The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-11-02
| T he White Slave Traffic
From Address Of Clifford g. Roe Of Chicago Before the
Mayors and Health Officers Of Iowa.

The simplicity Of the system en-
i ployed by the waite slave agents re
veals its greatest danger to the wei
2 fare of the country. The white slav'
! traders keenly realize the humal
weaknesses. They work along the lin
of least resistance. Frequenting pub
lie dance halls, nickle theaters, amusc
ment parks and all places w.ler'
crowds gather, they easily become &C
quainted with the girls whom they lurt
into captivity. II they stopped there
this traffic would not be so dangerous
to the welfare Of the country, but the.
go further. They roam about The
stores, haunt factory communities ant
other places where girls are employed
and even devise various opportunitie:
and schemes to enter our very homes
If great good could not be, accom-
plished by publicity. there would moi
be any reason for telling you tonight
about facts which are so black and
lrevolting. 1t is because of the fact
that the people gathered in this auli
! ence WELD great influence, meeting
/ people, advising them, protecting
them and guarding their health, that
the various methods employed by the
white slave traders should be clearly
| understood
In the making of white slaves there
are three stages, which careful anal
ysis of hundreds of cases has re-
lvealed. The procurers must become
acquainted with the girls and win
tleir confidence. Then they must get
them into immoral houses. Finally,
the girls must be kept in those houses.
The bats which the procurers flaunt
in the faces of their proposed victims
are love, vanity and ambition.
The proeurers, by pretending to be
in love with tae girls whom they meet.
gain their confidence and upon prom
Use Of marriage entice them away
from their homes.
Those girls who think it is smart
to flirt are fooled by the procurers,
who appeal to their vanity by telling
them how pretty they are, how beau
tiful they would look in elegant clothes
and diamonds, which they say can
easily be had If the girls will follow
their advice.
Ambition, the most worked method
of all, lures the majority of waite
slaves into-captiyity. In most instances
the girls are honest in their desire
to better their condition in life. They
crave a higher social position.
1t may seem strange that girls can
be led astray so easily; that they will
fall in love at first sight and go SO
unhesitatingly and confidingly VITA
almost utter strangers, but truth is
stronger than fiction. And while we
may not sympathize with this girl, be-
| lieving that she was perhaps partly
responsible for her own downfall, we
can not help but realize the terrific
| traffic which the story of every case
reveals It reveals the systematic in
| trigues of the procurers to make good
girls bad and bad girls worse. 1t seems
/ to me that this system is just as
4 vicious and dangerous to society, when
men and women plot and plan to make
bad girls more degraded, as it is to
procure innocent girls for lives OF
shame.
/ The Maynard girls, VINO flirt mere
| " for the fun of flirting, who frequent
dapoo l,aJl. 4o,d yoop, oIn,,t the cfrpats
at night, are the ones who are most
easily entrapped by the vanity method
Who are fascinated by the brilliant
lights of the city, who have restless
desire to peep behind the curtains
upon the gaieties of fast life. are mo-
wholly unwilling subjects until they
: find themselves victims of the foules
slavery. They are easily flattered
, and vanity leads them into the hay
labyrinth of sin.
The procurer makes no distinction
between the innocent and the way
ward girl The hayward girl is easl
prey for him, while the procuring o
innocent girls lends zest and sport tt
the hunt. 1t is undoubtedly true tina
in many cases the girls have leaning
toward this lie before they are LEI
: into it by the white slave hunters
I however, it is equally true that man.
good and innocent girls, WAC ARK
!, seeking to lead honest and Legitimate
: lives, are sold into white slavery
Most OF the good girls who are pre-
cured are victims OF the ambition
method.
), The question OF white slavery i
!. economic as well as social The cond
> tion Of the working girl, the low sal
aries paid by employers, the denir
for better clothes and the great il
crease in the number of girls carr
!, ing a livelihood contribute their shar
! to the downfall of girls.
! The greatest desire of the girls !
Il TO better their social condition, an
q that is wish which is laudable an
b honest and one wbica should not b
e disparaged for moment. Necessit
d often causes parents to encourag