Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-08
.WITH0UTPROTECTION
Fate Of the Capitol Building and
Grounds.
EFFECT OF House ACTION YESTERDAY
Unwilling to Increase the Scanty
force of Police.
LOANED OFFICERS TO GO

The House yesterday did thing which
| Is liable to lead to unfortunate conse-
| quences. They practically converted the
Capitol grounds, embracing sky acres, in
| to zone of safety for thugs and footpals,
| base Of operation and an ambuscade.
Immediately, or, a. least, within very
short time, the grounds surrounding the
Capitol will be left during all the danger
Gus hours Of the night utterly without po-
| lice protection, the building Itself being
already imperfectly guarded on the inter-
| ior. At the opening Of this session Mr.
Stone Of Pennsylvania Introduced reso-
tuition in III. House providing for the en-
poymcnt Of twelve additional watchmen
for the CAPITOL building and grounds. These
We're to take the place of, a detail of metro
politan Police temporarily loaned from the
District fierce to protect the grounds at
night The resolution was referred to the
committee on accounts.
An Adverse Report.
Yesterday, during MIR. Stones absence, the
committee reported the resolution pack :id-
versely, and their report was adopted.
The committee in this report said: Your
| committee listened attentivey to the ar
guments made by the sergeant-at-arms of
the Senate and House, respectively, for an
Increase in the force of the Capitol police,
but are not satisfied that the same are
needed at this time, and dsapprove the
resolution ono. g calling for same"
The metropolitan police are about be
removed because they cannot be spared
from the regular force Of the city, and the
grounds will be left entirely without pro-
lection during the night. The residents of
Capitol Hill must. pass through these
grounds in going to and from their homes,
unless they go far out Of their way through
still more obscure and deserted thorough
fares. The grounds are full of trees and
shrubbery, serpentine walks, with dark AMI
abrupt angles. where an army of tramps
and thugs could lay in wait for passerahx
Tie force of the capitol police has
never been large enough to spare even a
single Waterman to protect these grounds,
and in times gone by the grounds have
been extremely dangerous for pedestrians
at night
Policemen Loaned.
Some tina before the raid of the Coxey
| army the police board of the Capitol which
consists of the architect, the sergeant-at-
arms of the Senate and the sergeant-at-
arms of the House. made an arrangement
with Major Moore of the metropolitan DO
lice, by which a detail of police was tenn
porarily assigned to protect the Capitol
grounds. These grounds are entirely out
but this techncaity ignored in the in
tcrest of public safety. 1t was impossible
that the detail should be more than tenn
porary, for the reason that the metropol-
itan force is already too small by hun
dred and fifty or two hundred men for the
duties they have in protecting the city.
The inadequate detail of two police on duty
from pm. to II pm. and two from mid
night until 6 am. was made. and the men
assigned to this duty had to perform their
regular watch duty in addition. The as
s'gnment was made only until Congress
could have time to take suitable action,
and now that the House has declined to
provide the adequate force the metropol-
itan- police will have to go back to their
regular city duty, and the grounds will be
left without any sort of protection.
Twice during the last Congress the Sem
ate unanimously adopted resolution pro-
vidng for the Increased force.
The Capitol Police.
The Capitol building. which is the largest
of all the public buildings, and which is
visited daily by thousands upon thousands
of people, strangers and people of all
classes ana description is protected by a
force of twenty-five police. one captain
and three ieutenants Three of the police
are assigned by law to special duty The
twenty-one police left have to be divided
into three watches, to cover the night and
day. The men have to remain on duty
during Sundays and holidays so that in the
allowance by law of annual vacation they
are given fifty days. instead of thirty, which
is allowed employees of the government
who have their Sundays and legal holi-
days. To meet this, and making no allow
ance for sickness or accident, the night
watches have to be cut down to five men
each. These five men have to look after
the entire building There are sixteen pub
lie entrances, four floors and all the rooms
and winding corridors and out Of the way
passages and staircases to be watched.
This is much more than they can do prop
erly and there is not a man to spare for
duty In the grounds. The sixty acres of
trees and shrubbery will be left as a harbor
Tor all who have need for q neutral zone'
where the law cannot reach them, and
where the pedestrians will be at their
mercy after nfghtfall. 1t will be a place
for ambush and a retreat in flying from
the police. The men who sandbagged the
hack Inspector last night not far from
these grounds probably sought refuge there
to avoid pursuit.
Most Poorly Protected Building.
The Capitol is the most poorly protected
government building in Washington The
War; State and Navy building, which has
no grounds to guard, and is open only
from to 4, has fifty-nine watchmen. The
force at the Capitol has not been increased
stree the building was enlarged-in fact.
not in fifty years.
Brief Points of Business Inv.
Ignorance OF the law excuses no one.
The act of one partner binds all the
others.
A contract made on Sunday is void.
"A principal is liable for the acts of his
agents
contract with minor cannot be en-
+ forced.
~,