The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-24

and secure its inhahatAnfD from loss and
Z injury, and shall generally have power
60 do whatever may be necessary to
these ends. Every member Of the po-
lie force shall earnestly endeavor. when
any offense is committed In the city to
detect and arrest the offender. and strive
to enforce all ordinances prescribing any
OF assembly relating to, of1enges in the
city,
OATH THEY HAVE TAKEN.
Now. Mr.. President every member OF
the police department and OF our city.
government has taken an oath to obey
these laws Of the State and city. have
the oath in my pocket; had it copied
from the statutes. Here it is. Here the
oath to be taken by. the members OF this
board the chief of police, the captains,
the sergeants and the private policemen:
ct do declare myself citizen of the Com
monwealth of Virginia, and do solemnly
swear or affirm that I will support and
sustain the Constitution and laws Of the
State Of Virginia; that recognize and
accept the civil and political equality Of
all men before the law, and that will
faithfully perform the duty-of whatever
the Office is under tho governmental the
best of my ability; so help me, God. y
Now, sir it is made the duty Of the
chief Of police and of all his subordinates
to detect and report all violations of the
laws Of this Commonwealth and Of all the
ordinances Of this city. and in the work
of discovering or detecting and reporting
any violations of these laws he is not.
sin ply to report what he detects by per-
sonal inspection. For instance, in the
case of house of ill fame the statutes
d. rot provide that he shall go into the
house and see for himself. The
laws do not require that OF him. The law
YJx-5r HIM 10. 1,r.iyS 70
lice Court evidence as to the general
characteristic bad character-of the place,
aEl # he can prove that in the commu-
nifty that house Is recognized as q house
of III fame he has made out his case,
and the penalty will be inflicted.
DUTY NOT DISCRETION.
I want to say, gentlemen, that the laws
no discretion in this matter. 1t is not
for the chief of police or any OF his sub
o:.i:nates to say whether they will enforce
these laws or not; whether they will dis
cover, detect suppress and eSpel crime
according to the language OF these stat
utes or not, as they may see best. The
lnolce department has no discretion In
the rnatter-none whatever. Every mem
Der Of this department has solemnly sworn
to execute these statutes of the State and
cs the City Council. To assume that 1t Is
not wise, that it isn't good policy. that it
isn't eNpedient to execute the laws against
these houses of i'll fame is an unworthy
thing on the part of any man charged
With the administration of the law. Ees
HIS 10 discretion in the matter. He has
saieirnly sworn to execute the law as he
reads it. or as it is read to him.
Well, it is said that it would be unwise
and would not accomplish anything if
these laws against the bad women of this
city were enforced. Nothing would be
fI,r "a a aS
that. The law provides that if woman
or man is found keeping a house of i'll
fame she or he shall be arrested and
shall be fined not less than two hundred
dollars and put in Jail for not less than
twelve months. Now YOU can argue with
me from this time until doomsday that
the execution of that law, just as It
stands, would not reduce lewdness in this
city. You put man in Jail for twelve
months for such an offense as that; you
put a woman in Jail for twelve months
for keeping a house of i'll fame, IT she
don't quit rather than run the FISK OF
having the punishment inflicted again,
she is unlike any woman that ever saw
The men who made these laws were
not fools: they We're men who understood
human nature. and that law stands there
as an expression of the judgment and OF
the consciences of the citizenship of the
State of Virginia In their Judgment 1t
will reduce this crime to enforce such
law and subject the transgressors OF u
to such punishment. Will this board as
sumo, and will the Police Department of
Richmond assume. that these men were
lnwise who enacted that statute, ana
that nothing will be accomplished IN re-
ducing lewdness in this city by the exc
cution of that statute? In the first place.
such an assumption on the part Of the
1oo,;oa Dana rtr,ent is utterly unwarranted.
Now. Mr. President, after having made
these preliminary statements | want TO
proceed to prove by the witnesses shan
introduce that the Police Department OF
the city Of Richmond has not conformeu
TO these statutes. and the first witness
shall introduce is Major Howard, Cn1el
of Police.
MAJOR HOWARD a WITNESS