Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-15
Proposed Legislation Declared to Be
Imposition on Police.
MEETING AT NEW WILLARD
Speakers Urge Immediate Action
Upon the Part Of Interested
District Residents.

Many. of Washington's leading citizens
rallied to the support Of the Humane So
ciety at a mass meeting in the New Will
lard Hotel last night and voted unani-
mously to aid in the defeat OF the bill
which has been prepared by the Horse
Owners Protective Association and has
the approval Of the District Commission
ers. This measure, which is now before
Congress. would, 1t is declared, practically
do away with the Washington Humane
Society, leaving all the work which has
hitherto been done by it to the police
department. Speakers declared last night
| that the police force was already too
small to handle the work it is now called
upon to do. and that to Increase its duties
| would merely lmean the neglect Of the
work of preventing cruelty to children
and animals in tbs National Capital.
without the approval Of the District
Commissioners the bill OF the Horse
Owners Association would be laugh
ed out Of Congress, it was declared.
The speakers insisted that the Com
missioners had been misled into CIV
ing the measure their approval.
Individual Effort Urged.
The members of the Humane Soci-
ETY. and their friends we're urged to
see the members Of Congress per-
sonally and to- ask them merely to
read the bill through carefully. Such
a reading would kill the bill without
any further action on the port OF Its
opponents, 1t was said, SO apparent
were its faults.
Between 800 and 400 persons gath
cred in the red room Of the New VIII
lard to take part in the mass meeting.
They were called to order by Waiter
Stilson Hutchins, president of the HUI
name Society. Among the speakers
who had seats on the platform at one
end Of the room were Thomas Nelson
Page, Hannis Taylor, former United
States minister to Spain: Chester A.
John c.. Wise, U. S. N; r. Ross Perry.
Judge William H. DeLacy Of the Juve-
nile Court, DR.. Elnora c. Folkmar
and Rev. J. Milton Waldron.
meeting" said Mr.. Hutchins. sis that it
should have been necessary to call It.
But this bill which we are opposing
comes from people who have suner-
ed from the force of the laws they OBJ.
ject to. and we must accept 1t as
compliment.
Not Properly Informed.
He said that while he believed the
10
giving the bill their approval. they were
yet acting in ignorance Of the real con-
ditions. If there was great objection to
allowing the fines collected from convic-
tons under the laws preventing cruelty
to be applied to the support of the HUI
name Society, let Congress settle the mat
ter by appropriating directly for the sup
port Of the society, he said. The result of
enacting the house owners bill into law,
he declared, would be to cripple seriously
the police force, since it would add enor-
mously to their duties.
Mr.. Hutchins said that during the his
tory of the Humane Society in Washing
ton 1874 arrests had been made, and
that convictions had been obtained in
more than 90 per cent of the cases. This
being true, he declared. the passage Of
such a bill would be direct attack upon
the courts of the District.
Step Into Dark Ages.