CharlesStelzle，oftheLaborTemple——topublishconspicuouslythenameoftheownerofanypropertyusedforimmoralpurposes，aftersaidownerhadbeennotifiedoftheuseandhasfailedtopreventit。
Anotheristoprosecutethekeepersandbackersofbrothels，menandwomen，asrelentlesslyandpunishthemasseverelyaspickpocketsandcommonthieves。Theyshouldneverbefined；theyshouldbeimprisoned。
Asforthegirls，theveryyoungonesandfirstoffendersshouldbeputinthechargeofprobationofficersorsenttoreformatories，andthelargepercentageoffeeble-mindedgirlsandofincorrigiblegirlsandwomenshouldbesenttoinstitutionscreatedforthem。Wewouldthusremovefromthishideouscommercethearticlesofcommerce。
Moreover，theFederalGovernmentmustinever-increasingmeasureproceedagainstthedegradedpromotersofthiscommercialism，fortheiractivitiesareinter-StateandtheNationcanoftendealwiththemmoreeffectivelythantheStates；although，aspublicsentimentbecomesaroused，Nation，State，andmunicipalitywillallcooperatetowardsthesameendofrootingoutthetraffic。Buttheprimeneedistoraisethelevelofindividualmorality；and，moreover，toencourageearlymarriages，thesinglestandardofsex-morality，andastrictsenseofreciprocalconjugalobligation。Thewomenwhopreachlatemarriagesarebyjustsomuchmakingitdifficulttobetterthestandardofchastity。
Asregardsthewhiteslavetraffic，themenengagedinit，andthewomentoo，arefarworsecriminalsthananyordinarymurdererscanbe。
ForthemthereisneedofsuchalawasthatrecentlyadoptedinEnglandthroughtheeffortsofArthurLee，M。P。，alawwhichincludeswhippingforthemaleoffenders。Therearebrutessolow，soinfamous，sodegradedandbestialintheircrueltyandbrutality，thattheonlywaytogetatthemisthroughtheirskins。Sentimentalityonbehalfofsuchmenisreallyalmostasunhealthyandwickedasthecriminalityofthementhemselves。Myexperienceisthatthereshouldbenotolerationofany“tenderloin“or“redlight“district，andthat，aboveall，thereshouldbethemostrelentlesswaroncommercializedvice。Themenwhoprofitandmaketheirlivingbythedepravityandtheawfulmiseryofotherhumanbeingsstandfarbelowanyordinarycriminals，andnomeasurestakenagainstthemcanbetoosevere。
Asforthewretchedgirlswhofollowthedreadfultradeinquestion，agooddealcanbedonebyachangeineconomicconditions。Thisoughttobedone。Whengirlsarepaidwagesinadequatetokeepthemfromstarvation，ortopermitthemtolivedecently，acertainproportionareforcedbytheireconomicmiseryintolivesofvice。Theemployersandallothersresponsiblefortheseconditionsstandonamorallevelnotfarabovethewhiteslaversthemselves。Butitisamistaketosupposethateitherthecorrectionoftheseeconomicconditionsortheabolitionofthewhiteslavetradewillwhollycorrecttheevilorwillevenreachthemajorpartofit。Theeconomicfactorisveryfarfrombeingthechieffactorininducinggirlstogointothisdreadfullife。Aswithsomanyotherproblems，whiletheremustbegovernmentalaction，theremustalsobestrengtheningoftheaverageindividualcharacterinordertoachievethedesiredend。Evenwhereeconomicconditionsarebad，girlswhoarebothstrongandpurewillremainunaffectedbytemptationstowhichgirlsofweakcharacterorlaxstandardsreadilyyield。Anymanwhoknowsthewidevariationintheproportionsofthedifferentracesandnationalitiesengagedinprostitutionmustcometotheconclusionthatitisoutofthequestiontotreateconomicconditionsasthesoleconditionsorevenasthechiefconditionsthatdeterminethisquestion。Therearecertainraces——theIrisharehonorablyconspicuousamongthem——which，nomatterwhattheeconomicpressure，furnishrelativelyfewinmatesofhousesofillfame。Idonotbelievethatthedifferencesareduetopermanentracecharacteristics；thisisshownbythefactthatthebestsettlementhousesfindthatpracticallyalltheir“long-termgraduates。”sotospeak，allthegirlsthatcomeforalongperiodundertheirinfluence，nomatterwhattheirraceornationalorigin，remainpure。Ineveryracetherearesomenaturallyviciousindividualsandsomeweakindividualswhoreadilysuccumbundereconomicpressure。Agirlwhoislazyandhateshardwork，agirlwhosemindisratherfeeble，andwhoisof“subnormalintelligence。”
asthephrasenowgoes，oragirlwhocravescheapfineryandvapidpleasure，isalwaysindanger。Ahighidealofpersonalpurityisessential。Wherethesamepressureunderthesameeconomicconditionshastenfoldtheeffectononesetofpeoplethatithasonanother，itisevidentthatthequestionofmoralstandardsisevenmoreimportantthanthequestionofeconomicstandards，veryimportantthoughthisquestionis。Itisimportantforustorememberthatthegirloughttohavethechance，notonlyforthenecessariesoflife，butforinnocentpleasure；andthatevenmorethanthemanshemustnotbebrokenbyoverwork，byexcessivetoil。Moreover，publicopinionandthelawshouldcombinetohuntdownthe“flagrantmanswine“whohimselfhuntsdownpoororsillyorunprotectedgirls。Butwemustnot，infoolishsentimentality，excusethegirlfromherdutytokeepherselfpure。Ourdutytoachievethesamemorallevelforthetwosexesmustbeperformedbyraisingthelevelfortheman，notbyloweringitforthewoman；andthefactthatsocietymustrecognizeitsdutyinnoshapeorwayrelieves，noteventothesmallestdegree，theindividualfromdoinghisorherduty。Sentimentalitywhichgrowsmaudlinonbehalfofthewillfulprostituteisacurse；toconfoundherwiththeentrappedorcoercedgirl，therealwhiteslave，isbothfoolishandwicked。Thereareevilwomenjustasthereareevilmen，naturallydepravedgirlsjustastherearenaturallydepravedyoungmen；andtherightandwisething，thejustthing，tothem，andthegenerousthingtoinnocentgirlsanddecentmen，istowagesternwaragainsttheevilcreaturesofbothsexes。
IncompanywithJacobRiis，Ididmuchworkthatwasnotconnectedwiththeactualdisciplineoftheforceorindeedwiththeactualworkoftheforce。TherewasonethingwhichheandIabolished——policelodging-houses，whichweresimplytramplodging-houses，andafruitfulencouragementtovagrancy。ThosewhoreadMr。Riis’sstoryofhisownlifewillremembertheincidentsthatgavehimfromactualpersonalexperiencehishorrorofthesetramplodging-houses。AsmemberoftheHealthBoardIwasbroughtintoverycloserelationswiththeconditionsoflifeinthetenement-housedistricts。HereagainIusedtovisitthedifferenttenement-houseregions，usuallyincompanywithRiis，toseeformyselfwhattheconditionswere。ItwaslargelythispersonalexperiencethatenabledmewhileontheHealthBoardtostrugglenotonlyzealously，butwithreasonableefficiencyandsuccess，toimproveconditions。Wedidourshareinmakingforwardstridesinthematterofhousingtheworkingpeopleofthecitywithsomeregardtodecencyandcomfort。
ThemidnighttripsthatRiisandItookenabledmetoseewhatthePoliceDepartmentwasdoing，andalsogavemepersonalinsightintosomeoftheproblemsofcitylife。Itisonethingtolisteninperfunctoryfashiontotalesofovercrowdedtenements，anditisquiteanotheractuallytoseewhatthatovercrowdingmeans，somehotsummernight，byevenasingleinspectionduringthehoursofdarkness。TherewasaveryhotspellonemidsummerwhileIwasPoliceCommissioner，andmostofeachnightIspentwalkingthroughthetenement-housedistrictsandvisitingpolicestationstoseewhatwasbeingdone。Itwasatragicweek。Wedideverythingpossibletoalleviatethesuffering。Muchofitwasheartbreaking，especiallythegaspingmiseryofthelittlechildrenandoftheworn-outmothers。EveryresourceoftheHealthDepartment，ofthePoliceDepartment，andeventheFireDepartmentwhichfloodedthehotstreetswastaxedintheefforttorenderservice。Theheatkilledsuchmultitudesofhorsesthatthemeansatourdisposalforremovingthepoordeadbeastsprovedquiteinadequate，althougheverynervewasstrainedtothelimit。Inconsequencewereceivedscoresofcomplaintsfrompersonsbeforewhosedoorsdeadhorseshadremained，festeringintheheat，fortwoorthreedays。Oneirasciblemansentusfuriousdenunciations，untilwewereatlastabletosendabigdraytodragawaythehorsethatlaydeadbeforehisshopdoor。Thehugedrayalreadycontainedelevenotherdeadhorses，andwhenitreachedthisparticulardooritbrokedown，anditwashoursbeforeitcouldbemoved。Theunfortunatemanwhohadthusbeencursedwithagrantedwishclosedhisdoorsindespairandwroteusafinalpatheticletterinwhichherequestedustoremoveeitherthehorsesorhisshop，hedidn’tcarewhich。
Ihavespokenbeforeofmyexperiencewiththetenement-housecigarfactorylawwhichthehighestcourtofNewYorkStatedeclaredunconstitutional。MyexperienceinthePoliceDepartmenttaughtmethatnotafewoftheworsttenement-houseswereownedbywealthyindividuals，whohiredthebestandmostexpensivelawyerstopersuadethecourtsthatitwas“unconstitutional“toinsistonthebettermentofconditions。Thesebusinessmenandlawyerswereveryadroitinusingawordwithfineandnobleassociationstocloaktheiroppositiontovitallynecessarymovementsforindustrialfairplayanddecency。TheymadeitevidentthattheyvaluedtheConstitution，notasahelptorighteousness，butasameansforthwartingmovementsagainstunrighteousness。AftermyexperiencewiththemIbecamemoresetthaneverinmydistrustofthosemen，whetherbusinessmenorlawyers，judges，legislators，orexecutiveofficers，whoseektomakeoftheConstitutionafetichforthepreventionoftheworkofsocialreform，forthepreventionofworkintheinterestofthosemen，women，andchildrenonwhosebehalfweshouldbeatlibertytoemployfreelyeverygovernmentalagency。
Occasionallyduringthetwoyearswehadtoputastoptoriotousviolence，andnowandthenontheseoccasionssomeofthelaborunionleadersprotestedagainsttheactionsofthepolice。BythistimeI
wasbecomingastrongbelieverinlaborunions，astrongbelieverintherightsoflabor。ForthatveryreasonIwasallthemoreboundtoseethatlawlessnessanddisorderwereputdown，andthatnorioterwaspermittedtomasqueradeundertheguiseofbeingafriendoflabororasympathizerwithlabor。Iwasscrupuloustoseethatthelabormenhadfairplay；that，forinstance，theywereallowedtopicketjustsofarasunderthelawpicketingcouldbepermitted，sothatthestrikershadampleopportunitypeacefullytopersuadeotherlabormennottotaketheirplaces。ButImadeitclearlyanddefinitelyunderstoodthatundernocircumstanceswouldIpermitviolenceorfailtoinsistuponthekeepingoforder。Iftherewerewrongs，Iwouldjoinwithafullheartinstrivingtohavethemcorrected。Butwheretherewasviolenceallotherquestionshadtodropuntilorderwasrestored。Thisisademocracy，andthepeoplehavethepower，iftheychoosetoexerciseit，tomakeconditionsastheyoughttobemade，andtodothisstrictlywithinthelaw；andthereforethefirstdutyofthetruedemocrat，ofthemanreallyloyaltotheprinciplesofpopulargovernment，istoseethatlawisenforcedandorderupheld。
ItwasapeculiargratificationtomethatsomanyofthelaborleaderswithwhomIwasthrownincontactgrewcordiallytoacceptthisview。WhenIlefttheDepartment，severalcalleduponmetosayhowsorrytheywerethatIwasnottocontinueinoffice。One，theSecretaryoftheJourneymanBakers’andConfectioners’InternationalUnion，HenryWeismann，wrotemeexpressinghisregretthatIwasgoing，andhisappreciationasacitizenofwhatIhaddoneasPoliceCommissioner；headded：“Iamparticularlygratefulforyourliberalattitudetowardorganizedlabor，yourcordialchampionshipofthosespeakinginbehalfofthetoilers，andyourevidentdesiretodotherightthingasyousawitatwhatevercost。”
SomeofthelettersIreceivedonleavingtheDepartmentwerefromunexpectedsources。Mr。E。L。Godkin，aneditorwhoininternationalmatterswasnotapatrioticman，wroteprotestingagainstmytakingtheAssistant-SecretaryshipoftheNavy，andadding：“Ihaveaconcern，astheQuakerssay，toputonrecordmyearnestbeliefthatinNewYorkyouaredoingthegreatestworkofwhichanyAmericanto-dayiscapable，andexhibitingtotheyoungmenofthecountrythespectacleofaveryimportantofficeadministeredbyamanofhighcharacterinthemostefficientwayamidathousanddifficulties。AsalessoninpoliticsIcannotthinkofanythingmoreinstructive。”
AboutthesametimeIhadaletterfromMr。afterwardsAmbassador
JamesBryce，alsoexpressingregretthatIwasleavingthePoliceDepartment，butnaturallywithmuchmoreappreciationoftheworkthatwastobedoneintheNavyDepartment。ThisletterIquote，withhispermission，becauseitconveysalessontothosewhoareinclinedalwaystothinkthattheconditionsofthepresenttimeareverybad。
ItwaswrittenJuly7，1897。Mr。BrycespokeofthepossibilityofcomingtoAmericainamonthorso，andcontinued：“IhopeImayhaveachanceofseeingyouifIdogetover，andofdrawingsomecomfortfromyouasregardsyourpoliticalphenomena，which，sofarasIcangatherfromthoseofyourcountrymenIhavelatelyseen，furnishsomegoodopportunitiesforapersistentoptimistlikemyselftoshowthatheisnottobelightlydiscouraged。Don’tsupposethatthingsarespecially’nice，’asaladywouldsay，inEuropeeither。Theyarenot。”Mr。BrycewasaveryfriendlyandextraordinarycompetentobserverofthingsAmerican；andtherewasthisdistinctnoteofdiscouragementaboutourfutureintheintimateletterhewasthussending。YetthiswasattheverytimewhentheUnitedStateswasenteringonadozenyearsduringwhichourpeopleaccomplishedmoregood，andcamenearerrealizingthepossibilitiesofagreat，free，andconscientiousdemocracy，thanduringanyotherdozenyearsinourhistory，saveonlytheyearsofLincoln’sPresidencyandtheperiodduringwhichtheNationwasfounded。