The Washington herald., 1913-06-11
SUFFRAGE FOR WOMEN
COMPLEATES SITUATION

Chief Peterson. of Oakland. Cal. wh1
has made an extensive study of the his
tory of prostitution, delivered the most
forceful address of the afternoon in
defense of segregation.
The granting of suffrage to women has
added complicating element TO the So
cial question in California" he said. 'Th:
women, with their diversified opinions
their sentimentalism, and their desire To
shine socially. have seriously handicapped
the work in the city which / represent.
The women are actuatea by the best OF
motives and they are sincere to the very
bottom of their hearts, but they lack the
ability to look at conditions in the light
which men do and which they should.
The women are in favor OF immediate
and absolute elimination. and that is
where the trouble lies.
The normal man Knows the cause of
disorderly houses-he knows of the de-
sires of all men. Many young men and
young women are prevented from marry
ing because of their low salaries, and
they are forced to satisfy their natural
desires in one way or another. By clos
ing disorderly houses We scatter the in
mates through the residential sections
with the most dire results. One of the
causes of prostitution is drink, and it is
alarming TO note the great increase in
the amount of beer and whisky sold in
the United States annually The lower
type of plays also tend toward immoral
ity. 1t seems in our large cities that
the more immoral a play is, the larger
Is the audience which attends. Our dirty.
filthy, impure books of the day also help
20 incite prostitution. 1t is needless to
call to your attention such sexually in
citing dances as the turkey trot, the griz-
ely bear, the bunny hug, and all the rest
of them. And when we come to consider
the modern style of dressing, gentlemen.
is it any wonder that immortality is so
prevalent and that prostitution is so rife?
Dresses Are Immodest.
THE dresses that our women and girls
wear are cut off short at the bottom,
cut low at the neck. chopped off short at
the sleeves. slit half way up to the
knees and then, to cap the climax. fitted
so tightly and obscenely that it is a won
der there are not more assaults upon
our streets. Now the men, of course,
should not look at these things: but
where. pray tell, is the normal man who
is going to refrain from it?'
"Out in our city," he said. 1--WE could
close the red-light district in two min
utes IL We chose, but I don't believe il
should be done. We are trying to fight
the problem in a manly, decent way.
Laws enacted to make men good have
never succeeded. The closing of disor-
derby houses gives rise to police s@aft
as you are all aware, after reading the
New York scandal Elimination also
throws the inmates as a burden on the
community. These unfortunate women
are no more to blame than the men who
patronize the houses. We ourselves. gen.
tlemen, are to blame. And yet the wom-
an receives all the reproach: it is she
who receives the anathema of the church.
the scorn OF our fine women, and the re-
buffs of the man who is responsible for
her condition. We don't give her d
chance. Our duty is to give these I'M
fortunates a place of refuge after they
have quilted their ways of evil