The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-16
VICE MEET OF
 WOMEN STARTS. BIG SENSA TON
Judge Abernethy, Supported by Few, Tells Women Es- tablishment of District Solution of Problem

Disclosing the fact that Birming. ham citizens are at wide divergence of opinion concerning moral condi. | tions in the city and the policies | which should be pursued in sup. pressing vice, the mass meeting con ducted by the League of Womer Voters yesterday afternoon in tht auditorium of the Chamber of Com merce was filled with a new sensa- tion for every minute of the twc hours and half it remained in ses. sion.
 Highlights of the meeting at which more than a dozen persons. including ministers, laymen and laywomer spoke, were the declaration of pr. J | E, billiard, pastor of the Southsids Baptist church, that he knows from personal investigation that condi' lions in Birmingham were not wha' they should be and that If the author ities of the city could not clean them out then the authorities should De cleaned out themselves; the state ment of Dr. oscar de Wolff Randolph pastor of St. Marys church, that he found In a tour of the underworld oi Birmingham that these people are tn sympathy with the present commis- sioner of public safety; the opinion oi Judge H. B. Abernethy, of the Jeffer- son county court of misdemeanors that the only solution of the problem is the establishment again of super ..s hA d- ing of list of houses alleged to be operated for imm oral purposes. The meeting was opened by Mrs Richard F. Johnston, who acted in place of Mrs Breton Fisk, who was late in arriving. Mrs. Johnston ex- plained that the League of Women voters' vice campaign was the re- suit of study they had conducted on the subject, Know Birmingham. She introduced pr. Dillard, whom she said had aided the league in it's cam paign.
 People Are Responsible livery person In Birmingham is responsible for the evils in Birming- ham," pr. billiard said. 1T have a profound contempt for the preache [ or layman who is so afraid of soil, ing his hands that he will not fight eviI. I won't subscribe to tho optn- ion that because other cities have evils Birmfngham should endure them. When I say conditions are moi what they should be in Birmingham 1 say that I know and stand ready to give the names and addresses.' pr. billiard was followed by Dr. Randolph, who said-tha while he had seen conditions from the outside before 1t was only when he began Investigating during the present campaign that he learned the real truth.
 Last Monday I went to two houses of i'll fame with t. detective. One of them was easily discernable from outward appearances. These people, I found, were uneasy because of your campaign. Many occupants were scattered and some had left town. l found that they considered the pres- ent commissioner of public safety their friend, and hope that he will be reelected
 An organization takes its tone from it's superiors. Unless the offi- cers higher up are in sympathy with the efforts to suppress vice 1t will never be suppressed"
 Urges Homes for Fallen
 Dr. Randolph said that the real difficulty with the problem is that of getting the women out of the life of degradation, and urged that institutions be founded for caring for them. He urged that athletics be promoted among boys, and that sex Knowledge be imparted to children by their parents. Dr. Randolph said one of the causes of vice Is the mod : ern dress of women, too many of whom dress so that it is hard to dis tinguish decent women from the women of the streets.
 Mrs. Breton Fisk, president of the 2 Birmingham League of Women vot- CTS, traced the development Of the vice crusade. She declared that it was non-political, in origin, begin hing merely as a part of the study which the league was making of general conditions in the city.
 Tt was on the eventful August when Commissioners Brown and Tay- Tor spoke before the league that the vice question came up,' Mrs. Fisk explained. Someone read a clipping from Birmingham newspaper which purported to be an account of ". C. T. U. meeting on May 26 at which Mrs, Newsome made the statement that there were 500 houses of i'll fame in Birmingham. and asked MT. Taylor if there were that many. He said he did not know the exact number, but there were some which were super vised'-that's the word he used.
 Busx of Horror.
 There was a buzz of horror by the women present. and the league felt that 1t should investigate condi- tions. We did not wish to undertake the campaign alone, So sent out let ters to leading women's organizations civic bodies and the pastors. It was absolutely nonpolitical, and the ink ing up of the political aspect was done by the gentlemen whom the cap seemed to fit.
 Mfr. Taylor is reported as saving that the league has never offered to help him. Mrs. Dabney and myself went to his office 10 days aftsr he made his address before the league and offered him our support. We asked to see tn. list of boarding houses compiled during the war. He promised to let us have 1t. but we have never seen if |"
 noon came when Judge H. B. Aber- nethy was introduced. Judge Aber- nethy received an ovation from the crowd present as he walked to the speakers stand. and was loudly ap- pi;iuded as he explained some of the causes of vice. He declared that he always accorded other people the right 10 their opinions and trusted that the audience W ould be ias geher- ous to him.
 Judge Abernethy declared that the
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