The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-21
TWO COMMITTEES
 TO DO WORK OF
 VICE. COMMISSION
One Will Probe Actual Con ditions Here; One Will
 Study Other Cities.
Request For City to Appro- priate $500 is Forwarded
 to Aldermen.

indicating US sympathy WA(4 (1AO w
 ject for which the Vice Commission
 was created the Pastors Association of Bridgeport last night came forward
 with a donation of $lD0 which IS to be
 the nucleus of fund to carry on the
 work for which the commission IS or
 ganized Tn addition the commission will send a. communication to the common council asking for $500 for the expenses which may be incurred In
 their probe into vice conditions in
 Bridgeport.
 From the remarks of various mem bers at, the meeting for organization last night it would appear that the ef-, forts of the commission will be direct
 ed entirely at an inquiry into the ex- tent of the social evil here and that if any attention At least at the meet
 ing last night no form of vice other
 than social evil was discussed. The meeting was held in the common council chamber of the city hall. Rev. John R. Brown, pastor of the First Baptist church, was chosen chairman of the commission Lucien T. Warner,
 president of the r. M. c. A., was cho- sen vice-chairman and J. Lewis +Oh-
 yer, secretary. Attorney Paul S. Chap man had first suggested MT. Warner as
 chairman but the latter declined, say ing that his business interests would not permit him the time required for
 the work in that position.
 Chairman Brown was empowered to
 appoint two committees, one of which will devote it's time to probing Bridge
 ports underworld and report whether it is better to pursue a policy of seg-
 regation or to suppress entirely the social evil. The other committee will obtain from other cities reports and
 surveys that have been made by siu1i-
 lar commissions.
 In addressing the members of the commission before organization last night Mayor Wilson said:
 tThe social evil question is one
 that every community has to face. It is a most vital question and I think we must meet 1t fairly and -squarely.
 There is agitation of this question at present in almost every large city in the country The time has come when most right minded citizens be- 1ieve that this form of vice should be rigidly regulated Whether a policy of segregation or a policy of suppression is to be pursued in this city will depend largely on the results of your investigation
 tI would advise you to learn what
 has been done in other cities and
 make comparisons with the condi- tions which exist in other cities and the conditions that exist here. This is a monento1s question requiring particular study before you report but
 know your investigation will be con-
 ducted with intelligence and in
 painstaking manner
 Rev. pr. Brown in assuming charge as chairman said there were disadvan-5 Etages of having a clergyman at the head of the commission but he assur-
 ed the members that the work would
 be nor1-sectarian and that mo church nor denomination would control the commission. He suggested that it might be well to receive funds from l public spirited citizens to further the txny<a nd presented the S10O which the Pastors association has donated to the work. Continuing, Rev; Dr. Brown said in
 part:
 'sWe must study this question with broad minds from hygienic, eugenic and economic standpoint and not er1-5 tire1y from a religious standpoint. A similar commission in Chicago expen- ded $5s000 in an investigation
 think $500 will suffice in this city and as there is no money available from the public treasury of the city I think we can easily raise this sum
 through private subscriptions
 Special investigators may be need ed here to get the facts we desire. After we have studied conditions we
 mend. Germany was the first Euro pean nation to take cogniza nee of the social evil and to give it scientific thought and study. The policy of segregation CT1eO >EfaGs German spire has been abandoned. Now the
 policy of suppression is employed.
 France too enforces the policy of sup l pression and England is now the only l nation in Europe that follows the policy of segregation
 1 eOn1y by going into this matter with perfectly open minds can we find a solution of the question which will
 be for the cfty's best interests. If we go at our task as pessi1nists or as opti- i naists or as cynics. then we had better not start at all for we will accom pIish no good To settle this question prop erly we must get the facts regarding conditions here, then get reports and see what has been done in other cities
 and then make our report accord ingly.'
 pr Brown then described what had
 been done by the vice com1nittee in Chicago There the committee inves-9 tigated the social evil first in it's rela-. ton to the saloon, then the police,
 crime. source of supply. rescue and
 reform, literature and legislation.
 During the investigation, massage par lors, nanicuring establishments, dance halls, vaudeville and moving picture
 shows, cabaret shows. dope distribut- ing places. immigration bureaus and white slave. trading all carie under the calcium of the investigators. The
 result was a general cleaning up and Chicago is said to be a much better city to live in as a consequence.
 Mrs. William B. Boardn1an objected to the expenses of the commission being met by private subscription.
 She said that since the work was for the benefit of the whole city the city ought to pay for it.
 On motion of MT. Warner, SecFe- 1 tary Oliver was instructed to write the common council and request an appropriation of $500 for the expenses Of the commission.
 Two private detective agencies have already written the commission offer ing the services of their operatives
 as investigators. The letters were
 placed on file but the majority of the