Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-03-10
SUPPRESS White
SLAVE TRAFFIC
Ambassador Morgenthau Credit.
ed With Having Brought
About Movement in Turkey.

COnstantinople, March 9.-The no.
toriety which has attached to Con
s%tantinople as a center of white slave
traffic bids to disappear under the Wig
orous administration of Bedri Bey,
the present chief of police, who, as
recently reported by cable. has under
taken the raid of a :.lum5e: ct places
where the traffic flourished. r.
Morqenthau Takes Part.
In this work OF suppression Henry
Morgenthau, the American ambassa.
dor, has figured prominently. Up to
the time President Wilson sent him
to Constantinople no personality sufi.
GENTLY interested in stopping the evil
practices had appeared to grasp the
situation. Under. the Capitulations
with the Powers whereby foreigners
in Turkey were not subject to the
laws of the country, the suppression
of the white slave traffic was practi-
cally impossible Foreigners were re-
sponsible only to their c%onsuls, and
the consular representatives would
not work together with the Turkish
authorities. The persons engaged in
the traffic secured passports of four
or five different countries and would
swear as many allegiances as their
varying fortune demanded. The
Black Sea ports of Russia and Ruma.
MIA, only a few hours sail from Con.
st%antinople, we're made the basis for
the export of human material, which
the Turkish capital consumed. '
One notable Russian consul general,
Peter PonafIdine, made every effort to
suppress the trade in so far as Rus
sian subjects were concerned, and the
Turkish officials made repeated at
tempts at a cleanup, but without CO.
operations Of all the foreign consuls no
real impression was made.
War Upsets Plans.
When Mr.. M%orgenthau arrived in
Constantinople near the end of 1913,
he quickly grasped the difficulties and
was the first to succeed in bringing
the foreign consuls and the highest
Turkish police authorities together. All
parties professed a Willingness to do
their share in suppression Of the traf-
fic, and the American ambassador for
tunately had the grip to hold them to
their purpose. At a meeting held last
March at the American embassy the
Constantinople association for the sup
preston of the traffic in women was
organized. G. Cornell Tarler, secre-
tary of embassy, was appointed e
rotary. Tie efforts Of this association
were about to bear fruit, when the out
break of the European war upset al,
cooperation in the European diplo-
matte and consular corps.
Last October, however, the Ottoman
authorities a%brogated the capitulatiors
under which foreigners had enjoyed
their privileged position in the empire.
and although the foreign powers have
not accepted this abrogation, the ex-
trance of Turkey into the war has
caused a general acQuisence. The
time for the Turkish authorities to at
tack white slavery in the capital had
therefore come. The control of the
police is in the hands Of Bedri. Bey.
who for the past year has been in
active accord with Ambassador Nor
genthau in his efforts to urge Con-
stantinople of the worst phases OF
, white slavery. Bedri Bey has for
some months been gathering evidence