The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-24
STRONG ARGUMENTS
TO THE COMMISSION
Restricted District Issue Is
Making Deep Impression
is MORAL CRUSADE
Speakers Claim They Do Not Hope
to Reform Present Inmates, But
to Prevent Others From
Going There

which it has been steadily progressing
ever since its inauguration, the moral
side of the movement TO remove or abol-
ish the restricted district was taken up
at the final hearing before the city COM
missioners yesterday. The nearing began
at Il o'clock and continued with un-
abated fervor until after o'clock.
Secretary w. NJ. McGrath of the Asso-
c.ated charities, DIR. George Eaves, the
Rev. Frank Willis Barnett DR.. L. c.
branscomb, Methodist presiding elder
and Attorneys Borden Burr and b. M.
Allen constituted the speakers.
What will be the final action of the
commissioners is unknown. IT is being
freely predicted however, that the COM
munity in question will be abolished and
that Birmingham will take rank among
the few cities of the union which are in
augurating this movement. Members of
the commission stated yesterday that 1t
would be anywhere from week to 10
or - days perhaps before they were able
to reach decision. Much data upon
their own request was presented to the
commissioners by Attorney Burr and
they will go over this thoroughly before
final action is taken.
Grows Into Reform Movement
Starting from an unprotentious petition
fl ON the Amzi-Godden Seed company the
sole purpose of which WAS financial bene-
fit the movement to abolish this COM
munity has grown into n full fedged
reform movement with all the moral,
sociological and reform phases that ac-
company such campaigns. Attorney Bor-
den Burr voluntarily has admitted that
he entered the matter merely on mer-
cenary basis as attorney for his clients,
the Amzi-Godden company, but that
when he began to assemble data and
study the subject he became converted
tc the moral and sociological side of 1t
and he has devoted much of his argu-
ment to that phase of the question.
Mr.. McGrath led the arguments yes
terday talking from a sociological. moral
and reform standpoint. lie read extracts
from digests of the report of the chi
cago vice commission, in which city the
restricted district has been abolished. He
stated there were 5OO,0 600 scarlet women in
-
600 recruits every year to furnish this
rumber All of the speakers yesterday
advocating the abolishment of the COM
munity stated that they did not claim
it would cure the evil but that 1t would
better it to a certain extent; they stated
IL at what they were trying to do was not
so much to reform the present bad women
of Birmingham as to guard what are
now innocent girls from becoming the fu-
ture bad women of Birmingham.
Cities where this step has already been
taken and taken it was claimed, with
success, according to data furnished from
officials of these cities, We're named as
Chicago, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids,
Milwaukee, San Diego, Cal, Canton, u,
Atlanta, Thomasville, Ga, Rochester, N.
Y. Wilmington, n. c., Seattle, Wash,
omaha, Neb., Philadelphia and others.
DIR. Eaves Presents Views
DIR. t,aves made one of the best speeches
of the hearing. He handled the matter
in a concise dispassonate series of argu-
ments that followed each other in natural
sequence. He followed the theory that
because a thing is established Is no rea-
son it is right, mentioning the fact that
people once believed the sun went around
cured the facts they had to change then
minds He said it was the same way with
the question at issue, that new facts had
been uncovered in the constant evolution
of man and he had found that there was
n new and better way to handle the social
evil DR. Eaves admitted the social evil
always had existed and stated he be-
lieved it always would exist, but that 1t
could be more harmful at times than at
others and that was the phase which gov
ernments could regulate. DR.. Eaves paid
a remarkable tribute to the Hebrew race,
which he stated had come nearer solving
the social evil than any other people that
ever lived and that for that reason alone
they had survived through the ages as no
other people had, although the race was
scattered to the four winds and perse-
cuted by many governments and that at
the same time the Jews today almost
dominated the financial, social and moral
affairs of nearly every country on the
globe
The Rev. Mr.. Barnett made passion
ate plea taking the moral side of the
question for his arguments. Dr. l., e.
Branscomb orally presented resolutions
from the Pastors union by which that
organization respectfully requested the
commission to abolish the district. DIR.
Eaves again arose and stated that al
though he had no authority, he suggested
that If the district was abolished the care
of the inmates be put in the hands of
the churches "and let us see what they
will do with them"
Attorneys Conclude Arguments
Attorneys Allen and Burr then closed
the hearing with Commute addresses. Mr..
Allen claimed that if the commission was