The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-01
White Slave Traffic in This
Country Not Fault of
The Americans.
A REPORT TO CONGRESS
1T is STATED EUROPE TEENS
WITH IMMORAL WOMEN WHO
ARE ANXIOUS TO LIVE LIVES OF
SHAME HERE

providing for universal action of the
powers toward the repression of the
White Slave traffic, has been de-
clared by Daniel J. Keefe, Commits
sioner General of immigration, to be
practically worthless"
The failure Of this. convention to
accomplish the good expected was eX-
planned in a report of the Commits
sioner General, which yesterday was
transmitted to the Senate by Presi-
dent Taft in response to a Senate res
olut1On. In summarizing an eXhaus
tive report Mr.. keefe says:
"Practically no cooperation at pres
ent can be expected Of the signatories
as regards the enforcement of our i'm
migration laws, with which some Of
the powers are found to be out of
sympathy.
1.-The prOcuration of innocent wo-
men and girls for purposes of de-
bauchery has seldom, if ever, come to
the attention of the Bureau, and as it
Is the purpose of the treaty to pre-
vent such prOcuration, the treaty's
usefulness ends there.
Even with the passage of new leg
islation with stringent provisions this
bureau, which has been designated
by the Government in the repression
of this traffic, will not be in position
to enforce properly the same without
specific financial provision.'
Felt Europe's Pulse.
After the ratification of the treaty
the Bureau of immigration sent let
ters to the proper officials in foreign
countries to ascertain the degree of
sfgnatory powers.
The net result of the replies was
that no cooperation could be looked
for except in specific instances.
The reasons for this were many
among them being the lack of legal
authority, but the principal one
"seems to lie in the public attitude
toward those women who make pros
titution a business, the idea being that
the Government has no right to inter-
fere with those who follow such
life from choice"
An agent OF the bureau who visited
England, Belgium, Austria, France,
Germany, Russia and Romania
reached the conclusion that there
is no such thing as an international
organiZation-that is, close corpora
tion-having for it's object the exploit
tatlon OF women in various countries
by means of the practice of prostitu-
tion."
Few innocents Imported.
This agent reports that innocent wo-
men or girls are rarely imported into
this country. The great bulk of the
women come in as the mistresses of in
dividuals, subsequently adopting Or be-
ing forced into life of shame.
Innocent victims. the report says.
are selected by procurers in this coun-
try. Discussing conditions he found
in Europe, the United States agent says
the large cities were found to be so
infested with women of immoral ten
denotes. living in poverty and dire
squalor. that they were only too eager
to embrace the opportunity of living
comfortably in a life of shame in this
country. Consequently, procurers
who desire to get fresh supplies of wo-
men for their resorts in the United
States are not forced to reduce and de-
bauch innocent women when, with
much less expense and danger. num-
bers of women can be found ready to
accept their terms.
The crowding of immigrants in the
congested districts of large cities is
much less prevalent than is popularity
e., nd No 80
bad living conditions among such i'm
migrants is much overdrawn. accord
ing to the report prepared under the
direction of E. A. Coldenweiser.
An Exhaustive Report.
1t makes a volume of approximately
600 pages, is based on study of over
10000 households in some of the most
songested districts of New York, Chi
cago. Philadelphia. Boston. Cleveland,
Buffalo and Milwaukee.
1t shows that the population of con-
gested districts is composed mostly of
vecent immigrants, one-third of the
families canvassed having been in the
United States less than five years, and
two-thirds less than ten years
In the cities covered it was found |
that there was an average of 1874 per- |
sons per 100 sleeping rooms occupied, |
including kitchens, and an average of |
:o,3so persons per 100 sleeping rooms. |
The number of persons per 100 rooms |
occupied in the different cities follows: !
Boston, IA; Philadelphia. IA: New |
York. and Cleveland. 139: Buffalo. 133;
Chicago. 1876: and Milwaukee. loo.
The growth of foreign colonies in |
large cities is attributed by the COM
mission to immigrants generally join |
ing their friends and relatives and re-
naming near them for time at least, /
but more general distribution of the
older immigrants has been brought !
about by economic progress and de-
sire for better surroundings.
Three Times q Day.