"Any person who shall knowingly accept or receive in whole or in part support or maintenance from the proceeds or earnings of any woman engaged in prostitution shall be deemed guilty of a felony and on conviction thereof shall be confined in the penitentiary not less than one (1) nor more than three (3) years and fined not exceeding one thousand dollars, or both, in the discretion of the court."
Not long since I was asked how many persons I supposed Chicago contained who would come under a statute of this kind and who ought to receive sentence under it. My reply was this:
"Probably there are five thousand women in Chicago today following the so-called profession of prostitution, and it would seem to me, from the testimony obtained in the course of the recent white slave prosecutions here that at least one-fourth that number of male parasites are supported in whole or in part in this manner and would therefore come within the meaning of such a statute."
So much for specific legislation which ought, as a protection to the young womanhood of this country, to be passed by the legislature of every state in this country not already having statutes which adequately cover all the points involved in the clauses which I have suggested. The next practical question to be raised—and which I hope every reader of this article will ask—is this:
"How can the legislatures be induced to make these needed enactments?"
Or, to express myself a little differently, if each reader were to ask me:
"What is the quickest and most practical way by which I may get action on the legislature of my own state?"
I would suggest the following methods: Find the names of the men who represent your district in the general assembly of your state and write to each one of them a letter substantially as follows:
"Hon....................
"Dear Sir:—I am in hearty sympathy with the legislation against the white slave traffic proposed by the Woman's World and urge you to secure the passage of laws which shall embody the clauses and enactments suggested in the enclosed article clipped from that journal.