Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-09
AGAINST THE DIVISION
Platform Of the Association for the Sup
preston Of Woe
Views Expressed a. to the Duties Of
the Commissioners - Unnecessary
Rniding Not Approved.

WOmdnS CnrlSuan temperance UNION,
adopted a platform. elected offlcery and
transacted other business Of interest.
Before the meeting Of the association was
opened the directors elected w. Livingston
Bruen. president; g. P. Hopkins. vice presi-
dent; DR.. Wray Beattie, secretary, and ].
s. Blackford, treasurer. Owing to press Of
other business Rev. T. Chalmers Easton
and G. N. Luccock rendered their resigna-
lions as members Of the board Of directors,
and Mr.. 8. D. Luckett and Mrs. Mary L.
Newman were chosen to fill the vacancies.
The following communication from Rev.
F. D. Power, pastor of the Vermont Ave-
nue. Christian Church. was read to the
meeting:
Il am in hearty accord with the effort to
suppress the Division. 1t has been a never
ceasing wonder to me in my twenty-one
years residence in this fair city that her
authorities would permit the existence of
such a plague spot. I believe every other
lawless element has as much right to claim
immunity from the operation of law as
this, and even greater right, as all forms
of lawle5Sness and crime are bred in this
breeding place Of every abomination. Let
the evil be stamped out. If 1t Is scattered
and springs up elsewhere let the same
strong arm of the law follow it, and deal
with it with the same relentless power.
There should be no compromise with such
corruptipg influences in our midst
The Platform.
The committee appointed for the purpose
at the last meeting, Mrs. Kate Waller Bar
rett, DR.. Wray Beattie and Mr.. g. p. Hop
kirs. presented a platform as follows. which
was, after some discussion, adopted:
''Your committee appointed April 1, 1896,
to state the platforms and policy Of the
Anti-Division Association, beg to submit
the following report. and to set forth the
cardinal principle upon which the associa-
ft L. s@I- Il
and procedure in prosecuting the work Of
permanent reform at the. capital city and
elsewhere, wherever organized institutions
exist that are devoted to propagating
drunkenness, RIGHTEOUSNESS and other
crimes. This association was incorporated
March 20. 1896, to consider the best means
to accomplish reforms and to ascertain and
develop and give certain expression, by
the people relative to the causes and
sources Of these crimes in this city, and
especially in the Division.
The objects OF this associa, ION a.. to
promote In all proper ways enforcement Of
the criminal law, to stimulate public SEN
finest IN favor of its execution by edu-'
eating both men and women to a single
standard of purity, to promote the eradi-
cation of the sources and causes of crime
and Vice, to disseminate Information re-
spectirg them, to advise and assist the
weak and helpless and especially those
under age in obtaining the protection of
man1 for the making of wholesome laws
against vice and to organize public meet
1ngs for discussion upon such topics. The
methods Of operation shall be to arouse
correct public opinion respecting vice, to
assist in the prosecution of law breakers,
to disseminate Information by means Of
the press, by pamphlets and leaflets, by
public addresses and public meetings, and
by all other feasible means to further meth
DDS recommended by this society. We de-
clare that 1t is not the function Of this
society to detect, ferret out. arrest and
bring to the bar of justice criminals and
law breakers. nor to raid these establish
mants Of vice and infamy. It is not the
function of this society to dictate to the
Commissioners or to any officer Of the law,
or to the courts Of justice as to the man
ner of procedure they should take in per-
forming their sworn duties in these mat
ters.
This reform society stands first and
foremost fo- the principle that the true
function Of the administration of the Com
missioners Is not to determine law, but to
execute it, and we believe that the Com
should have close fellowship
with that principle, and that this public is
justified in expecting from them the faith
full discharge Of this duty, and to carry out
the laws governing this social evil in a
frank and persistent manner totally unaf-
fected by Interior considerations We de-
sire here and now record our desire and
expectation. which we believe to be those
also of this commonwealth, for unfiinching
steadfastness on their part to duty agree
ably to the terms of their OATH and this
society Is committed to the principle that
laws are to be- obeyed and that the Com
m1ssloners have no option in the premises
We hold also that the Commissioners can
not be held responsible for any suffering
that may follow the wise execution Of law
From the duty of the Commissioners we
pass to the duty Of the Jury In these cases,
and we emphatically declare that they
should render their verdict in accordance
with the law and with the evidence intro
duced, and not in accordance with their
private ideas and wishes.
we deplore the unwise methods en-
ployed by the authorities in other cities and
the useless suffering that has followed the
unwtse methods employed by the police.
We are aware that such unwise methods
were employed with the view Of seeking to
make 1t apparent to the public that the
ideas of the reformers were impracticable
ard to make them appear ridiculous and to
turn the current of public opinion against
reform measures. We. nevertheless, trust
public opinion will be against those in au-
thority in this city from practicing such
methods here. While we insist upon the ex-
ecution Of the law and the rescue of the
perishing ones. we repeat that 1t is not the
function Of this association to dictate to
officers Of the law. We do hope, however,
that they may be wisely guided and that
justice and mercy may be Joined together
and exhibited in the judgments of the
courts, and while we protest against any
cruelty, persecution, or any unnecessary
raiding In this work against the Division
we do insist that these violators of law and
Of public decency be given to understand
that their vice and crimes must cease in the
Division and elsewhere, and that law, or
der and decency shall prevail. While we de-
clare for mercy we are opposed to that
sickly sentimentality which has tears to
shed for those who Justly suffer the penalty
for their crimes, but which has no tears for
the hundreds Of innocent victims of these
viOlators Of law and decency of both sexes.
That these innocent victims are much more
numerous than is generally supposed is evil
denced by the London health report of 1885,
selected at random, from which 1t appears
that 81 per cent Of all the deaths caused by
venereal diseases were infants under one
year old, who came into the world alive,
but cursed by the sin Of one or other Of
their parents. The fact that on the
statute books Of every state in the Union are
found laws placed there by intelligent
voters. and which prohibit the promiscuous
relationship Of the sexes. leads to the in
evitable conclusion that there exists a uni
deep-rooted belief that the evil in
question Is a great one, which must at all
costs be eradicated. otherwise there would
not be found such unanimity Of opinion on
the subject.
1--WE conclude, therefore, that these
shameless v1olators Of law, both men and
women, must be dealt with in a manner
similar to that In which other criminals are.
Let this vice be punished whenever and
wherever found The good name Of this
fair capital CITY demands it. Justice and