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The Shame of a CityMR. F. W. YOUNG, manager of the Connor hotel, has been acquitted of the charge of renting a room in that building for gambling purpose?. Mr. Young testified under oath that he did not know that there was gambling paraphernalia in that room, or that gambling was being conducted there. The jury believed him, and, accordingly, tho gentleman walks no longer in the shadow' of a possible felony.It is not the province of an individual or of a newspaper to question the Jury’s findings. And sluce the law, by tradition, presumes a man innocent until proven guilty, surely public opinion will declare a man’s innocence after the law has written him not guilty.Bo, the public opinion of Joplin today will say that F. W. Young did not know that gambling was being conducted in the Connor hotel.BUT PUBLIC OPINION EMPHATICALLY HOLDS THAT F. W. YOUNG. AS MANAGER OF THE CONNOR HOTEL, OUGHT TO HAVE KNOWN THAT GAMBLING WAS BEING CONDUCTED IN THAT HOTEL.And in that reservation Mr. F. W. Young ought to read the very striking difference between being legally absolved and being morally absolved.THE pity of the whole wretched affair Is that a great injustice has been done the city of Joplin. The responsibility of this injustice is easily placed. The order of the classification is optional. We choose, first, to assess the culpable, if not the criminal, negligence of F. W. Young in furnishing the opportunity for the striking of a dastardly blow' at the repute of this community, jt Next comes the brainless, poppinjayish vanity of an administrationthat seeks publicity and exploitation regardless of the costs or consequences to the people of Joplin.And last of all comes the man w*ho by profession wears the accollade of the “better element’*; who pretends to the gleam and gloss and shimmer of a righteousness that marks him “holier than thou’* and infinitely finer than our own poor, common clay. We refer to Mr. P. E. Burton, Joplin’s defamatory journalist.We do not know w hat. Mr. Young’s plans are; nor do we care to know. But if he remains as manager of the Connor hotel we suggest to him that he get acquainted with the persons employed in the several capacities of the management of that hotel's business. We believe that the force of Ms employes could be so organized that It would be impossible for another gambling outfit to establish themselves surreptitiously and without liis knowledge under that roof. For instance, if Mr. Young should request an audience of his housekeeper this morning, -we have no doubt that the audience would be granted. And if he should instruct her to inform the employes under her supervision that they were to report to her whenever beds were removed from rooms and mysterious furniture substituted, she to relay this information to him, we fancy that Mr. Young’s unsophisticated ignorance would be suddenly punctuated with enlightenment in the event of an incognito gambling joint being set up in his menage.As for the administration, with its Nick Carter detective agency and | its coadjutors of chameleon politics and tessalated moral impulsions—t well. gentlemen. vmir umils nf /Umonclnnc Viotrr. arnln KnunOR(EHVfcClhP-t\lorlt;KiiYr*arLERebfLrcGotT1eafrClqvfothlitorccInm
Newspaper Details
Joplin Daily Globe
Joplin, Missouri, US
Wed, Dec 15, 1909
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
MO, USA 26 Apr 2018
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