Chicago Tribune
VICE COMMISSION BEGINS ITS
WORK
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Investigators Named by Busse Hold First Session; Only Three Absentees.
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DEAN SUMNER CHAIRMAN
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Committee Is Appointed to Apportion Duties of Inquiry Among Members.
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Twenty-eight out of the thirty-one members of Mayor Busse’s vice commission attended the first meeting, which was held in Assembly hall of the Public library yesterday afternoon.
The name vice commission has an objectionable sound in the cars of some of the members, and it is probable that a less garish title will be chosen by which it will be officially known. Two names have been suggested already. David Blaustein thought that "commission on public morality" would be less offending than vice commission, while Mrs. Ellen M. Henrotin suggested "social morality commission" as being more descriptive of its undertaking. It was left to the executive committee to choose the name.
Dean Sumner, as the temporary chairman appointed by Mayor Busse, called the meeting to order, and District Attorney Edwin W. Sims was elected temporary secretary. Both men were subsequently elected to fill the positions permanently.
Commissioners Who Attend
The calling of the roll showed that, in addition to Dean Sumner, District Attorney Sims, Mrs. Henrotin, and Mr. Blaustein, the following members were present:
Dr. W. L. Baum,
Rev. Jas. F. Callaghan
Dr. Anna Dwyer,
Rev. Albert Evers,
Dr. W. A. Evans,
Prof. Abram W. Harris,
Dr. William Healy
W. W. Hallam,
Rev. Abram Hirschberg,
Rev. E. A. Kelly,
Rev. John G. Kirscher,
Louis O. Koltz,
P. J. O’Keeffe,
Judge Harry Olson,
Judge M. W. Pinckney,
Alexander Robertson,
Julius Rosenwald,
Dr. Louis K. Schmidt,
Bishop C. T. Shaffer,
Edward M. Skinner,
Prof. W. I. Thomas,
Prof. Graham Taylor,
John L. Whitman,
Herbert L. Willett.
Dean Sumner announced that no one has declined to serve on the commission, but that the Rev. Frank W. Gunsaulus and Dr. James Nevin Hyde had both advised him they could not be present at yesterday’s meeting, and that he had not heard from Bishop W. F. McDowell.
Committee to Outline Work
"It seems to me that the best way for us to proceed will be to elect an executive committee to canvass the situation and to apportion our work according to their knowledge of the members of the commission," said Dean Sumner. "I think that we should leave it to this committee to outline our program, and report at the next full meeting of the commission."
This suggestion was put into the form of a motion by Dr. Evans, who included in his motion a proposition to have the executive committee composed of seven members to be appointed by the chairman and secretary.
"Let the executive committee study the makeup of the commission and divide it into committees," said Dr. Evans.
Prof. Graham Taylor seconded the motion.
"Every city is confronted by the vice problem," he said. "The mayor has cut out a big job fo this commission, but if we do our work well and thoroughly it should result in a great good to Chicago. I suppose we all feel alive to the importance of doing a thorough job of this.
"Our doings will be carefully and critically scrutinized, and the results will be watched with interest in every state of the Union. We should work in executive session so that our results will not be published until properly developed."
In accordance with this suggestion, Dr. Willet of the University of Chicago moved that the next session of the commission be executive, after which the meeting was adjourned subject to the call of the chair.
Later in the evening Mr. Sims and Dean Sumner conferred over the appointment of the executive committee and announced the following members: Dean Sumner, chairman; District Attorney Sims, secretary; Dr. Evans, Mr. Harris, Judge Pinckney, the Rev. Father Kelly, Mr. Rosenwald, Mr. Skinner, and Mr. Whitman.
