Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-11

United States. II was provided by a
very old city ordinance and strongly
supported by local political influence.
More than thousand women live IN
this district, which was the size of
small village. II published an annual
blue book" In which all these women
were listed, together with their
portraits and description OF their
charms. Prostitution was here liter
ally n leading local industry. and the
segregated district with its noise and
color, its strange aggregation of many
races. its air OF mysterious and ex-
pcnsiNe vice. was one of the show
places of the city. incidentally IL
acted as "A headquarters and source of
supply for commercialized vice in six
states. and was one of the great
American distributing points for the
germs of syphilis and Gonorrhea. a
representative OF the government was
told at many points hundreds of
miles distant that IL he could close the
district in this city, he would have
broken the back OF prostitution thru
out the southwest.
Accordingly he visited the mayor
that city and told him that the ord-
nance by which the district was
authorized would have to be repealed.
ana the United States government
The mayor was astonished beyond
measure. He said he could not b.
iicve that the government really
wanted to abolish such u time honored
institution involving so many vested
interests. as the segregated district
under his administration. Accord
ingly he telegraphed to both the
United States senators from his state
to see the secretary of the navy about
go, l. Att.t
ment with that official for him.
Threatened Publicity.
The socro tary OF the navy not only
Informed this obdurate mayor that
the government was earnestly endeaV-
oring to abolish the industry OF pros
titution III his city; but also that un-
less the ordinance authorizing Il was
at once repealed, the mayor and his
administration would be put publicly
in the position of opposing great pa
triotic measure. lie was shown let
ter which the secretary of the navy
had written to the governor Of his
state, expressing the opinion that the
closing of this district was absolutly
necessary to the efficiency OF the
American navy.
So the ordinance was repealed, and
the government Is determined that it's
repeal snail De effective. III tiiio ShSt
local cooperation was somewhat re-
luctant 1t is true but nevertheless
public opinion Is to be credited with
the triumph. for the mayor yielded
only when he knew that national
publicity would be given his attitude
He knew that public opinion would
not support him.
Publicity has In fact been proved
by the commission to be the most ef-
fective weapon of reform, which
proves that the attitude of the public
Is the all-important thing. In one
small western town a single newspaper
publisher accomplished the abolition
of the segregated district without aid.
and in the face OF vicious opposition
from the city officials He simply
wrote a series of editorials setting
forth the facts about this segregated
district, and secured letters from ply
sicians to support his contention that
IL was q prolific source of disease.
The local officials were compelled to
close the district in self-defense.
This work of social hygiene on the
part of American cities. under the
supervision Of the American govern
ment, Is undoubtedly the greatest
single step toward the conquest of
venereal disease that has ever been
taken in this country. BY the closing
of some thirty segregated districts
alone thousands of professional car
riers of infection have been put out
of business. and literally millions of
men, soldiers and civilians alike. have
been saved from exposure to these dis
eases. There can be little doubt but
that these American communities will
make this reform a permanent one.
and that the spirit of civic rivalry.
which is so strong in this country, will
lead to its rapid spread.