Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-10

At the Palace tomorrow and thru
Wednesday.
to disease, and also lowers the morale
OF military camp or other large body
OF men in its vicinity.
Convinced by this experience on the
Mexican border, and by the European
example. that commercialized vice
weakens an army often more than
the bullets OF the enemy, and that
IL can be successfully suppressed, the
administration had inserted In the
national army bill two sections which
give the president broad power over
the environments of camps These
sections az and 13 In the army bill
OF May 1S, 1910 give the secretary
of war power to "do everything by
him deemed necessary" TO protect
men in military training from prosti-
tuition. These powers were later eX-
tended to the secretary of the navy.
Thus was placed in the hands of
the executive branch of the govern
ment practically absolute power over
this law were Immediately framed by
the war department, and Secretary
Baker wrote a letter to the governor
Of each state, in which he expressed
commercialized vice. insofar as II can
possibly affect the military establish
ments, This legislation constitutes u
revolutionary step in the solution OF
this great military problem, and one
which is having farreaching effects
upon the whole problem of the con-
troll OF venereal disease
Social Appeals.
Regulations for the enforcement OF
| his determination to enforce these
| regulations absolutely and added that
| in case conditions were not satisfac-
tory In the vicinity of any camp, that
camp would be moved. This latter
threat, of course, gave the secretary
an immense leverage by means of its
appeal to local self-interest.
| In spite of the drastic character OF
these regulations and the fortnight
expressions of the secretarys letter,
/ there were men both In civil life and
the army who could not believe that
the time -honored policy Of tolsating
the raVages of deadly communicable
diseases as n necessary evil was really
| to be changed.
The now historic case of n certain
southern city is in point. AS n camp
was to be located near this city. the
| secretary of war wrote to the mayor,
stating that commercialiZed vice must
first be eradicated. The mayor re-
piled expressing his ignorance of the
existence of any such evil in his city.
The secretary thereupon sent two fed
eral Investigators, who obtained exact
figures showing that there were a
number OF houses of prostitution. Civ
ing the names OF the occupants, the
prices charged, the fact that soldiers
were patronizing the houses and that
policemen were bribed not to modest
them. The mayor was greatly en-
lightened This city has been clean
ing house ever since The camp has
been moved hut not because OF con-
ditions In the city. 3jsS,ui&
Misrcprcscntcd Facts.
Less we'll known is the case OF G
competent army office who vas re-
| ported to have made n speech In {
town near which he was to establish
n military camp. saying that n hous'
| OF prostitution must be estat lisheC
there; and that unless this was don,
he would recommend the removal o
| the camp to another site. THIS tow
| WAS one which had previously eradl
Gated commercial vice, and was prout
of the fact II also needed the mill
tary camp. Nevertheless, the mayo
Of the town telegraphed TO the secre
tary OF war demanding to know
whether the department backed tn,
officers attitude. He was vigorousl!
assured that II did not on the sam,
day the officer issued n newspaper In
| terview flatly denying that ho ha,
ever recommended the establishment
OF a house of prostitution.
| Such incidents as these have gon'
far to convince all concerned that tn,
| war department is in earnest In its In
tention to remove the menace Of com
| mercial vice from the vicinity of IL
| training camps. Meantime, the ac
tual work of eradication is going for
ward with an energy and thoro
| ness that Is even more CONVINCING
| Many agencies are engaged, direct
| ly and indirectly, hut those that d.
the bulk of the work are the Com
mission of Training Camp Activities
the United States public health servic,
i and the medical corps of the arm!
and navy. The commission, thr,
its legal department is enforcing tn,
police work OF eradicating prostitu
ton from the vicinities OF the camps
and through it's recreational depart
ments is providing the men with exer
else and diversion. The public healtl
service Is making the eradication u
| veneral disease an important part O
| its sanitary work in the environment
of the camps The army and nav!
medical corps is closely co-operatini
| with both of these agencies. are intro
ducing the most modern methods o
prophylaNis and treatment of Venera
) disease. ard are conducting a cam
= paign Of education in sex hyglen
! among the recruits by literature, lee
lures and motion pictures.
II The driving force back OF all thes
agencies, the thing that will max
their efforts effective. is the belief o
the people that this work ought to b,
done. In all parts of the country pub
| lie opinion Is backing the government
| program Of clean cities for clear
| army.
ii Sui,ide Identified