Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-28
HITS POLICE COURT
Excise Board Members Discuss
Liquor Violations.
TOO WILLING TO DISMISS
Mr.. Mckenzie Says There Is Insult
ficient Investigation.
BOARD OF TRADE TO ACT
Public Order Committee Plans
Thorough Inquiry Into Sale of
Intoxicants to Minors.

An investigation into the sale of liquor
to minors in the District. particularly to
high school boys. will be made by the
public order COMMITTEES of the Board OF
Trade. The subject was up for consd-
Grafton al a meeting of the committee
yesterday afternoon Walter A. Brown.
chairman of the committee. said today
that he and other members of the com
mittee intended to gather further data
in regard to the alleged sale OF liquor to
boys and girls in Washington, and as
soon as it was in hand he would call
another meeting of the committee and an
effor. would be made to place the re-
sponsibility for the violations of the law.
Alexander Mckenzie. a member of the
excise board and also member of the
committee. declared that much of the re-
sponsibility for the sale of liquor to
minors, lay with the officers of the Police
Court.
Dismissed in Police Court.
He said that several cases in which i.
was charged liquor had been sold to
minors had been dismissed in Police
Court without sufficient investigation. In
one case. he said. saloonkeeper was ar
rested for selling liquor to two girls and
was dismissed by the court. although both
girls testified they had been served at the
place.
Members of the committee ALSO referred
to the fact that high school cadets are
sold liquor. They claimed that they had
seen cadets dressed in uniform buying
liquor This, they declared. was plain
violation of the law. because there are
practically no high school cadets who are
not minors.
III. l.. Rusk said that children should
not be allowed on the street at night by
declared that many boys and girls are
ruined by negligence in this matter on
the part of their parents The parents,
he said. too easily believe their children
to visit friends or are going out with
older people at night. Mr.. Rusk urged
that the committee do all in it's power
to aid the Curfew Club in keeping young
girls off the streets at night.
House Of Detention Evils.
The committee decided to make every
effort to obtain an appropriation for a
new house of detention for the District,
declaring that disgraceful conditions at
the old house of detention are unbea "a BILE
Mr.. Brown was authorized by the COM
mittee to take the matter up with the
District Commissioners. He said today
that he would call upon the Commission
ers next week and urge that they ask
congress Tor an appropriation for new
house of detention. The committee will do
all 1t can to further the matter before the
congressional committees also. The mat
ter was referred to the public order COM
mittee by the Board of Trade at its last
meeting for action.
Mr.. Brown told the committee that he
had made several tripS TO the house of de-
tenton to look into the conditions there.
He reported that the conditions there
were disgrace to the District The
rooms were crowded and insanitary, he
said.
Il found that whenever the house of de-
tention becomes crowded. which often
happens. white and negro children are
forced to live in the same rooms and to
mngle constantly" said Mr. Brown
tween different classes of children, and
clean and dirty ones were mixed without
discrimination. Many of the rooms were
crowded to overlooking, and there was
not sufficient pure air.
All Are Herded Together.
at the house there are always some
really bad children, who are practically
worthless but there also are many who
have committed some minor offense and
have in them the making of good citizens
But good and bad. dirty and clean, were
treated alike. 1t is only natural that with
this treatment many Of the good children
sink to the level of the worst, for the
vicious ones are seldom Influenced by the
better ones.
I'VE found that children who had COM
mitted no offense whatever, but had
merely been sent to the place for one
reason or another. were classed with and
treated like the criminals.
The only yard of any kind is little
place about five feet square, he contin-
ued. This means that the little children
are kept within the walls of the house of
detention, and are allowed no freedom,
even when the weather is good. There
should be large Fairgrounds. for many
children can be reformed if they are
healthy and happy"