Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-11
ENTERS HIS PROTEST


In an interview with Mr.. Csandall Mac
key. commonwealth attorney for Alexan-
dria county. he said, In his opinion. The
STAR in an editorial printed yesterday had
done great injustice to the people as well
as the officials of Alexandria county. and
the article has a tendency to hurt property
In that locality. especially at this time
when the county Is enjoying period of
prosperity that is eQualed nowhere else in
the country.
THE Star has always been a tower OF
strength to the officials OF Alexandria
county," he said. in unfolding the law,
and. more than any other Washington
paper. has taken an interest in the public
affairs Of the 10000 people who reside In
that corner Of what was originally a part
OF the District Of Columbia.
The two assaults that provoked The Star
editorial took place In the most isolated
and sparsely settled region of Alexandria
county There Is scarcely a human habita-
ton within a mile on either side OF Luna
Park. and the tremendous improvements
made by the railroad in that neighborhood,
involving the expenditure OF about 5000
600. bringing hundreds of strange charac-
tiers into the county, has created condi-
lions that are new and unusual.
when Luna Park opened Judge Nicol ap-
pointed chief of police and six special Of
ficers to police the large area owned by the
cases OF intoxication there has not been a
single case of disorder or a single act OF
crime committed in Luna Park since IL
opened.
Knowing Alexandria county and all of
her people more intimately perhaps than
any one else, can say with truth that IL
is the most quiet and orderly community
of Its size hat can be found anywhere. and
with a population Of about 10000 people
or one-thirtieth OF that the city OF Wash
ineton., there y more crime committed
year In Alexandra county.
Amy one morning at the Police Court a
visitor can see more people accused OF
crimes of various sorts than he can trace
In the county Of Alexandria in the whole
year.
We have In Alexandria county a sheriff.
two deputies and half a dozen special offi-
GERS, exclusive Of those at Luna Park to
cover a territory one-third as large as the
District Of Columbia. containing about
10000 people.
Yet the excise laws and liquor laws are
far better enforced than In the city OF
Washington. the health laws are better
enforced and. Is well known, the laws
against gambling exclude that class OF
citizens from the limits Of the county and
keep them in the District 81 Columbia.
whence they originally came
IT believe :. will be found that wash
ldgtou citizens are the perpetrators of the
crimes.
There are today fifty speakeasies in
Washington to one in the county. Apart
from the negroes living down near the brick
yards. there are no sales OF liquor in
Alexandria county, licensed or unlicensed,
yet there Is not a house of prostitution in
the District of Columbia that is not openly
and notoriousl yengaged in the sale Of
liquor without license.
Sunday Liquor Selling.
Il can name a dozen places In Washing
ton city where liquor is sold on Sunday to
any white man who is decently dressed. and
there are dozens Of fake clubs of the kind
that we drove out of Alexandria county
openly selling liquor in Washington on Sun
day to any person who pays nominal sum
to join and in some cases 10 cents Is the
initiation fee.
"a neighbor of mine has a pocketful
OF membership tickets to Sunday bar
rooms in Washington city, and another
neighbor near me has been sending his
hired man to Georgetown for a quart of
whisky every Sunday. Policy Is peren-
NAL i'll the District OF Columbia, and no
community of its size has had more fell
ony cases in which the perpetrators es-
capped than Washington city has had
II mention these matters to show by COM
parison that Alexandria county is better
governed. and that there Is less crime in
proportion to the population, than there Is
in the District of Columbia. Even among
the colored population of Alexandra coun-
ty outside of the brickyard neighborhood.
crime is almost unknown. while in the Dis
trfct of Columbia the colored population Is
represented in the police and other Grim
inal courts in great numbers every day in
the year.
Since these two assaults at Four Mile
Run the officers of Alexandria county
have been working day and night without
rest or sleep in running down clues and
searching for evidence both In the Dis
trict of Columbia and in Alexandria coun-
ty. and the work has been as thorough and
exhaustive as could be done by men of in
telligence anywhere. and our officers work
without pay, or such inadequate pay as to
make any question Of compensation en-
tirely outside Of their thoughts.
1.-THE sheriff and his deputies are now out
making arrests and visiting every house
occupied by colored people for miles around
the scene of the recent crime, and unless
the criminals have, as usual. sought asylum
in the District of Columbia, they VIII be
caught and punished.
81 believe that woman travelling In
Alexandria county at night Is just as safe
as a woman travelling on any Of the suburbs
of the city of Washington" ~