The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-16
VICB IN LONDON.

Dealing With Women of the Pave
 English Drunlxenness-The Salvation
 Army's Work.
 London Jan s.
 To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
 Like all movements against the social evil, the campaign recently inaugurated for clearing the streets of London of their daily and nightly carnivals of vice, is making headway very slowly. On the surface of things there is not only no appearance of change, but no evidence of any of the activities which might be thought to presage change. The deyotees of vicious pleasure are as brazen-faced as ever in their abomina- ble traffic, and the police as convenient ly blind as ever. It would seem as though the movement had struck a snag. The public think the authorities are at fault. while the authorities, as usual, lay the blame upon the public. Just what the situation is at this time, and what the difficulties are, and how little hope there is for any radical re- form in the immediate future are points which have been made only too sadly obvious by a recent interview With MT. Ritchie, secretary of state for the home department It is from the department that the police get their in structions, and from the same quarter would have Tn To the existing laws. So that what MT. Rltchie has just said on the subject to a distinguished deputatlon from the Westminster city council may be &C., cepted for the present as the final word
 At the head of this deputation was the Duke of Norfolk, who, besides be- ing Earl Marshal of England, is also ex- mayor of the city of Westminster. In addressing MT. Ritchie he said 1t was the very strong wish of the Westmins- ter city council that something should be done to remedy the disgraceful con- dition of many of the public streets. He knew, of course, that it wasn't pos- sible by legislative means or police en- actments to remedy all the evils which existed, but there were some localities
 
 to the country, chief amongst which were Piccadilly, Haymarket, Leicester Square, Regent street and Charing Cross. At present in these localities the young and innocent were needlessly exposed to temptation and all kinds of persons were subjected to perpetual an- noyance. These crying evils, said the Earl Marshal, ought to be summarily dealt with, and if the existing laws were not sufficient, there must be fur ther legislation.
 The next speaker was MT. Jaxone chairman of the Westminster watch committee, who urged that what had been done in Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield could also be done in London. A man might walk the streets of Birmingham from twilight to nightfall without being solicited. This deputation, he said, was the outcome Of a memorial to the city council of West signed by eighty-ive hundred inhabitants, pratesting against the nightly condition of the localities re- ferred to by the Earl Marshal. In a few months. continued MT. Jaxone, there would be the coronation, when the 1 best and noblest of the empire would be here, with thousands of visitors from every part of the world, and the council did not wish the streets of Westminster to be polluted on that occasion as they now are. Not that they were puritan- cal but men of the world though they were, they felt that for the honor of the | empire and of London something ought to be done
 MT. Ritchie's reply to this deputation, coming from the highest authority in England and from that department of the government which controls the po- lice, is worth the serious attention of | those in all countries who are anxious to suppress vice. There is a strain of hopelessness in it such as social reform CTS are all too familiar with, but there Is also in what he says frank state ment of difficulties such as cannot fail to be instructive even though it may end somewhat to dampen enthusiasm. ie fully agreed that the evil complained of was serious one, and was not sur- 'rised that the governing body of West ninster should come to the home secre- ary asking for a remedy. He warned hem, however, that the remedy was lot to be found in police measures. Suppose something drastic were done in he particular districts indicated, would he result be to abolish the evil or mere y to drive it to other districts? He vas afraid the deputation had rather what had been done in Liverpool and other ,laces, but, in any case, London was so rast and the difficulties to be dealt with lere were so great that what might be l airly successful in a provincial city night be failure in the capital of the mpire. It must not be forgott ten either MT. aitchie went on, that there was a great 1 eal of pity felt in many quarters for he poor unfortunates who were com lained of. and many persons thought l hey had been reduced to what they f tere by the sins of others who could [ ot be got at. So that the police had to e extremely careful. It was also to be i orne in mind that not only yc~nen col ( ected in Piccadilly at a certain tiire of V fight, but men also, who were not ill the east annoyed by what took place, but ere attracted by it. In seeking to f ring women before the magistrates the q office would necessarily come in con- , act with these men, some of whom f 'ould not hesitate to give evidence in , )urt in the women's favor. Indeed, the ' office, he said, had more than once met i. -ith a humiliating fall on account of il