The Cairo bulletin., 1910-02-13
can make no difference inSother elee-
tions, in which party lines are drawn.
SEGREGATE AND REGULATE.

| Inc SOCIAL eNlI is Hut d Pic"'""'
lsubject to discuss in newspaper, but
Lit must he discussed when it forces
,IItssli upon public attention In the
Eway.f 1t has been in Cairo during
1.-The siast week. and that is not all: !,
tElalk Is not ehonet ann Is worse ihan
| Useless II 1T does, not lead Ito some
sort of action that will mean better
conditions in this city. l.. N.
| In nearly eevry comnfGnlty in
this country, that has passed the
| town or village stage, the social evil
lis an unpleasant problem. There are
honest differences of opinion regard
ling il. and probably everywhere there
! is a strong feeling that there ought not
/, to be any district given over to vice
From high moral standpoint this
view is unquestionabiy right. !, Our
state and city laws. AMI the laws in
nearly all the states and cities OF the
country are prohibitory.
1t. is repugnant to the moral sense
of American communities generally
to recognize it as a necessary ev'
which some contend that II is: and
as such to impose stringent laws for
its regulation and restriction. In tn
respect the American people differ
from European countries, where the
governments have. taken the evil in
hand and by system OF rules hold
it within bounds and restrict its in
fluence for harm. The arguments of
fered in favor Of this system are that
the evil exists and has always existed
in every community, in spite of laws,
and that attempts to enforce pronib-
itoly laws have uniformly resulted in
Scattering 1t to secret haunts, where
its demoralizing influence among the
youth was more subtle and more po-
tent than before. These arguments
have held good very generally in
American cities also, with the result
that, in spite OF the prohibitory laws
on the books everywhere, the system
OF segregation has been adopted. up
on the theory that when kept confined
to narrow limits the evil can be more
easily controlled and rendered least
harmful to community.
In Cairo there has not been a fair
test of this theory and practice for
some time past. We have had segre-
cation to but very limited extent.
The evil has been permitted TO es-
tablish itself in dozen or more To-
calities and on as many different
streets; and its regulation by the po
lice department has been but little
better than pretense, in so far as
rendering ii least harmful is con
cerned. There have been more or less
notorious resorts on Fifteenth street,
Seventeenth street, Eighteenth street,
Walnut street, Cedar street, and q
number of other streets down town
and up town; but the most notorious
have been Fifth street and Thirteenth
street These last named are known
the country over as Cairo's streets of
vice, and il there were no other rea
son why they should be abolished, that
would be sufficient, for it would. more
than any other one act could do, give
the outside world to understand that
Cairo has tarted on new era In its
moral life. On these two streets, To-
Gated as they are in the heart OF the
business life OF the city, this vice
flaunts shamelessly and disgustingly
in the faces of citizens and strangers
who would avoid it and--it ought to
be suppressed.
Harsh words are sometimes used in
criticism of the people who own the
property where these women hold
forth, and even of those who supply
them with the necessaries of life. 1t
islands to reason that If these women
are to be- permitted to remain in a
community at all they must he
housed, and fed and clothed; and
criticisms of those who supply these
needs is not in order, except where
they would, as a matter of personal
interest stand in tise way OF move,
Iment which is plainly dictated by re
interests of the community.