The times., 1899-08-31

Orders will be issued today from the
headquarters of the Police Department re-
garding the treatment that is to be neted
out to the crowds of well-dressed youths
and curbstone critics who throng The
thoroughfares of the downtown district of
the city, annoying and insulting the ladies
passing by and making themselves OBJ
noxious in many other ways to the woman
who is on the street either morning. noon,
or night without an escort. The conduct
of these persons has caused repeated com
plants to be filed at Police Headquarters
and their language toward the unhappy
woman pedestrian is. in some cases, of
the vilest and most impertinent character.
Their favogite stamping ground is en- f
Street northwest between Fifteenth and
Ninth Streets, in the heart of the shop
ping district, where the women of the city
are forced 10 pass on their way to and
from the large stores. On Saturday even
ings at Seventh Street Market Space and
Pennsylvania Avenue, there is also large
contingent of the obnoxious "mashers'
lining the sidewalks and making bold and
lmpertinent remarks to the ladies' passing
by. The greatest number of these loafers
congregate on f Street between the hours
of and $50 p M, however, and it has
become a common thing for women to be
openly insulted. Numerous instances Rave
been pointed out where the wives of we'll
known business men, on their way 10 their
husbands S Offices, have been almost stopped
and subjected TO the scrutiny and insults
of the so-ealled '.mashers." These loiterers
on the thoroughfares have sense enough
to keep on the alert for a policeman, and
do not attempt any of their insulting prac-
tices while member of the force is near.
The insufficient number of policemen on
the force prevents a man being detailed
especially TO look out for such cases and,
as consequence, the ladies are often
forced 10 run the gantlet of a dozen
loafers without the slightest protection or
chance for redress. When one of the
curbstone critics is arrested and is warned
not to repeat his conduct he is very abject
in his apologies and promises faithfully
not to do so any more promise which
is never kept No woman, no matter how
modest she may be, is proof against the
criticism of such nuisances, and even
young girls have been made to blush with
embarrassment at the remarks they have
had addressed them while innoeently
walking along the street
The attention of Major Sylvester was
called to the matter last night by Times
reporter, and he said that he was almost
powerless to abate the nuisance or improve
the condition OF ,nings. Il have done
everything in my power to stop this thing
he said. Il have even gone so far as to
have man in citizens clothes make sew
eral tours Of + Street, during the after
noon, and arrest all parties who were heard
making insulting remarks about women
who may happen to be passing by Sew
eral arrests were made and the prisoners
we're fined, but / cannot place a man there
all the time. There are not enough men
on the police force to entirely break up
the practice. 1t has been my idea for a
long time 10 have squad of men patrol
+ Street and Pennsylvania Avenue for this
purpose. But the police force is not large
enough TO admit of that. This morning,
for instance, between the hours of and
3 o clock, when there were any number of
people on the streets, there were Just four
men on duty in the territory included in
the First precinct, between Seventh and
Fifteenth Streets, and B Street southwest
and Street northwest. The heart of
the business section was left open to all
kinds of crime and criminals, not through
any negligence on the part of the men in
charge CT the precinct, but because there
are not enough men on the force to prop
eriy protect the property Of the citizens
The largest number of men on duty
throughout the District of Columbia at
any one time is between the hours of 6
p. m and a. m, when there are about
1f0 men on the streets, a ratio of less than
one policeman to every thousand of the
population II is an absolute impossibility,
therefore, TO have man especially detailed
for the purpose of keeping the streets in
order in certain section If they should
have such detail the other parts of the
city would suffer
am ready 10 do all there is in my
power 10 help the women, but I am ham
pered by lack of facilities With every
annual report of the chief of police is 10
be found request for more men. Last year
asked Congress for modest increase and
my request was almost ignored AS | stat
ed before, / want TO establish a sneciaI
squad of men to patrol the shopping district
and along Pennsylvania Avenue and e
Street where the principal business houses
are located, but with the present number of
men this Is impracticable. | have frequent
iy Issued orders TO the lieutenants in COM
mand OF the various precincts TO see that
the streets were kept clear of the rowdies
and ''mashers' that congregate on the cor
ners and in front of the large stores. and
have noted myself that the orders were car
ried out as far as possible. l will renew
those orders tomorrow and make il per-
sonal matter TO see that they are carried
out. but as l said before, we are now giving
the ladies all the protection there is in
our power. No one is more interested in the
matter than / am. Members of my own
family have been insulted and | have as
much at stake as anyone The public may
be assured that the police will do what they
can to stop the practices of these men. and
all the protection in our power viii be
granted