Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1912 — LIFTING THE LID IN RENSSELAER [ARTICLE]

LIFTING THE LID IN RENSSELAER

Drew Out a Large Crowd to Men’s Meeting Sunday BUT NARY A LID WAS LIFTED ® ____ ’ • ■ ■ ~ ■ <- Although There Were Hints of What Was Going On to the Detriment of the Morals of the City. ' The insinuation in the call for the meeting at the court house Sunday afternoon ifor men only that thfe lid Would be lifted in Rensselaer, drew out a big crowd of the curious, besides those really having the welfare of the community at heart, and while not all the sports in the city—long noted for its sporty proclivities—were there, there was quite a sprinkling of poker players and the sporting fraternity in general in the big audience. (The meeting was held in the east court room in the court house, and every chair was filled and even the standing crowded. Almost everybody was expectant and when Rev. Harper got up and called the meeting to order and stated the object of the meeting was not sensational, there was some disappointment shown in the faces of many who seldom get in a room where there is a preacher if they can avoid it. Rev. Harper stated that the meeting was called to discuss law enforcement and help to bring about in general a. better and higher type a of citizenship in Rensselaer. He had no specific violations of the law to expose, but hoped that a better sentiment would result in favor of an enforcement of the law and the upholding of the officers in their work. After a couple of songs by a male quartette, Dr. Loy was made chairman of the meeting and J. F. Bruner secretary. A brief outline of the program as it had been arranged was handed the chairman and from it he called the names of different 'ones for talks. Among those called upon were J. A. McFarland, L. H. Hamilton, Rev. Parrett, J. L. Brady, C. W. Duvall, Mayor Meyers, Marshal Mustard, W H. Parkison and Abe Halleck. Lynjan Zea was not called upon, but he spoke anyhow. The talks of each were very good, and every one had some good ideas along the line of law enforcement. Attorney Parkison thought we should- have Y. M. ’C. A. rooms where our boys and young men could go and have some recreation and not be forced to spend their idle moments and evenings on the streets or in worse places, or in gambling. He thought more attention should be given to reform-

ation and less to punishing. The idea of a Y. M. C. A. was taken up by other speakers and seemed to strike a popular chord, and it may result in something being done toward either erecting a Y. M. C. A. building, or renting rooms for such an object and making a clean and popular loafing place, where the town boy or man or the stranger within our gates can go and spend a few hours or an evening surrounded by good influences Instead of bad. And we want to say that The Democrat is heartily in favor of such a move and will do everything it can to help it along. It believes it would be money well spent, find some of our wealthy people can not leave a better monument to their memory than a liberal endowment for this most worthy undertaking. 'Mayor Meyers was considerably worked up over criticisms that had been made of the course adopted of enforcing .the law, not technical enforcement, but an enforcement of the more glaring violations, and said that one man who had criticised such enforcement was a man of family, yet he goes behind locked doors and teaches young boys to play poker. He thought a man who would do such a thing was pretty low down, and, while the mayor mentioned no names, there were many who could give a pretty shrewd guess as to whom he meant. Mr. Meyers said that, white some of the criticisms that had been

made, had hurt, he was determined that open and flagrant violations of the law should not be permitted and the marshal’s head would come off at once if he winked at them. There was nothing personal in getting after the gamblers, the bottleggers, et cetera, but there must be a stop to such law violations. Marshal Mustard said that .he had tried to be a faithful officer and do his duty as he saw it without fear or favor. He, too, thought there was- more criticism of law enforcement than commendation, but other speakers, including Mr. Brady, made it plain that while the law violators hit had made more noise than the masses who were law abiding, the latter, while endorsing ahd •upholding the Mayor and offibers in doing their duty had not gone to them and slapped them on the back and told them so. The law abiding people were always in the majority, but they did not make so much noise as the other fellow. » Mr. Hamilton jnade a very nice talk, and among other things expressed a truth that we should all remember, and that id if gambling, drunkeness, immorality, etc., existed or was long allowed to exist in any town or city it was because the people themselves wanted it; that what was permitted represented the moral status of the people comprising the town or city. To have a clean, ' moral city we must have a clean, moral sentiment to back up the officers in their work. Mr. Bruner made a few remarks about, the laying down of the prosecuting attorney and his deputy Mr. Davis, in the gambling investigation that had only just got started when the deputy must go home and see his principal about going any further, and when he (Bruner) called up the prosecutor by phone the prosecutor “would have . to see his deputy couldn’t act without “seeing the prosecutor” and the prosecutor couldn’t act without seeing his deputy—and there you are. Nothing further was done. He said. They (the sports) call these!

“little social garhes, gentlemen’s games, in which no one can lose, nor win scarcely anything,” and yet it had been shown in the ivestigation made that one man had lost S4O at one time, and others almost as much at other times. "Gentlemens” games indeed they were, but the “gentlemen players” took the coin just the same. Mr. Bruner thought a fund should be raised to employ legal assistance if necessary in the future, and to this end the treasurer of the permanent organisation was directed to circulate a subscription paper for that purpose. The permanent organization of a good citizens league was forified by electing L. H. Hamilton president; J. A. McFarland, vice-president; John I. secretary, and J. F. Bruner treasurer. Another open mpeting will be held the first Sunday afternoon in April.