Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-11-01

hour.
objects to sIurs on City.
To the Editor of the Evening Star:
Sir-Your account of the meeting
held on Sunday in P%roctor's Theatre
and the organizing of the Civic
| League, was read with interest, but
the most interesting part of the en-
tire article is that part which says
that the assemblageA resolved ito
| lessen and suppress the brazen and
Haunting vicious conditions of social
life by which the fair name OF our
city has been dragged in the mire"
and ito put aside for this purpose all
party and political considerations"
The slurs cast upon our city do
not appeal to the writer, who has
been brought up here, and who has
a fair recollection of the conditions
Of the city in the past.
It would be useless to deny that
vice exists, but what are the causes
for these conditions? Is the fact
that a few places in the city harbor
women the reason for their exist
ence? Certainly not. Would the
closing of the places complained of
6IaU1CdI6 L16 GfLtt IN ORu0C0 Va
vice must be traced to other reasons
Root out the and the places
complained of win purify themselves.
But how will this be done?
Every intelligent study of the
social evil has resulted in the
Recommendation to seg1 egate and
keep under supervision, and not
to scatter it about the city.
The writer well remembers the
conditions in this city ten and twenty
years ago, when vice was scattered
around the city among h homes of
the working class. Newark has
grown tremendously in these twenty
years, but vice has decreased in the
same period. Up to a few weeks ago
the citizens Of Newark believed their
city to be one of the cleanest in the
country, its officials efficient, its
standing morally, financially and in
dustrially second to none They be-
lieved that the commission of crime
and the extent of the social evil was
but normal and kept in check as
much as possible.
Certainly they knew that sin ex-
listed in the world and that Newark
was not free from 1t, that the social
evil was present and would be, along
with other crimes, as long as human
nature is weak and poverty exists;
that similar conditions existed in
other places and that evil was less
rampant in Newark than in most
communities of its size. The writer,
who has visited other cities in this
country, can testify that Newark has
less of the social evil than a good
many cities of less population in this
country, and. that the pride of the
people of Newark was a just one.
1t seems queer, that up to a few
weeks ago Newark was known as a
fairly clean city, when suddenly some
agency is used to scatter mud over
the fair name of Newark, but when
you study the situation and read the
news items from papers all owe the
country you find the reason for the
mud singing. Examine these news
items and what do you find? You
find that the main factor in this cru
SADIE is an organization that is or
ganized not for the elimination of
vice, but an organization whose sole
aim Is to drive the liquor traffic out
of business, and as usual Is using the
political field to accomplish its aim.
If the conditions complained of exist
today they existed some months ago,
and yet not a murmur was heard
from any one on this subject. Why
only object is ito lessen and sup
press the brazen and Haunting vicious
social conditions of the city," wait
until a few days before election to
start with their publication crusade?
The answer is very plain; it is a
political game and nothing more. The
as set forth by the organizers
of the Civic League is a good one,
but let them take it up in the right
AS usual the Anti-Saloon
League finds it necessary to get some
political party or candidates for Of
fee to take up their case, and to
whom should they go but the party
candidate in opposition to the
party in power. II they wanted the
city cleaned up there was a way of
getting the matter properly before
the city administration months prior
to this, but thai would not have been
wise in he eyes of those in charge.
The fact that the Republican can
didate for mayor has taken up the
cudgels of the league is proof enough
that it is a political game. Let me
ask those who made up the meeting
of October q whether or not they
have ever made a study of the vice
question. We might ask the honor
able candidate that has taken up this
u whether he has taken this mat
ter into consideration.
Wages paid to women and girls that
barely enables them to live. much less
to dress decently, has made more
vice than any other cause. So long
as these conditions exist, girls will be
forced to seek some revenue other
than that which they receive from
the daily toll. Let me ask those who
have taken a hand in this crusade to
at home and see If they are not,
perhaps, indirectly causing the social
evil to spread. The writer does not