The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-12
THE FIFTEEN REPORT
VICE STALKS BoLD-EYED IN THE
METROPOLIS.
BAD Tenement CONDITIONS.
IMMORTALITY BREEDs THERE By
WHOLES. ALE.

Gambling Raids Were Successful and
Showed ROttenness of PoIice-A
study Being Made of the Social
Evil Problem and a Report to BE
Submitted-COnditio of the Tene-
ments i'm Relation to the Social
Evil AIarming-District Assembly
Halls Urged as Meeting Places for
the People.
New York, April 1.-THE committee of
fifteen organized some months ago to in
vestigate vice as it exists in this city,
made its preliminary report to the public
to-day. This report will be followed by
others from time TO time as tine commit
tee deems necessary. The report says the
committees agents, by investigation, dis
closed the fact that gambling and pool
rooms were being operated openly in vio-
lation of the law; that the gambling spirit
had been developedy to such an extent as
to become a distinct menace 10 the com
munity and that these resorts were un-
doubtedly protected in their operation by
officers whose duty 1t was to close them.
Raids were made by the committee and
its agents. and the results obtained show
conclusively that committee of citizens
can force the police to close such re-
sorts, thus proving that vice is protected
and also that the raids have resulted in
making the gambling business unprofit-
able.
Studying the Social Evil.
The committee has been collecting data
from different countries and intends pre-
pairing a report embodying suggestions for
the treatment of the social evil problem
in great cities. 1t does not feel that the
best interests of the city will be served
by any violent attempt to suppress this
evil, but it is hoped that the forthcom-
ing report will present such information
and recommendations as shall enable the
community to face the situation frankly
and to deal with it conservatively and
wisely.
Condition of the Tenements.
The committee says that the actual con-
ditions of the tenement house population
is alarming in respect to the social evil
and that in 125 tenement houses that
were examined by it's agents and in which
disorderly women were living, there were
found in each house an average of twen-
ty-four children under the age of eighteen
years and the committee is collecting evi-
dence which will be utilized to eliminate
this evil. 1t is also investigating the or
ganized traffic in young girls by the So
called cadet system.
A Wise Suggestion.
The committee recommends with earn
estness the necessity of providing suit
able places of meeting where the people
in each neighborhood can come together
and discuss the evils that menace their
civic life, and where they may from time
TO time meet their legislative representa-
tives with view of obtaining from them
an account of their stewardship ana
where remedies may be proposed and dis
cussed. Therefore. the recommendation is
made that in each assembly district one
suitable assembly hall shall be built.
which shall be kept available for such
citizens meetings, and it throws out a
suggestion that these might be built In
connection with the new public libraries
which are likely to be erected in every
mart of Greater New York