New-York tribune., 1908-02-16
INFLUX OF PROSTITUTES.
Alarming Increase in New York in Last
Few Years, Says Prison Worker.

Is New York being filed with foreign prostitutes
who come straight from the same craft in the old
countries ply their trade more prohtabiy in this
city?
Miss Alice 7, Woodbridge believes this to be the
case and she has studied this particular class long
enough to give her opinion some weight MISS
Woodbridge has for fifteen years been the lnvestf-
gator for the New York Woman's Prison Associa-
ton. She is in sense missionary, but ex-
amines conditions in prisons and jais, the work
ings of laws and everything that concerns the
woman criminal and upon her reports the asso-
citation bases much of its legislative and charitable
"Foreign prostitutes have been increasing steadily
in New York for years past, said MISS
Woodbridge and within the last year the increase
has been very noticeable. Great numbers of them
are women who prostitutes in Europe. Ho"
do know? Because they tell me So That is hard
" a thing any woman would tell unless II were
true And because they begin their trade irmedi-
stelv on landing. They not girls who nave
come here to get work and not finding it have
fallen into evil, They are the women VINO never
did any work excepting in the homes Of their
parents or perhaps in the fields, women who never
had a trade or belonged to the industrial world
Should they not be deported? Certainly Great
numbers of women whom 1 have found in station
houses arrested for street walking nave told me
that they have been here only six months, three
months six weeks, three weeks. One girl at the
eth street station one night told me through an
Interpreter that she had been here three weeks
She could not speak word of English She
wore a handsome dark red suit, fine hat heavy
with plumes and white lace waist she couio
hardly have earned such clothes by work in this
country in three weeks, and a woman able to earn
such clothes by work in the old country would
hardly have emgrated to find work
Why aren't they deported?
Miss Woodbridge smiled curiously
who is going to deport them?' said she, The
law says they shall be deported' 1t does not say
upon whom the burden of carrying out the la"
shall rest. The police magistrates will not do It,
| have very seldom heard a magistrate ask such
an offender how long she been in this coun-
try, and 1 never knew a magistrate to have one
deported. The Police Department never moves. IN
reality devolves upon the private citizen 10 see
that the deportation law is carried out. And II
is A weary and burdensome effort to make
Amy person arrested can say he has been mere
any length of time. 1t devoives upon the private
citizen prove that the offender comes undef
the law The records at Ellis Island have to be
looked up for that and it is Wearisome business.
l think every immigrant entering the country
should receive kind of certificate showing
when he landed. and that he should be required
to keep this for reference and produce it when
called for until ne is naturalized.
SMALL PER CENT AMERICANS.
In the new 23d Precinct, the Tenderlon. up to
four years ago Italian. Hungarian, Slav or
Russian street walker unknown Now the
ajority foreign born. Not more than one
third the prostitutes in New York were born in
America And this prostitute immigration is bring
ing into the country class infinitely lower than
anything this country has seen before except
ing the few French prostitutes that always came
The American girl of evil life is almost always
fallen woman She has fallen from better sta
tion from higher ideals. She possesses the sense
shame, and / have seldom seen one so hardened
that that sense of shame could not be aroused.
have seldom one who would not show tears
and penitence if she sober and spoken
Tho rjo,f ElIT fnrpt pnt
fallen women at all. They never had any higher
ideals They never fell from anything. They
have no shame. They do not even comprehend the
way their trade is regarded. Time and time again
1 have heard one in the station house. What
l arrested for? l wasn't doing anything. /
was just tending my business.
In fifteen years experience ] knew an
American born woman in this business who had a
husband and living with him. But large
majority OF tbs Italian. Hungarian, Austrian, Sav
and Hebrew prostitutes of New York to-day are
married and have children. Women who about
TO become mothers are frequently arrested for
street walking. Their husbands not only know
they the street. but send them there. One
such woman driven out by her husband, who
would go and watch her. If she let go
by without speaking TO him this husband would
come up and beat her We got him arrested and
sent to the workhouse for six months. That's all
the punishment there IS for such a These
husbands are often workmen. To me there is some
thing about that than about the cadet sy3-
tenn. where man enslaves a woman and lives off
her. When n husband sends his wife and the
mother of his children into the street there is
caIm cold -bIooded acceptance of prostitution as a
legitimate business which. to me, is lower and
more dreadful state of affairs than even the cadet
system. II is the kind of people who have these
standards who are increasing New York every
day. 1t seems it is hardly a good basis for
future citizenship.
of course L not pretend to offer any remedy
uhnle ,t,a
is not necessary that New York should be filled up
with foreigners OF that class or that immigrants
should be allowed to think that they are free to
add to their income here by sending wife and
mother into the street. Some way should be found
10 make the Law work readily and systematically
"a dsnort ANY roman arrested fnr ST. walking