Sunday morning globe., 1901-09-22
Who BLUNDERED?
The Question as To the Response
bility for the Crush
At THE CAPITOL TUESDAY.
The Metropolitan Police Come 10 Inc Rescue
and Save Both Life and Limb Endangered
BY the Stupidity and Ignorance Of Tho Know
All Officials Who Assumed Authority In tho
Capitol Reservation.

The untOWard occurrence in the Cap
itol on Tuesday last whereby scores
of people were more or less seriously
injured in the mad rush for entrance
to the building during the obseQuies of
the late President Mckinley has re-
fiected on this city at home and abroad
There ought to be a rigid inquiry and
the responsibility located for the af-
fair, which, under the circumstances,
almost rises to the dignity of a crime.
That the capitol and not the metro
politant police made the blunder seems
to be the concensus Of opinion among
those who were present and witnessed
the mad and indecent scramble.
In no city on this continent are ne
gro toughs given the latitude they
seem to enjoy in Washington. Decent
colored and white people are alike scan
dalized and intimidated by their ruff
fianly and brutal conduct on all pub.
lie occasions. In the, present case in
hand they were the chief offenders.
trampling over women and children
and striking, the cowardly brutes, del.
icate and helpless ladies'. several of
them going so far as to tear the cloth
ing from off the persons of the women
in their immediate vicinity. The gal.
liant police officer who struck the ruff
fain negro with his club and made the
brute bite the dust for tearing the
whole front of a lady's dress from off
her person, ought to be promoted by
Major Sylvester at the first opportu-
nifty
But the white toughs and the white
brute were also in evidence. In the
white mems case it does not seem that
it at all follows a man must be a
tough to be a brute. Well-dressed and
apparently respectable.looking white
towards demeaned themselves in an
outrageous and infamously brutal man
ner trampling down their weaker fel-
lows and crowding over fainting wom-
en- and screaming children. 1t is all
too disgraceful to particularize or even
amidavert on, but that there is a call
for some systematic protection for the
future in public gatherings, to the end
that the city may be saved from the
notoriety it is aCcumulating abroad by
reason Of the recurrence of such scenes
as the one Of Tuesday last, and which
will inevitably take place II supreme
authority is not vested in one directing
and responsible head.
The metropolitan police force, on
Tuesday, brought order out Of chaos,
and Il Is the universal belief that had
that splendid body of men, under their
chief, full charge of the arrangements
al the Capitol there would have been
no disgraceful and rowdy occurrences
such as marred the city. and at time,
too. when the occasion and the event
alike demanded decorum and order.
Major Sylvester and his men redeem.
ed. as much as such an event could be
redeemed, the outrageous and yiciously
uncalled for brutality and panic which
seized the mob of hoodlums, toughs
and more respectable elements alike,
and which resulted so disastrously to
the frail women and helpless aged peo-
pie caught in the mad crush. Il was
the men Of the metropolitan police who
had to repair the mistakes Of the Of
fetal or officials assuming command In
the Capitol reservation, but who were
disqualified, as the event proved either
the conditions which arose The Cap
itoI police were as useless to stem the
torrent of the rushing, pushing and
fighting negro and white toughs as so
many boys with walking canes. The
Capitol police are not to blame in this
particular as nobody with an ounce Of
brains would expect men Of their call.
ing and assignments as political ap.
pointees. holding down perfunctory
Jobs as semiattendants and polite
guides to meet the emergency Of a
halfcrazed, panicky mob, composed
principally of such brutes of negroes
as tore the dresses from the backs Of
women or OF white rutfains who tramp.
led and injured delicate women, to beat
back the scoundrels or open passage
WAYS for the congested masses Of peo.
ple wedged into such narrow space.
When the metropolitan police, to save
life and limb. promptly invited them
selves. willy nllly orders or no orders
to clear the entrance to the Capitol
and separate the converginb crowds,
the accomplished the feat like
the trained veterans that they are, ac-
customed TO dealing with toughs and
panlccrazed crowds, and thus undoubt'