Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-22
THREE ORDERLY NIGHTS
PROVE WHAT CAN BE DONE
Detectives, on Guard. Watch Patrons
of Liquor Retailers.
QUESTION SUSPECTED MINORS
Music Halls Put on Soft Pedal, and
Revels Are Moderated in En-
thusiasm-Offend Still
Hope for Good Time
Coming.

Completely covering every music hall
and drinking place for women, the de-
tectives OF the police force have enforced
the last three nights.
Nor only have the police kept an eye
On such places against which were
brought the original accusation of law
be possible for a minor to buy a drink
has been watched carefully.
Every drinking place where, perhaps,
the friends of the proprietor have been
able to induce him to violate the law at
odd times, just for the sake of friendship,
has drawn a strict line of demarcation
between the law and the violation Of it.
A stricter city in excise matters, perhaps,
does not exist in the whole of the United
States.
Enforcement Not Noised Abroad.
The fact that the plain clothes men are
watching the entrance of those places
ing the excise laws has been noised abroad
No announcement was made of ii at head
quarters.
No policeman would say anything about
it to any newspaper man. But the men
who have been finding part of their
amusement by taking young girls in for
evenings drinking know 1t is SO.
SoYle 81 tffem learned of it when they
nfror x,f tIofr
favorite resort. as they started in with
a woman friend. A policeman with his
mind set on stopping the violations of the
law would take no chances. In many
instances he warned the couples that the
law was to be enforced
Detectives Question Women.
Regardless of whether girl was six
teen years old or twenty-five. there were
stories floating around in the saloons
downtown last night of certain determin-
ed detectives who inquired the age of
every woman who had the slightest ap-
pearance of extreme youth.
One detective, going further than his
coworkers, made 1t his business to stand
near tde entrance to an upstairs garden.
When he would see man and woman
enter the door, he would stroll upstairs
behind them.
AS they began to make themselves COM
Portable with their drink and the music
he would ask the woman her age. One
woman whom he interrogated turned out
TO be thIrty-five years Old.
In view of what Maj. Sylvester said.
after his talk with Commissioner john
son, that these conditions wherever they
exist will be rectified, 1t would seem that
strenuous effort to show the music hall
men that there is law which prevents
sales of liquor to young girls.
The Iaw-breaking proprleCors have bow
ed TO the word that was spoken in the
District building. For the time being at
least they are not taking single chance.
There is quiet among the erstwhile
Doisy music halls. Believing that it
would be best to run their business with
out SO much racket, the noisy places
have softeiied down 10 a mere semDlance
of what they were one week ago today,
Just before The Star started its crusade
against the conditions which allowed the.
law 10 be broken.
Offenders Hunt Oblivion.
There is an evident disposition on the
part of some proprietors to let the public
forget there was time when for the
price of a few drinks one could bring
a young woman into the circle Of liquor
and license and watch her gradually
throw aside all semblance of womanly
modesty. The manners of the music hall
patrons have undergone a change. The
proprietors, each one OF whom knows eX-
actIy whether or not he has offended IN
the past, are glad the gang" has taken
the hint
Probably a quicker change from open
violation OF law to strict observance
has never been witnessed. One week ago
The Star published pen picture of an
evening spent In few music halls. It
was condemned with disgust by the very
men at whom II was aimed.
The only criticism made of it by others
was that it was too mild. Scores of let
ters that came to The Star next day tes-
tify TO the fact that the picture was not
exaggerated in the least
The following day an explanation of a
condition existing somewhere between the
police and the excise board which al
lowed at least seven music halls to run
wide open, defying the law which saws
no minor shall be served with intoxicants
was taken from the records of the Dis.
trict government.
And on the following day the District
government got busy. The first thing
Commissioner Johnston did that morn
ing was to hold that long conferences
with Corporation Counsel Thomas Asses
vester, the superintendent of police. Fol
lowing that conference Maj. Sylvester
made his pr.mise.
Conditions Bettered Quickly.
The first wave of a better condition in
the music halls. where girls have been
made drunk, started in earnest that
night. The police captains got their
orders and got busy.
Plain clothes men had plain UNDER
standing with the proprietors. The pro-
prietors promised to be good.
Friday night was dull night among
the music halls. Saturday night foi-
lowing the declaration OF the associated
LIQUOR dealers that the violating members
wouls be ierked up without mercy was
the d .lest Saturday night in the history