Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-22


Intelligence and enthusiasm manifested by
the men who are charged with the allim-
portant duty of preventing and detecting
crime The value of the work upon which
you are engGg ed in the various cities of
the country cannot be overestimated. If
1t IS well and faithfully done. society VIII
rest upon sure and safe foundation. Life
and property will be free from injury and
depreciation, law will be respected and
there will be moral and commercial prog
ress in every community. IT, on the other
hand, you fail to recognize the enormous
responsibility which rests upon you. if you
are recreant to your sacred trust, If for a
single moment you relax your vigilance
and allow crime to stalk unpublished
! through the land, then will chaos reign
where peace and order ought to be
throned. 1t is in appreciative knowledge
| OF the fact that You come here as a body
! of faithful public servants. with records
| rich with brave and honest deeds that the
| people of the national capital welcome you
| here today. They proud to number
| YOU among their guests
You have come to Washington for the
! first time in the history of your present
| organization. The season selected for your
visit is most propitious. You will see the
| city in all its beauty. with its streets and
avenues lined with ieafy trees. with its
| parks radiant and fragrant with flowers
| and with its handsome public buildings
bathed in balmy sunshine. You will learn.
| too, that the beauty of Washington is not
merely superficial. We have here COM
munity where the average of intelligence is
| unusually high. where the government is
free from scandal and where officials and
citizens cooperate heartily in the effort
| to produce the most effective results in
municipal administration.
1t is unique government in that it does
not rest upon the suffrage of the people,
and yet we present it to you as an object
lesson worthy of your careful considera ton.
! In a larger and broader sense too Wash
lngton should appeal to you as the center
| OF the national administration the home
| of the President of the United States the
| city wherein Congress enacts the federal
| laws AS you stand beneath the dome of
the Capitol, your patriotism will be stirred
and every impulse of good citizenship will
| be quickened. Not only will you return to
your homes benefited and instructed by
| the sessions of your association, but you
will feel closer and deeper interest in
the affairs of your country and will be
prouder than ever of the fact that you are
| citizens of the greatest republic which the
world has ever known
| Appreciating, therefore, the close rela-
| tlonship which exists between the national
and the local administration in this capital
| city, 1t seems to me to be appropriate to
| inform you this morning that the Commits
| sioners of the District of Columbia have
expressed to your honored and distinguished
| president, Maj. Richard Sylvester, their
Willingness to approve the suggestion which
| he will present to you for the esta blish-
ment in this city of a national bureau of
criminal identification for the benefit of
| chiefs of police throughout the world 1t is
| in this direction will form the nucleus of
! police bureau at the seat of government,
which, in its natural development, will be-
| come a great national detective institution.
In this, as in every other undertaking which
has for its object the unfolding of
law and order and the suppression of
crime. you may rely upon the earnest sup
port not only of the local authorities, but
of those charged with the administration
of national affairs.
The people of Washington bid you a
cordial welcome They hope that your de-
lberatio may be helpful and stimulating
and that the pleasant Impressions awaken
ed by your visit will induce you soon again
to assemble here
In concluding his address Commissioner
West paid high tribute to the worth of
Major Richard Sylvester as the superin-
tendent of the District police department
to his sagacity and ability. coupled with
strict integrity and devotion to duty. This
complimentary reference to the Washing
ton chief brought forth a veritable cyclone
of applause
on behalf of the association, Major Syl-
vester thanked Mr.. West for the kind and
sincere welcome to Washington which he
extended to the police chiefs and their
ladies.
Major Sylvester Gained.
/ After the committee credentials had
retired Chief Wiley Williams of Column
bus, Ga. asked permission to sandwich
in little something
II
Sylvester, 1.-The gentleman may make his
sandwich
Chief Williams then announced that it
was his purpose then and there TO publicly
cane" President Sylvester. He thereupon
presented the Washington chief with a
cane of native Florida wood which mad
beesa wonderfully carved with a penknife
by a Floridan who is sixty years of age.
The handle of the cane is a dellcately
wrought imitation of human hand clasp
ing a police baton, while along ITS length
are figures of a policeman in full uniform
of a revolver. 'nip1ers and other ponce
paraphernalia. In presenting the rare
token Chief Williams declared Major Syi-
vester was the best president the associa-
ton ever had.
In accepting ii Major Sylvester caused Il
hearty wave of applause by saying:
There is another citizen of this com
munty who would no doubt accept this
big stick.
port, showing that twenty nine chiefs had
made application for membership IN the
association. BY unanimous vote Their
names were added to the rolls of the Or
ganiZation.
The Presidents Report.
President Richard Sylvester then read his
annual address and report. He said
In beginning his report, Maj Sylvester
referred to the circumstances under which
they assembled here at this time, to the
great cement utll .tu dl inc toilNti ia
ST. Louis by the police exhibit there, to the
closer union between police officials, not
only in the various cities III this country,
but those of foreign cities, so that now the
Intervention of the State Department is
rarely necessary. He referred to the EFFORTS
to minimize political interference in the
management of police departments and that
in several cities the civil service features
prevail. He also said that the general gov
erEment was urged to make a small annual
allowance for the support of a national bu-
reau of criminal information and Identified
ton, as aid III experimenting and iden-
tifying criminals and in recording the
names, descriptions and cations of those
known as enemies to the state; purely
practical affair, which would also afford Il
laboratory where the scientist could avail
hin self of abundant material for the study
OF the criminal man, but the measure pro-
viding for the same has not so far been
successful.
The Commissioners of the District of Co
lumbia. however, after being fully enlight-
ened the subject. are willing to conduct,
under the supervision of thorough and COM
petent officers, the national bureau of GRIM
inal identification, which is now operated at
| to he