The Evening post. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889, 1888-11-03
ABArE THE NUISANCE.

Evening Post of yesterday, and we re-
produce il cditorially to call more par
ticular attention TO state Of affairs
which is worthy of all condemnation
Hannah Tyler has made complaint to the
Commissioners that gangs Of well.dresscd
loafers congrcgate at Tenth and Pennsylvania
avenue, Sals's corner, Seventh and Il streets
and on Twelfth street opposite Hogans store,
and lecr at ladies' on the street and make
insulting remarks in their hearing. She
states that she Is Government clerk and
is frequently out in the evening alone, and
she aud her lady friends have besu followed
and stared at by these young men who mako
such remarks as "Aln't she n daisy ~ and
icmarks that arc not III to be made in a
lady's presence. She states that It Is almost
impossible for lady who Is passably good
looking TO 60 past these gangs without being
insulted in this manner
The lady further adds that the police
have made some effort to abate the
nuisance, but not sufficient as warranted
by the facts. We are glad TO state,
however, that the matter has been re-
ferred to Lieut.. Amiss, and he has issued
instructions TO the officers to take special
notice Of such cases and TO arrest all
mashers' on provocation. But this is
not enough. On nearly every prominent
corner in this town there congregate by
day and by night gangs of alleged re-
spectacle young men, whose sole purpose
is to leer at every passing woman, to
make insulting remarks in her hearing
and TO otherwise bring our public thor
oughfares into such condition that a
decent woman is not safe in passing
along them unless protected by an es-
cort, And not always then. In addi-
tion to the loaiing places named by Miss
Tyler, we might enumerate many others,
among them the corners of Fourteenth
street and Pennsylvania avenue; Fit
teenth street. from Pennsylvania avenue
TO New York avenue; Pennsylvania
avenue, north side, from Fifteenth
street to the o. pitol the pave
ments in front OF several first-class
hotels and on various corners along +
street
And not in the evening alone do these
mashers' pursue their calling, but at
all hours of the day and frequent in
stances have come under our personal
notice of handsome young ladies being
followed for squares by these wolves of
the street, until their attentions became
so annoying that their victims were
driven into street ears, herdics or car
riages in order TO escape. 1t is almost
impossible for girl alone or accom-
paplcd by other girls TO pass along Penn
sylvania avenue any pleasant afternoon
and escape insult, open or covert, from
gangs of meu, old and young, hanging
onto the curb, the sidewalks or corners.
Men, too, who, no doubt, have mothers,
sisters, sweethearts or wives, whose
honor they shame by their conduct 1t
is a disgrace to the National Capital
that the principal streets should become
dangerous for women to walk upon, and
if for no reason of morality, but merely
for the sake Of business, our merchants
should make themselves particularly ac-
tive in securing safety for the ladies
who come out uncscortcd to do their
shopping.
1t is a reelection on the manhood OF
every decent man in Washington thai
such a state of affairs exists, and il thC
police are powerlcss to abatc the masher
then decent men with muscle to bacl
their convictions should organize them
selves into vigilance committee ant
thrash the mnsher out of existence Their
can be no polite measures adopted by
the police in the suppression Of this evil
Those who are 10 be handled do no
know what politeness is The club il
more fitting, Every gang of loafer
should be scattered and every mashe
caught insulting women should be ar
rested and punished to the full eXten
of the law For the benefit OF the pub
lie health, morally and physically, al
garbage should be removed from tn
streets and the places which held /
be thoroughly disinfcctcd.