Weekly journal-miner., 1910-01-19

to ignore hideOus facts, and the fact
 in this case are completely hideOus
 We love to talk about the great
 good we can do, our power to elimin
 ate evil, ct cetera, but we will really
 never accomplish anything in thC
 way of practical reform until wt
 are willing to grit our teeth and dc
 as men do who effect great legisla
 tive reform. We must aequaint our
 selves with actual facts; we must
 get at the bottom of things.
 "For the actual conditions that
 prevail in every American city to 8
 greater or less degree, I will rete,
 you to the report of Prof. F. M
 Fairehilds, writing in the Arena for
 March, 1S96-to the statement given
 out by the convention entered into
 by the Imperial German government
 on the 18th day of May, 1904, at
 Paris, with the governments of Bel
 gium, Denmark, Spain, France, Great
 Britain, Italy, The Netherlands, Port
 ugal, Russia, Sweden, Norway ana
 Switzerland, for the purpose of check ing in those countrys of the re- speetive signatory powers, the organ ized traffic in girls, which is de- clared by those who investigated it, to be carried on around the world. The resolutions of this convention were ratified by the contracting pow CTS at Paris on the 18th day of Jan uary, 1905, according to Charlemagns Tower, the American ambassador to Germany, in his report to the Secre- tary of State. The articles of this convention form an interesting doeu- ment. I wish every woman present would read it. The entire report can be found in House Documents, Volume l, containing the president s message and report on foreign rela- tions for the 59th Congress.
 "A few years ago it was stated to the House committee, which was investigating the emigrant question in New York, by the president of tho Woman's National Industrial League, that syndieates exist in New York and Boston for the purpose of sup plying young girls from the emigrants arriving in this country, and from this source alone they procure 10000 victims annually. Agents even go abroad in the interest of this ne- farious business. They advertise in all languages for girls, promising light work and good pay, and when the girls come they are detained.
 "A book entitled 'The Traffic in Girls, and the Florence Crittenden | expose many of the traps laid to ensnare girls, some of them as young as twelve years, and the sad | dest of all is this achievement of the child. The schools, private as well as public, the factories and big department stores, are the ma,n source of supply, and from them plenty of recruits are received.
 "Mrs. Charlotte Edholm said at the Baltimore Congress: T stand here in the presence of God to say that of the 29O,OOO erring girls in this land, fully three-fourths of them have been snared and trapped and bought and sold.' This is a state nent that has never been contra 1icted. When we realize that the average life of the white slave is i've years, we can understand what m immense traffic it must be to ob- -ain this number for the United States alone, while in Germany. France, England and Japan, like .rafie goes on, and this condition not only exists, but it is growing to m alarming extent. It menaces Amer can wOmanhOOd, American youth. American civilization. We can no onger afford to remain silent and Inactive in this matter.
 ''It is true we have not the power If the ballot, else we would rise in 'ur might and sweep this curse from he face of the land For it is the history of the world, when grea. .alamities have visited the people, rom the time of the Spartan mothers o the Red Cross nurses in the 'panish-American war, that the vomen could always be counted upon [ O do thier duty. Shall we, of the wentieth century, with the age of , development and culture behind us, ,e lacking in the necessary stamina ; nd moral courage to rise and stamp ut this traffic in human souls9
 ''With us, the representative Amer ( can women, lies the remedy, the 2 Oree that can eradicate this terrible ( 'lague and save our youth and save (