The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-08
VIGOROUS REPUTATION
Of CHARGES RELATIVE
TO MORAL CONDITIONS
AT EXPOSITION

on April 23 you published an artic
under the heading, State FEEDER
D ton Woman's Clubs Favor Nov
ment, rejecting upon the NOR,
y conditions at the Panama-Pacific 7,
ternational Exposition. To be mo,
: specific, charges are made in that a,
tlcIe which are ABSOLUTEJ,
FALSE. Permit me to quote the TO
lowing paragraph, every word {
which Is untrue and wretche
SANDER:
The women of San Francisco ar
determined to prevent the letting @
portion of the fair grounds for tn
purpose of establishing houses O
prostitution and are doing all il
their power to stay the evil"
The Woman's Board representa-,
the women not only of San Fran
cisco, but of California, have neve
mad to face such an issue because il
never existed. There never ba
been a situation even remotely akir
to 1t. For that reason, We are utter.
ly at a loss to understand the mali.
cious spirit which prompted it's first
utterance. Unfortunately yours is
not the first newspaper to publish
this charge but we feel assured that
you, like others who have reprinted
this statement, will be only too glad
to publish the refutation.
We are not unmindful of your DO
sltion in the matter and that Won
gave publicity to this charge in good
faith' We can see how you came
across this warning in print, and
feeling that no one would have used
it originally without ratification.
You gave it further publicity.
AS far as we know this horrible
Islander was first published in a
small religious newspaper in the
north Middle West. 1t is difficult to
conceive why a publication standing
for righteousness did not take the
trouble to make a simple inquiry be-
fore committing so dreadful an ac-
cusation to print.
The public and private standing
OF the men who carry the tremend-
Gus responsibility of the Exposition
is absolutely of unquestioned integ-
rity. The Woman's Board, Coon
Grating with them, is officially an ac-
tive part of the administration One
would suppose that the personnel of
this combined directorate would
have protected the Exposition from
such SANDER.
In point Of fact, no former Expo-
sition ever instituted so MANY moral
safeguards as the one in San Fran
cisco. In doing this, the director
ate had in mind the complications
that may arise where large crowds
or people gather, also the state
ments that have been made concern
ing conditions in former Exposition
cities. Nothing known to thought
ful men and women has been left un-
done to insure the establishment and
maintenance of high moral stand.
ards in and around the Exposition
This attitude could not in any way
he construed as a reflection upon
San Francisco, but simply a recog-
milton of the fac. that more care ia
needed for the comfort of the indi-
idual traveller when hundreds of
thousands of visitors are coming and
going.
At the call of the Woman,
Board, and with the full co-opera-
ion of the mans board, a non-sec-
arian, permanent Travellers Aid So
'iety was formed more than a year.I
before the opening of the Exposi i
ion. The board of directors of this
ocietyis composed of representatives.
IT all denominations, of all CONNER
'ial bodies including the banks. of |
raternal organizations and members
II both Exposition boards. Mr.. Grin
:. Baker, secretary of the New
FORK Travellers Aid after which the
me in California was patterned. has
harge of the work in San Francisco
Turing the Exposition year. His
ervices have been lent by the New
lork organization during this cru
ial time. The California society |
vas young and it realized that |
ear OF such great travel was not a
line for experimentation In addi-
ion to this important movement.
resident Moore of the Exposition,
as appinted a committee on moral
rejection to unity all movements
usy with welfare work. The Young
VomCn's Christian Association. the
atholic Girls Befriending Society
nd the Jewish Emanuel Sister
GOD are all doing specific work Mt
established headquarters On the
travellers Aid workers-and there
re thirty-one in the field staff
leet every train and steamer COM
lg into San Francisco. Supplement
Try workers are at the Oakland
lole. There are workers at the Ex-
osition grounds where headquar-
RS have been assigned in the Ser
Ice building. the Palace of Educa-