Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-28
Street Car Disorder.
, the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Please allow me word in your paper
on the unfortunate incident on one of
the street cars of the Capital Traction
Company Friday evening, resulting In
seriously wounding negro who was
disorderly. and the wounding of an
innocent person. The purpose of this let
ter is not to sustain the many incidents
of the disorderly conduct and the use of
prcfane language on our street cars,
which Is confined not entirely to the
negro race. but. am sorry to say, many
young white men and boys, minors. If
teen to twenty years old.
The incident of Friday could have been
avoided IL Representative Helm, whose
Indignation was no doubt justly aroused,
had quietly gone to the conductor and
requested him to warn the two parties
tha- they must desist at once in their
language and in the act of drinking upon
the cars Had the conductor failed to
perform his duties then Representative
Heflin should have quietly waited until
the car had reached the junction at the
Peace Monument. when he could have re.
uuested the policeman at that point tC
arrest the offenders. 1t would have been
his duty to take them from the car, and
the right to appear, and as well, re-
quire the appearance of other witnesses
to the conduct of these parties. There
would have been no shooting.
| am constrained to write this letter
70: the reason that disorderly conduct
and the use of profane language upon
ou.. street cars are becoming daily oc-
currences. Only a few nights ago, or
one of the street car lines where l was
a passenger. there were number OF
ladies on the car, when number OF
negroes, and later on a number of young
or twenty-five years old, and some OF
them even younger, all, or most Of them
under the influence of intoxicants.
They seemed to vie with each other
as to who could tell the most disgusting
stories. and were loud and boisterOus
Had any of the other people In the cal
demonstrated there would have followed
trough house. The conductor no
only heard the talk, but was cognizan
of the disorderly actions and language
Why could not the conductor have
warned these people to desist. and, fail
ing to do so. not to attempt to put then
off the car, but quietly have waited unit
his car reached street car crossing
and then requested the policeman to place
them under arrest? He could have hat
the names of at least a dozen good, repu
table parties who would have gladly ap
peared as witne sseS. There would hav
| been no row. The whole thing coul,
| have been accomplished without rough
and-tumble fight which has resulted from
| the efforts of some of our conductors t
require decency of action and talk upol
| our cars.
This little discretion on the part o
| Representative Heflin and the conducto
would have avoided the Wounding of tw
| parties Friday evening.
Incidentally, have been told that tn
| conductors hesitate to teach these dis
| orderly parties lesson by having ther
arrested. for the reason that they wi
be compelled to lose the next day upo
attendance upon the Police Court, an
hence the public suffer. Let the railroa
companies insist upon the conductors er
for cling the rule of proper conduct upo
the cars, and let them protect the cor
ductor in doing his duty without los
| OF pay. etc, and then we can enjoy
ride on our street cars without sue
occurrences as that of Friday
| GEORGE E. EMMONS.