New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-11
VICE LEAVES TENEMENTS
CIRCUITS ODD COMPLAINT.
DisOrderly Women DrlUen to Better
Houses-McAdoo's Failures.

Controller Grout, in examining the accounts
OF the Tenement House and Police departments
mas discovered that the operation of the Ten
ement House law has driven disorderIy women
from the tenements to the so-called residential
parts of the city. He says that In this way the
tenement House law has thrust the social evil
20 pos'non OF obtrusiveness and prominence
IN the city so that the town is more wide open
than ever before
In the recent campaign 7 was freoue,+1y
called to the Tenderloin' said the Controller
yesterday. Il am free to say that the so-called
NiSoIuerIy conditions which made the Devery
administration of the Police Department infa-
nous have been rekabiltated, so that to-day
'He town. IN this respect, is as wide open as it
ever was am forced to the belief from an
examination of the situation that the Tenement
I1ouse law, no matter how meritorious tha afne
OF the trainers is largely responsible for the
pau conditions in the theatre district at this
time"
When the Controllers statement was repeated
TO Dr. Parkhurst, he said
1t is a good thing If the working oF +ba ,a,,,
tenement House law has driven disordarIv wom-
Ell OUT OF the tenements. The law was framed
al the instance, largely, of Robert w De Forest
AoEIhef tenement House Commissioner He is
al eider IN my church, and l have a high regard
LOT hln' II turning on more light in the tene-
HleIitS mas driven vice out of them then the law
- II good thing. and we should have more OF
Ihe same thing. If the dsorderIy have been
driven out Of the tenements to other parts of
TIE Town the situation rests largely with the no.
nee l should think. Several years ago the So
ciety for the Prevention of Crime showed that
disorderly women could be driven out of town.
Some people say that disorderly women should
not be bounded about. They suggest sesrega-
tion as a remedy. l personally am opposed TO
that. Segregating the vice and throwing the
mantle Of liberation and indulgence over il
tends to bring contempt on the law. If people
are allowed to hold one law in contempt they
soon will begin to take a similar view of other
laws, and things will go from bad to worse 1
believe that the disordery should be kept mov-
ing Drive them from pillar post. Get them
out of the city"
THE SOCIAL EVIL FLOURISHEs.
How about police conditions generality" Mr.
ParkhursI was asked.
Well McAdoo is doing great work as against
the gamblers, but he is doing nothing at sup
pressing Ranes law hotels or the social evil.
All these laws should be enforced Whether
law is good or not is not the question I am
opposed to Sunday closing of saloons, but so
long the law is the books It should be
enforced. The Commissioner says the police
force is too small TO subdivide it so that all
features of the criminal laws san be enforced.
l agree with Jerome the point that the fcs-s
50 far as posi- e should be used to suppress al
crime. About four weeks age our society wrote
TO Commissioner McAdoo about the disgraceful
conditions in West Thirty-second-st. In three
four days McAdoo moved down those
sorts and closed them. He should have done
this without being requested by any society. 1t
out being told. Perhaps McAdoo is doing the
best he with the poor material he has in his
force. he has very few honest captains and
only two honest inspectors
The Tenement House. law was especially
framed TO keep disorderly women out of the
tenements and it is accomplishing its purpose"
said ex-Commssioner Robert w. De Forest.
The law provides for proper and rigid in
specton both by the tenement house inspectors
and the police. The tenement house depart
ment can notify the owner and compel him TO
take the necessary steps to purify his property.
IF the owner does not act promptly he be
fined. Ordinarily a notice to the owner is all
that is necessary. The Tenement House law is
good thing.
FAvORs SEGREGATION PLAN.
''I think that Mr.. Grout will freely admit that
It IS well that disorderly women should not be
allowed to carry on their practices in the tene-
nents. In handling the social evil problem I
am inclined to favor the plan advocated by Dis
trict Attorney Jerome. He favors a partial seq
regation plan, with a large degree OF RESPONSE
bility placed the landlord"
The enforcement of the law has driven the
disorderIy to other sections of the city"
said Commissioner Grain. There can hardly
be any question about it. That is what the law
was for The idea Of the law that the
dwellers in the tenement houses could i'll afford
70 have the evil near them. as the cost OF NOV
ing away from an undesirable neighbOr falls
more heavily upon tenement house family
Than it does when the family is we'll to do do.
The sufficient lighting OF halls and the more
rigid inspection OF the tenement houses backed
by the power OF the department to cause the
owners embarrassment if the law is not en-
forced have contributed TO 4 vastly improved
condition OF affairs in the tenement houses. The
tenement house districts are no places for dis
orderly women anyway. No one disagrees with
the friends Of the law the propTety Of keep
ing the disorderIy out of the tenement houses"