“Any person who procures or attempts to procure any woman or girl to leave her usual place of abode in the United Kingdom (such place not being a brothel), with intent that she may, for the purposes of prostitution, become an inmate of a brothel within or without the Queen’s dominions, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and being convicted thereof shall be liable at the discretion of the court to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labor.”
Referring to this identical clause The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1912 (2 and 3 Geo. 5, chapter 20, Sec. 1), says:
“A constable may take into custody without a warrant, any person whom he shall have good cause to suspect of having committed, or of attempting to commit, any offence against section two of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885 (which relates to procuration and attempted procuration).”
Is it not reasonable to suppose, therefore, that if there existed an atom of truth in the indictment, that the laws just quoted and others would have been used in the suppression of the “Mormon” propaganda in this country? The fact is, on the other hand, that during the 77 years that the “Mormon” elder has proselyted in the British Isles not a single case has been proved nor has one yet arisen.
The fact that no mention of the “Mormon” question has been made in the House of Commons since the 8th of May, 1911, until the present time, proves that Mr. Churchill’s statement on that date was accepted as final. But since, on the other hand, his conclusion was preceded by the clause, “I am not yet in a position to state the full result of my inquiries,” there still remained the possibility of the appearance of further evidence which might modify this conclusion. With this idea in view the following letter was penned:
Durham House,
295 Edge Lane, Liverpool,
May 14th, 1914.
Sir:
On the 8th of May, 1911, the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, Mr. Winston Churchill, made the following statement in the House of Commons: “I am not yet in a position to state the full result of my inquiries with regard to Mormon propaganda in this country and America, but I have not so far discovered any ground for legislative action in the matter.”
I am desirous of ascertaining the conclusions drawn, or the result of the inquiries on the “Mormon” question, spoken of above, and should therefore deem it a favor to receive an official copy of same.
In the event that this not available, could the records containing such facts be viewed by appointment, and could citations be made to some reliable periodical containing the facts in the case?