The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-07
m,,a nlnol.ness of Darltneas,

sSioonsine prostitution" No. we have
,,ovor discussed the ghastly subject, and have
never expressed any opinion one way OF
.nabero. A few weeks ago, in brief nara
tive of tour which we made through the
baants. of infamy in New York, we incl,
dertally alluded to the hidepus magnltuI1e3 q
the evil in this city, and to the practloai ui-
entities in the way of suppressing or restrain
ingI. Lei us express our views unmlstaka-
N the Subject is only half as disagreeable to
orrl. readers as to ourselves, we hereby peg
their pardon for asking their attention 10 Va
third time within three weeks.
oIScensing prostitution is one thing, anu
enforcing upon it sanitary regulation - .
totally different thing. When we lately spoke
of s,iob tssanitary regulation of course our
oityS readers knew that our alluslon was 10 Tue
praiseworthy efforts of the gentlemen com
nosinp the Board of Health, who, together Win
fbe Polfoe Commissioners, constitute the
Excisa Commission. AS to 'licensing prostl-
tuition. the clergy and the police, instead OF
holding opposite views, as we are quoted 10
have said, hold, as we happen 10 know, loenti-
oalIv the same views-that is, both
tbe clergy and the police are equally
opposed to licensing. During our investi-
cations, we did not meet a single
policeman among the many with whom
we conveTsed, who expressed himself IN
favor of islicensng prostitution On the
other hand we met with only a solitary
policeman who was not heartily in favor OF
the "sanitary regulation" which Mr.. Schultz,
Mr.. Acton, and the other gentlemen to whom
we have referred have wisely imposed on
prostitution. As an illustration, thanks to
these men, no house of prostitution in this
city is now allowed to sell liquor. If,
therefore, the police hear that in any
dance-house in Water street glass OF
liquor has been sold, the very fact that it
was sold in such house is, Of itself, evil
denee that it was sold without license.
Now, until Mr.. Acton and his colaborers
made this courageous and wholesome regu-
lation, every dance-house was not only a
brotheI, but also a grog-shop. The objec-
ton by the solitary policeman to whom we
have referred was that it, for instance, a
drunken sailor, after purchasing his liquor
at one place and his debauchery at another,
should at last find himself robbed, it would
be almost impossible for the police to track
the theft to the place of commission.
Accordingly, the officer was of opinion that
a crime could be better detected if there
were but one place. instead of two, at which
the police were to look for the criminal.
But we do not agree with the objection of
this officer. On the contrary, we approve
the counter practice of the Commissioners.
1t seems to us eminently expedient-in fact,
absolutely necessary-to cut off the liquor by
which the dance-houses are set on fire of hell.
But, if this view be correct, then it is as plain
as pike-staff that except for the Excise law
a measure which, in our judgment, is one of
the most salutary ever devised in the interest
of public order-no such prohibition of grog-
selling could be accomplished. And yet seve-
raj well-known clergymen, and other radical
temperance men, severely condemn this same
benefoent Excise law, feeling themselves COM
promised by it on the ground that it ''licenses'
the sale of liquors. Now we think that such
Clergymen, if they would take the trouble to
make such trip as we lately made, would be
convinced by the police that the Excise law,
and the regulations of the Commissioners as
to houses of prostitution, are needful and in
dispensable public measures.
The Rev. DR.. Bacon lately wrote at con-
siderable length in these columns to show that
a prOhibitory liquor-law could not be made,
even in Connecticut, to accomplish the pur-
poses for which temperance men designed it.
Still less, in our opinion, can such a law be
made success in this city. But the Excise
law-thanks to its inherent common sense,
and also to its magnificent enforcement lis a
daily victory. Now the chief and most i'm
portant instrumentality of this victory is this
very regulation against houses of prostitution.
Let us give another illustration of Sanitary
regulation" We quote from the Board of
Health's report to the Legislature:-"All
keepers of houses of prostitution and assigna-
tion shall be registered; so shall all prostitutes
who live in these houses" These names. ac-
cordingly, are kept in alphabetical order in a
ledger Of shame-not open to public inspec-
tion, but for the use of the police. Now, vio-
lent objections are made by certain moralists
to this registration, on the ground that il
savors of Cleansing or 'legalizing." But
the police know, if a few clergymen do not.
that to blot out this book and to destroy this
list would be to endanger the good government
OF the city. Moreover, if the Board of Health
keeps, as Sanitary regulation" record Of
births, deaths, and marriages, why shall il
not also keep, as SANITARY regulation, - q
record of houses of prostitution
Let as add another illustration-not of q
SANITARY regulation" F" but of what we regard
as hyper criticism upon such regulations In
some of the hospitals and dispensaries which
receive aid from the State, and which of course
treat their patients without charge, it is pro
posed by the hyper-moralsts to charge al
patients whose diseases are incurred through
prostitution, on the ground that there mus
be some moral mark set upon such disease
above other diseases. Now, if it be moral,
wrong that public hospital should treat Ger
tain diseases ,Oitbom pay, then it is moral,
wrong to treat such diseases for pay. In othe
words, the simple payment of money by tn
patient does not, in our opinion, alter tn
moral character of the act of attempting t
restore such person to health. In fact,
seems almost incredible that such objection
should be made by reasonable people; but the
have been made to such a voluminous degree
and by such eminently respectable parties
that the Board of Health have been constraine
10 report them to the Legislature for adiudi
cation There is such thing as "strainin
at gnat and swallowing a camel''
L., Al %,