The Washington times., 1913-02-18
TELLS Of EXTENT
Of WHITE SLAVERY
Special Agent Probing Traffic
Makes Statement Before the
House Committee.

States known to be engaged in the
white slave traffic, and that additional
thousands are trafficing directly or in
directly in the sale of women and young
girls, was the statement made before
the House Committee on Appropriations
by 8. W. Finch, special commissioner In
charge Of the white slave work of the
Department of Justice
The hearings on the sundry civil bill,
mad epublc by the committee today.
contains a sensational and gripping
story of the efforts of the Department
of Justice to bring to justice the white
slavers. The bill appropriates $4,000
for use by the department in the de
lection of crime" and of this amount
-'S50, 900 will be used in closing in upon
those who sell and buy girls for i'm
moral purposes.
The hearings also disclose for the rst
time the manner in which the Depart
ment of Justice Is attempting to break
pthe evil.
while Special Commissioner Finch
was testifying regarding the prevail.
ence Of vice in various cities, Congress
man Cannon asked:
Have you a list of men who deal in
this sort of thing?"
have only a very small percentage of
the records of these men," sail Mr..
Finch. They aggregate many thou
sands"
Girls Held In Peonage.
Mr.. Finch said the department had
discovered many instances where girls
are being held in absolute peonage in
disorderly houses. He spoke Of the
movement now afoot for a national as
sociation to provide homes for these
girls who want to reform. Among the
more startling extracts from Mr. Finch's
testimony before the House committee
is the following: ..
This special work is accomplishing
one thing absolutely. i say absolutely
because it is generally absolutely ac-
complished When we undertook this
work there were hundreds of girls who
were being held in a state of peonage.
They were being held for debt The
madams would furnish them with eX
pensive gowns and charge them enor-
nous prices and see that they did not
get out of debt They were being told
Dy madams-as they are told in the
West now. and being held in that way
that they could not leave until they
paid this debt, and in some cases the
police have apparently backed up the
madams and said You cannot leave
until you pay the debt Now, wherever
we have put our system into operation
everyone Of these girls know their
rights and they are not being held for
debt There were lots of cases of abso-
lutte slavery that Were going on. Where
the local officer is effective-and We try
to make them effective in every case
rible business of the feature of abso-
lutte slavery or peonage, and further
more, 1t gives every girl chance to
reform, because the local officers put
rha ncsi frf fhar N w
CT not they want to reform, and that
leads to another proposition.
Many Anxious to Reform.
.'As a result of this work there are
hundreds of these girls who are willing
and anxious to reform, and It may be
a serious question as to whether or
not the Federal Government should not
afford relief in these cases. / have al
ways been interested in keeping the ex-
penses on the part of the Federal Gov
eminent as low as possible on my own
individual responsibility. After talking
with the Attorney General and getting
his consent, / have taken up with GER
tain people the question of providing an
effective means of aiding the girls who
want to reform.
There is a movement now on foot for
the Organization of national aSsocia-
ton, with ample funds to carry on this
work. This is. of course, one of the re-
suits of our white-slaye work. We al
ready have our local officers in many
cities, and we can enlist these men.
without any expense to the Govern
ment. In the work of aiding us in Sc
lecting girls who want to reform.
We are already getting into touch
with the many rescue homes through
out the country. and the national as
sociation will endeavor to see to II tina,
the girls who want to reform are given
an opportunity"
Explaining the inside manag cement
of the nationwide crusade against
the white slavers, Mr.. Finch said that
attorney of standing in various towns
are generally named as local agents
OF the Department of Justice. In
graphic manner Mr.. Finch outlined
The roundabout. but effective, man
ner in which detectives and agents
for the departments round UP men
and women who make business OF
leading astray girls.
Tribute to Volunteers.
Special Commissioner Finch paid
tribute to the services of volunteer spe-
cial agents in almost every town and
city who are aiding IN the ant!-white
slave movement. some Of them without
thought of compensation, others for
minor expenses. II II were not for
these volunteer reformers, he said, the
white slave work of the Department;
Of Justice would cost 81 ,0c0, 900 for the
next fiscal year, IF We had to proceed
along the usual lines" He continued
IF We undertook TO enforce this law
along the usual lines We would have to
SIX for at least 81 00o 900 for the coming
fiscal year, and even then unless we
followed somewhat this same plan the
work would no; be effective, because
row every house of prostitution in eigh.
Ieen States is being watched 10 Sc.
whether or not they entic girls from ad
joining States or whether any girls are
brught there by male procurers and
placed in a house for the purpose Of
prostitution. In at least SO per cent Of
The cases prosecuted actual fraud oI
duress In some form or other is en-
ployed to compel these girls to go into
this sort of business. In many of these
cases the methods followed by procurer!
are hideous in the extreme, and wheT
this work was undertaken by the de-
partment the business OF procuring girls
Tor the purpose of prostitution was get
ting to be one OF the greatest dangers
in this country"