The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-09-17
THE WHITE SLAVE LAW.

1t is remarkable to find newspapers
of reputation denying the application
of the Mann white slave law in a wide
sense. They argue that the statute
was never intended to cover such af-
fairs as that which has just ended in
the conviction Of Diggs and Caminetti
in California, and demand that like
! crimes shall be left. to the state to deal
with.
1t is deeply gratifying to those who
believe that no measures can be too
harsh to stamp out this awful blot
on civilization, to find that the SUI
preme court Of the United States has
put its full approval on the Mann law.
Attorneys for the defense in several
OF these cases invoked a cloud Of tech
nicalities, urged that the act was UNI
constitutional, pleaded that names Of
the victims were spelled wrong in the
lndictments-in short, did all that a
hired dust-throWer could do to con-
vince the highest tribunal in the land
that their clients had been wrongfulIy
convicted; not hat they were not
guilty. But the supreme court, speak,
ing through Justice McKenna, swept
away all the fne-spun theories and
h"a1r-splitting arguments, saying:
Wha the act condemns is TRANSPORT
tatlon obtained or aided or transpor-
tation induced in interstate
for the immoral purposes mentioned.
But an objection is made and urged
with earnestness. 1t is said that it is
the right and privilege Of a person to
move between states, and that such
oelng the right, another cannot be
T made guilty of the crime Of inducing or
assisting or aiding in the exercise Of
1t, and that the motive or intention
OF the passenger, either before begin
ming the journey, or during or COM
plet1ng it, is not a matter of inter-
state commerce" The contentious
confound things important to be dis
tingu1shed. 1t urges a right exercised
In, morality to sustain a right to be
exercised in immortality. 1t is the
same right which attacked the law of
congress which prohibits the carrying
of obscene literature and articles de-
signed for indecent and immoral use
from one state to another. #'+ * It
is the same right which was excluded
as an element as affecting the consti-
nationality Of the act for the suppress
sion Of The lottery traffic through ma
tional n interstate commerce.. Il y =
This constitutes the supreme fallacy
of plaintiffs error. 1t pervades and
vitiates their contentious.
In plain English, this declares that
the legal right to do a moral act can
not be twisted into a defense Of an
immoral act.
1t is we'll known that lawbreakers
hold a state law in contempt while in
abject fear Of running foul of the
United States statutes on the same
subject. The liquor traffic is a stand
ing proof Of this. Blindpiggers have
defied this state to do ifs worst, but
they seldom failed to secure a govern
ment license.
So it would be if the eradication of
the white slave traffic was left to the
states. The Louisiana lottery would
still be making paupers and criminals
by the thousand every year if its ex-
termination had been put into the
hands of the state Of Louisiana. The
nation grabbed the monster by the
throat and killed it in short order. So
let it be hoped it will do with the
greater crime, the traffic in the bodies
and souls Of girls and women.