The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-03-09
LAL EVIL PROBLEM
60 s ssE1 l1BERT FIAMP s ss$1
vosk COMMITTEE REPORTS
,,,rnsELY ON REGULATION.
b.,v Remedy Lies in Moral Influence
Ill., engagement Of the Social Con-
ditions OF the Poor

a I. considered by many the best
has come to light In this coun-
a ,ho control OF the social evil 10
81 ne,rs in the form OF II report ny
4 cn,m,ttee of Fifteen" which has
h ,o,d,ne with his problem In New
n cl.y The major part OF the book
q s,od 70 Weighing Of the results of
,1 regulation. or experimentation, y
= ropean cities, prepared by Mr. ALVIN
&hnson. instructor In economies III
z vawr college; and the committee says
Il .ork that I'm no other publication
"A 40 ho found So comprehensive or no
Il .toten,ent Of the problems involved"
4 abolition Of the social Vice the com
4 doe. not appear to consider possible
.,,rce has shown" 1t declares, the
i n measures that aim to abolish
4 governmental or municipal reg
H. is considered at great length the
$luea reaching the conclusion that ~
has nroved conspicuous failure.
III hnndred years Of experience, ana
practically unlimited power 10 dral
n Irastitutiop MS it will. tue most per-
!.
II" is found, lis mQnifeStly unable
n.itb H." and "New York represents
~ dtfsrult problem with respect Ia
e,ncotatiop than Paris or Berlin. There
H. strong moral reasons against at
III regulation. Tho New York Even
tn,, rt FIX This work will bring Joy 10
hearts of those men ana women, tne
II ovsr who. like Mrs. Josephine r.
H have given their lives to opposing
fnment regulation the system OF
n tho state or the municipality he
II PARTNER In the traffic and en-
H. TO make vice sHfe and cnsy. The
M 81 this Hndeavor from every poiut
fev is absolutely. demonstrated by the
Entrees monograph. The alleged sani'
4 odvantagps are shown to have little
\ foundation In fact. and to he Of Ito
Etance ms compared with the moral
hrsntores. The committee afdrms that
4 prouuds alone would have led them
aclare government regulation int lerae
'This alleged panacea for what the
nttee rightly charactcrizes as an in
ply complex phenomenon. Intangible and
Enable. full OF practical and moral
rultles, II denounces as no panacea
mn and the facts and statistics bear
\ beyond question. Tho arguments here
cited will he an inspiration aud an aid
nti.rogulationiSts for decades to come,
should forever silence the superficial
ker who secs In government control
aasy way out. merely because IL has
attempted abroad, The moral senti
In American cities has long been ir
cahly and irremovably set against reg
lon. But If ii were not. this beacon
he committee would of Itself prevent
Steering Of 50 false n course
abolition and State control are both
,ssible, what does the conmittee rec
iend. then? Moral regulation. 1t rec
lends the reformation Of the ''RaineS
hotels and, as the Evening Post OBJ
ps, the committees expose Of the al
lnconceivebly nefariOus part Of tho
es law hotcl has played in the recent
I spread of vice in this city viii aston
aYen those who believed themselves ia
ar with the subject" There does not
10 he any evil feature of this and its
d forms Of vice that these "hotelS"
not made worse. Since the commit
report was published. Senator Raines
introduced into the New York State
nature some amendments TO his law
N he thinks will kill the fake" hotels
have caused much OF the evil The
nlttee aiec makes other recommends
J which seem intended To ''lead not
temptation the Young and those born
nfOrtunate surroundings and influences,
to deliver from evl' those who SO de.
Alter discussing tneSp fecOmnennl-
! at some length, the committee, sum.
zes them In the following paragraph.
he better housing If the poor, pnrer
IS NJ amusement, the raising Of the
tlon Of labor, especially OF female
!, better moral education. minors more
more Withdrawn from the clutches NJ
by means Of reformatorIes. the sIr'ad
'ntagion checked by more adequate hos
accommodations. the evil itself uu.
ngly condemned by public opinion az
. against morality, and punished as
inc with stringent penalties whenever
lkes the form Of public nuisance
are the methods OF dealing with II
which the members Of the comr.ii,
ave united, and from which they hops
the abatement of some OF the worst
s consequences Mt present, and for the
and gradual restriction Of its scope
lie future"