Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-02
FOR WIFE BEAT Err s
ONLY THING THAT WILL DETER
THEM IS THE LASH.
Other Local Measures Considered by
the House District Committee
This Morning.

DedterS ana urged his measure as a SOOd
one for carrying out the purpose intended.
The bill in question was introduced by Mr..
Adams January ., and provides that when
ever any male person in the District of
Columbia shall beat bruise or mutilate,
the court before whom he is tried and con-
victed shall direct the infliction of COR
poral punishment to be laid upon his bare
back to the number of not more than thirty
lashes by means of a whip of suitable
strength and proportions
The bill further provides that the punish
ment shall be inflicted by the marshal of
the District or one of his deputies within
the prison inclosure, and in the presence of
a duly licensed physician and the keeper of
the prison.
Mr.. Adams Advocacy.
In his brief talk before the committee Mr..
Adams said that several years ago when
the idea of the whipping post for wife beat
ers was first brought before him he was
inclined to treat it with considerable lev
ity. Since then, however, he had studied
the problem carefully and conscientiously,
It's influences and ramifcations, and he had
experienced a change of mind. The first
practical point involved in the whipping
post problem, Mr.. Adams said, was that any
man who will infiict bodily harm or pain
or suffering on weaker person is by
Il
said, imprisonment had no terrors. A man
of that nature would just as soon go TO
prison as not. He feared corporal punish
ment alone.
IF that be true" asked a member of the
committee, why not have the whipping
post for the punishment of offenders in all
cases of bodily ASSAULT"
No" said Mr.. Adams, Il should not ad-
yocate that. The wife is always the weak
er, as we all well know. and the other cir
cumstances are invariably different in
case of Wife beating from other cases OF
simple assault
Mr. Adams said that the charge of wife
heating against a man often resulted in
the sending of the mans wife to the aims
house Very often, he said, the wife hest
tated to make the charge that her hus-
band had maltreated her because when
the brute got out of Jail he usually beat
her again worse than before. The wife
beater, Mr.. Adams continued, was usually
drunken, lazy loafer The terror of the
lash was the only thing that would serve
to stay his hand The object of the most
was to cow those brutes, who were sus-
ceptible of being influenced in no other
way. He believed it would be an ey-
tremely efhcacious method of stopping the
practice.
''What would be the effect of the whin-
ping post on the community In which it
was established" asked Representative
Campbell, member of the committee
The whippings would take place in pri-
vate," said Mr.. Adams, land the punish
ment would be administered under the
eye of a doctor. There would be no bad
effects such as has followed the use of
the public post
Mr.. Adams insisted that in Delaware the
whipping post had resulted in practically
striking wife beating from the list of crimes
in the state.
Taking up the economic side of the oues-
ton, Mr.. Adams called the attention of the
committee to the fact that under existing
laws we punish and hang murderers to save
other IlVes; we imprison thieves to save
property but if we send the wife beater to
JAN the taxpayers are made to stand for it,
while the wife is not protected or saved
from future assault and the wife beater
himself is not benefited. The lash, he
thought, was the only proper remedy.
In concluding Mr.; Adams said:
Every married man in the House who
does not vote for this bill when it comes up
lays himself open to suspicion"
Other Local Matters.
Following Mr.. Adams whipping-post
speech the committee after some discussion
authorized favorable reports on three minor
House bills. establishing a railroad storage
yard In the District, permitting the WASH
lngton Market Company to lay a conduit
across hh street, and authorizing the clos
ing ana opening of an alley in square SO6
Representative Cowherd of Missouri n
me emDer of the committee, was authorized
10 oHer an amendment on the floor of the
House to The bill favorably reported which
provides for the extension of 10Th street
from Woodley road to Mintwood plane
Inc amendment extends 10th street throueh
10 baltimore street.
me committee then heard Mr.. ]. L. TAFT
OF thls city, who urged q fayorah,a ra
port on the bill for the extension and i'm.
PIoVelnent OF Massachusetts avenue and
boundary avenue northwest
ne piii was introduced in the House nv
Representative Pearre of Marvland who
eApiaihed us purpose in the statement thar
tne artlstic development of the cantt, :
olty requires that the magnificent system
ter be finished" e'
The extension of Washington's widest
ana hnest residential avenue Massachu
sets avenue, and Of Boundary avenue.
uon.eiiipiated ,o,,, by the construction of the
now completed Massachusetts avenue
priose, VIII subserve several great public
purposes, among which are the followinp.
me providing of much-needed thorou OH
isies OF general travel; the DEVELOPMENT of
tne most attractive portion of the DjstricY ,.
the opening of the avenue approaches To
the navai observatory, the Episcopal cathe-
Ipni,a,st, s..e ana schoois and the American
pie OF an interesting part of the civil war
defenses OF Washington including Fort
bayard, splendidly preserved and com
manding fortification; the compIetion of
! the sections of avenues necessary to ioin
! together Massachusetts avenue Wiscon-
sin avenue Connecticut avenue and Rock
Creek Park; the consequent establishment
] of that which Washington has heratnfore
| lacked. and which many other large cities
| and the worlds capitals enjoy, a beautiful
| and extended system of bouIevards for
the utility and pleasure of the whole peo-
/ pie, and admirably suited TO the uses of
| equestrians, drivers and automobilists
| The owners of the land within the ave-
| nues in question stand ready to dedicate
| their property to an amount equal TO about
| 81 per cent of the total value OF the land.
| the estimated entire cost of the condemna-
| ton of the undedicated land and of the
/ grading and macadaniizing of the avenues
| being 100000, thus rendering the inme-
| didate consummation of these established
plans for the civic Improvement of the ma
/ tional capital"
Mr.. Tait's Proposition.
| Mr.. TAFT appeared for the Episcopal Ca
| thearal and the Methodist Institution.