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Newspaper Page Text
. ' .-rm?m. - ' vti ?T Mayor Harrison was converted to the anti-segregation policy, policemen didn't know where they stood. They felt they were carrying out adminis tration policy by letting vice alone or protecting it Yet when there was a public outcry and- crusade they had to stand the brunt of public crit icism. At various times certain offi cers had to walk the plank. That some officers grafted under the old system is not surprising, when the chances they had for "easy money" is considered. They doubt less accepted favors from so-called vice kings and feared the political in fluence of these rulers of the levee. In many instances officers went farther than they would have gone had they not believed their superiors were winking at what was going on, and accepted the support of the rulers of the underworld. The political in fluence of the vice lords was known and recognized. They were powerful enough to have policemen trans ferred or otherwise punished for get ting too busy in interference with the vice traffic. It wasn't surprising that police of ficers felt their own position were stronger if they had the political pro tection of these rulers of the levee. For officers who had undertaken to enforce the law on their own hook were punished because of the pull of the men whose "business" they in terfered with. Now, however, a police officer should know where he stands. Mayor Harrison has made his position clear. He is against segregated and pro tected prostitution and is now against all forms of crime Any officer should be safe in enforcing every law or city ordinance. He has a right to assume that the mayor will protect him in the performance of his duty. I don't know how the new policy will pan out, but I think it is well worth trying. If segregation is favor ed, then segregation should be a pub lie policy and all graft eliminated. If it is not favored, then it will not be easy for any officer of the law to graft without getting caught at it. Either policy is better than the old one of pretending to enforce the law while secretly permitting its violation and then making policemen the goats when there was public outcry. Evidently Mayor Harrison is not hugging the delusion that he or any body else can eliminate prostitution from human society by merely en forcing statutory laws. In all the world's history no man has yet arisen who was wise enough to solve this problem. Before it can be solved other big problems must be solved. Personally I believe we will have to eliminate poverty and make over human nature before we can make any headway against the oldest of human pursuits. At any rate, Chicago will now have a chance to see what vice will do when unprotected. I find I am doing what most of us do, using the word vice to mean only one of the many forms of what we call vice. If it does no more than to put out of business the men who lived on the shame of women, it will have done something worth while. But even after all of her masters all of the male parasites who live on the prostitution of women are taken off herback, I wonder what" the woman is going to do to make a living. , I wonder who is going to help the fallen woman to arise and to stand after she has risen. And I wonder if men are going to quit driving women to that life. I wonder if all men and all women will do anything to save women from that trade by seeing to it that they have a chance to earn a decent liv ing in the commercial and industrial world. I wonder if we will do any more than we have done to insure a wage' for young men, so that they may' marry, support a wife and raise a family of children. I I wonder if we will do anything taj hw ?i ihimrtiri'urtftitMmmtmmaM&mtmttit