deplorable deplor-able or a long time, but the patient pa-tient people of Salt Lake had waited wait-ed for what they believed would be a radical change In the depart- i ment. Instead they discover to their sorrow and amazement that the old regime is to be perpetuated. perpetu-ated. Mr. Scheid has announced that he Intends to recommend the I reappointment ot the chiof under whose administration there has been a notorious failure to enforce the laws against vice. 1 oo |
