The times., 1897-05-20
PRAY DON'T EXPECTORATE
Law Against Splitting in Public
Places Is in Force.
LOOKING FOR A TEST CASE
Lawyers Say the Failure of the
Ordinance to Recognize the Use
Street Car Conductors Promise to
Be Lenient With First Offenders.

The new order of the Commissioners, pro
hibiting expectoration in the street car
and in all public buildings under the con
troll of the District, wentinto effect yester
day, and all those interested are anxiouslI
watching TO see the first case tried under 1t
So far no arrests have been made, but al
readersof The Times are warned lest in u.
unguarded moment they violate the new
Law, be hauled into the police court, ant
their offense made a test case
The new order is dated May 8, and reads
as follows:
1T is ordered that Article Y of the
police regulations be amended by adding
thereto the following section: That il
shall be unlawful for any person TO ex-
pectorate or spit in any part OF any rail
way or other public vehicle which carries
passengers for hire, or in or upon an,
part OF any public building under the
control of the Commissioners OF the Dis
trict of Columbia. Street car companies
and the proprietors of other public We
hicles carrying passengers for hire shall
keep conspcuously posted in each AMI
every part Of their cars or public vehicles
notices prohibiting such expectoration OIL
splitting
ANY person violating any Of the pro.
visions of this regulation shall, upon CON
viction in the police court of the District
OF Columbia, be punished by a fine not
exceeding $40 and imprisonment for not
more than ten days in the workhouse" "
1t was discovered by several of the la W.
yers Of the District yesterday that the new
law has made an important omission in
not recognizing the existence OF cuspidors
in the public buildings. There are, say
these authorities, in most If not all Of
the public buildings in the city recepta-
cles intended for the use OF those in the
habit of eXpectorating, and if the law be
considered as mandatory or be strictly en-
forced il means that every time one uses
these cuspidors he makes himself liable TO
arrest.
This they say Is a decided looseness
In framing the law, which may in the
eni make IL null and void.
For some reason the street car COM
panies have notified their employees that
they are not to enforce the law until
June %. No reason could be assigned
lOE bHlS dt tle OIilccS VI liiC COIUpdilcs.
but it was thought that the officials
wished to give the public time TO be.
come accustomed to the new order OF
things.
The notice posted up for the conductors
informs them that after unc %, If they
see anyone violating the ordinance they
are to call an officer and have the offender
arrested, and If no officer be within call
they are to secure the names Of witnesses
and all the necessary data in order TO have
q warrant issued at the first opportunity
Street car conductors, as well las officials,
however, all join n saying that they VIII 80
slow in the enforcement OF tine new reguia-
ton, and only insit upon arrest when the
violation is most flagrant A one of them
said yesterday:
"It seems to me that this order re-
quires common sense in its application. t
is not intended for persons who absent
mindedly expectorate on the car floor -
though il is intended to make them more
careful-but for persons who continue to
spit and thus make themselves nuisances
~ imagine that 1t is leveiled especially
against tobacco chewers, who often en-
ter car and make the space all around
them impossible by reason OF their filthy
expectors ton.
"At any rate, we are not likely to hear
much of the new law until the closed cars
are used again, as the open ones give
man plenty OF opportunity to expectorate
in the street.