The Washington times., 1915-05-27
DANCING BROADWAY
TO GET MORAL BATH
Reformers Have Evidence Police
Can't Find of Sort That
Closed Haymarket.

NEW YORK, May 27.-Members OF
the Committee Of Fourteen today asked
Acting Mayor McAneny to arrange with
heads Of the city departments Tor
conference on the advisability OF giving
dancing Broadway a moral bath.
Mrs Henry Moskowitz Of the Com
mittee on Amusements Of the Com
mittee Of Fourteen made this announce
ment:
when Mrs. Helen M. Kelly went into
court to win back her young daughter,
public attention was focused on stu,
alton which has long existed. and
vestigating.
The fact Of the matter Is that the
girl from Fifth Avenue now Is exposed
to the same sort of danger that the
girl from less fashionable parts OF the
city was exposed to before the lower
class dance halls we're closed.
II understand the police say hey have
difficulty In obtaining EVIDENCE against
ailsorderly persons t,. In the HToaaway hss ray
tained evidence which II will place In
, the hands Of the Commissioner.
Can Act Under Law.
ut is wrong to say the police can't
| act in this matter, and that their duty
| ends when they see that the places
without the necessary licenses close at
the hour prescribed by law. They can
| act, because the law gives them the
power to act against places and persons
such as these as disorderly.
l.. 1T Is the same sort of charge as this
that resulted in closing the notorious
Haymarket. You see. although the sit
uation Is bad, 1t isn't at all new.
I To-day, however, because Of the Kelly
case, public attention again Is called to
the fact this condition exists as a con-
| stant menace to our homes. The after
noon dances particularly are objection
able, and 1t is against them the COM
mittee will direct it's heaviest attack.
| Young girls go to these so-called the
! dansants. when perhaps their mothers
believe they are shopping or attending a
| matinee. From the afternoon dances It
Is an easy step to be graduated to the
night dances. Young married women
with leisure especially are in danger
! These things require more than
moral teaching. They are matters for
the police to handle. The Broadway
parasite, or the social gangster is a
reality. Sometimes he is a graduate
from the old-tme dance halls. and
sometimes he Is the black sheep of a
Sood family. The sure way OF riding
society Of his menace is to stamp out
the conditions under which he -four
| ishes."
Broadway Clearer, He Says.
Police Commissioner Woods refused
|
he stood on the statement OF, Tuesday;
which was in effect that SO far as he
knew Broadway Is cleaner than It has
been for some time. but that an investi-
cation now IL under way.
The unofficial police attitude Is that
| so long as there are cafes, restaurants
and hotels in which dancing and drink
Ing are permitted. and SO long as the
habitues conduct themselves In orderly
| manner, there is no reason for police
| Interference.
In New York arc 725 dance hal
| liCenses. not including hotels containing
| NIFTY bed rooms or more, where dancing
as late as may be permitted under The
| law.
/ Val O'Farrell, the private detective
| who gathered evidence for Mrs. Kelly
said today there are dance places where
young girls are taught to use drugs anC
| that he can show the police the places
There are between 1000 and 200
tango boys in the Tenderloin," he said
and at least 20 per cent of the mef
who attend the dansants are dyed-in
thcwool parasites. Their ordnar,
charge for an afternoons dancing Is S