The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-25
VICE COMMISSION REPORTS,

/ There has been in recent years a DIS
! tiuct advance i'm the study of social
vice iu municipalities on scientific aud
practical lines IT viii he remembered
that the city OF Chicago entered upon
an exhaustive investigation Of the social
/ vices IN that city some years ago. and
/ made report thereon. The report was
/ the most exhaustive aud instructive OF
| any that has been made IN modern
times on the subject It dealt with the
matter thoroughly, and the report II
self shows with what Intelligence
and statesmanIike grasp the whole sub
! icct was treated
And now there follows from Mime
/ apolis the report Of a vice commission
which has hccn investigating the un-
! derworlG in that CITY The report OF
! this Minneapolis commission is in moro
! general terms. with far less details and
! incidents than the Chicago report car
| red; but, il is confjrmatorv report
as TO the conclusions reached by the
| Chicago commission. Vice conditions
in Minneapolis were carefully studcd,
and the facts cyhaustivelv collected.
! Inquiries were made by thc commits
sion also into the world s experience
in this difficult field OF inquiry, and,
as stated. tho agreement with the CON
cusions Of the Chicago commission j.
practically perfect,
The conclusions Of both commissions,
arrived at unanimously. arc that segre-
cation, regulation. or official tolcra-
ton in any form Of prostitution is not
only ineffective but is vicious and de.
morahzing 10 the municipality, Both
commissions agree cmphaticaliv that
Tho only policy 10 hc pursued is that
of the strict enforcement Of the laws.
II is significant 10 note that, although
a majority of tho mcmbers Of the Min
ncapolis vice commission entered upon
their inquiry with q strongly developed
opinion that segregation waB the right
thing for tho underworld. the final con
illusions Of the commission were uugni.
nous thar such segregation was indie.
fcusblc in itself and wrought evil in
the community. The commission was
unanimous in reporting that the only
possible thing that community eau
rightly do Is to suppress this evil With
a strong hand and stern resolve, where
ever IL is TO be found.
Not only is this conclusion so
reached by the independent iuQuiries
Of impartial and Intelligent commits
Sjons in the two cities Of Chicago and
Minneapolis coincident in every re.
spcct, and IN accord in recommends
tions. hut these recommendations ara
directly in line with the best moral
sentiment Of the country. as we'll as
with the lcgal aspect Of the case. For,
it is impossible As a legal proposition
for officials to tolerate this vice and
Iawlcssncss any more than any other.
II Is against the law, and II is the clear
duty of the officers 10 support the law
as they arc sworn 10 do.
These reports, while not the final
word on the full question, appear to be
the final word upon the phase of 1T
which was under investigation. An.
other and vastly important fea
ture of the subject is, what to
do with the vicious! Until that
question is fully studied and the
solution Of it reached in practical
way. it cannot bc said that any great
progress has been made in dealing with
the question. II is all well enough 10
SAY. as every ono must say. that vice
must bc suppressed and the vicious re-
strained. But the vicious we have with
us. and what shall We do with them !!
On this VIC Get no light from the re-
ports.