Chicago Tribune
UNCLE SAM TO RUIN PANDERS
———
Congress Will Consider Laws Curbing White Slave Traffic.
———
MANN AND SABATH, BUSY
———
Both Chicago Representatives Have Bills to Present.
Washington, D.C., Dec. 12 — [Special] — Legislation giving the federal government power to stamp out the white slave trade will be enacted at this session of congress in all probability. Congressional leaders without exception favor immediate action and the only problem remaining is the work out of a strong statute.
Congressman Sabath of Chicago, who is one of the pioneers of the movement to crust the traffic in women, will endeavor to obtain passage of ta measuring containing extremely drastic provisions. He is working on a bill he will introduce in the house on Tuesday.
A bill of this nature already has bee introduced by Congressman Mann and referred to the committee on interstate and foreign commerce. Congressman Sabath believes he has an improvement upon the provisions of the Mann bill. He thinks the government might do more to break up the traffic in women by the enforcement of more rigid immigrant regulations. He will seek to have his bill referred to the committee on immigration, of which he is a member.
Economy Motive for Objection
Congressman Sabath is indignant over the inference that his objection to the printing of the immigration commission’s white slave report as a house document was due to any desire to protect any of his constituents. He reiterated that his objection grew out of motives of economy.
"My objection had nothing to do with interests of constituents, for the reason that I have no constituents who are connected in any way with the white slave trade" he said. "There are no panders in my district and no white slaves. It is almost entirely a residential district, and is as clean a one as you will find anywhere.
"I have been fighting white slavery for many years. While I was police magistrate at Desplaines street, and later ate Maxwell street, I discovered the beginnings of this traffic in Chicago, and I made a close study of the conditions, with the view of proposing remedial legislation. Finally I took up the matter with one of the leading woman’s clubs of the city, and in that way the movement against the white slave trade was launched.
Has Bill Ready to Introduce
"Recently I have extended my investigation of the problem, and as a result I shall introduce a bill aimed to stamp out the white slave evil altogether. The immigration commission’s report had been ordered printed by the senate, and I thought it would be a useless expense to have it printed for the house. That is all there is to my objection. I am greatly interested in the findings of the commission, and I was in favor of having the report referred to the immigration committee for a full discussion."
The report was referred to the committee on interstate and foreign commerce for consideration, in connection with the Mann bill.
