The Sentinel=record., 1913-03-23
ILLINOIS VICE COMMISSION CON. FRONTS LARGE NUMBER OF
 ALLEGED cuRE-ALLs.
WOMEN URGE THE BALLOT
Say They Will Raise Age of Consent and Take Other Means-society Girls Fall Oftener Than
 Working Girls.

Washington, Mar. 22.--The whip ping post for white slave traffickerf and seducers of women, a tax upon Dachelo1hood, more careful training of children and abolition of joy ridet and ragtime dancing were advocated as remedies for the social evil at a nearing here today conducted by tht Illinois Senatorial .rce commission which came to Washington primarily To interest President Wilson in a nation wide crusade.
 The commission secured the prom ise of President Wilson to consider tneir request for him to call con. ference to be held in Washington as soon as practicable Congressman Robert Hill of Illinois agreed, upon request Of the committee to intro duce in congress bill creating a commission to look into vice condi- tions in the District of Columbia.
 At the hearing attended by many prominent women and men interest ed in social welfare work. the low wage question as cause Of girls go- ing wrong was discussed. several ot the witnesses decrying the idea, in. sisting that lack of education and resisting force had much more to do with the downfall of women. Men, too, were blamed as primarily respon- sible for the degredation of girls.
 Witensses who declared that low wages were not responsible for social vice. admitted, however, on being questioned by Lieut.. Gov 0'Hara, the head of the commission, that high. CT wages for working girls would better equip them to resist evil and all recommended that minimum wage law for girls would be of very great benefit Eight dollars a week as a minimu wage for women waA the generally accepsed sum estimat- ed by the witnesses. Mrs. Harvey w. Wiley. wife of the former chief of the bureau of chemistry was one who proposed that sum as a min- mum living wage for girls.
 Mrs Wiley advocated sex hygiene instruction of the young as one of the basic remedies for the social evil urged women police for cities anu enfranchisement of women.
 Give us the franchise" sine sain, and we wnl raise the age of con sent so that twelve year old girls cal not have their bodies given away
 Mrs. Wiley and other witnesses al so declared that employers of under paid girls and women had not the moral right to give money to chari' ties out of the earnings of their en- terprses until they first had increas- ed the wages of their employees.
 Dr. w. c. Woodward. aealth officer Of the District of Columbia, urged uhe encouragement Of early marriage among young men as one of the rem. edies for the social evil and he plae' ed tae responsibility for the downfall of % per cent of women directly at the door of the men, rather than Ill the counting room, the department store or factory. Ee approved 3 suggestion by State Senator Beall O. Illinois, of laws placing a tax upon badlelorhood. graduated tax between the ages of A and 52, providing that all men over S2 years old should pay an annual tax Of Sl00 as long as tae remained unmarried.
 Unlawful places said Dr. Wood ward, are the morasses from which Dad diseases come state education IS the best means for eiadicatine these places
 Dr. Woodward gave statistics show ing that ten per sent ol all of the kecorded births iu the District oi Columbia last year were illegitimate the mothers being between 13 and 70 years in the majority of cases.
 Robert Barrett, speaking for his mother Kate Waller Barrett. head oi the Florence Crittenton Homes for Girls throughout the country, tooh vigorous issue with the commission on the matter of low wages as q cause of vice. as did also Mrs. Adolph Kahn of Washington.
 Mir. Barrett said that the Florence Crittenton homes had cared for more than 10000 wayward gils through out the country and information from these girls showed that low wages was the least of the causes Of i'm morality.
 We believe it is not right nor Tall to say" MT. Barrett declared 'tha' low wage is the real reason for vice. There aee more society girls glrls from good aomes with fathers and mothers able to provide for then amply who have fallen into vice ant come to be inmates of the Florence Srittendon homes than wage earn ing girls. Very few who come to oul homes blame low wages for then downfall"
 Mrs. Archibald Hopkins. president