The Washington herald., 1913-05-30
POLICE CLEARED
OF NEGLIGENCE
Senate Committee Exonerates
Maj. Sylvester Of Suffrage
Parade Disorder.
CHARGES LACK PROOF
Congress Failure to Order Early Clear
ing of Avenue Caused
Conditions.
CHARGES LACK PROOF


of any negligence in connection with po-
lice preparations for the suffrage parade
of March g. and passing only mild GEN.
sure on the police, the subcommittee of
the Senate District committee which in
vestigated the affair, yesterday made its
report to the Senate.
The subcommittee comprised Senators
Jones. Washington, chairman: Dilling-
ham, Vermont, and Pomerene, Ohio. The
report was unanimous.
The conclusions of the subcommittee.
as contained in the report, are as fol-
lows:
THE line of march was not cleared and
the parade was not protected as II
should have been.
Authority should have been gften by
Congress under which the Avenue could
have been cleared and kept cleared a
reasonable time before the hour fixed for
the formation and starting Of the parade.
Indifference Was Noted.
Some of the uniformed and more of
the special police acted with apparent
Indifference and in this way encouraged
the crowd to press in upon the parade.
These made little attempt to control or
check the crowd, and in some instances
must have observed acts and conduct
which should have called forth stern
measures on their part, without doing
anything to prevent the same. There Is
not sufficient proof upon which to single
out any particular individual for reproof
or condemnation.
while We feel that with more earnest
ness and with more systematic effort
on the part of some of the officers bet
ter protection could have been afforded
the line of march, we at the same time
think that the conditions were so un-
usual, extraordinary, and difficult that
the police force, as a whole. should not
be condemned. The many officers who
proved faithful ought not to be dis
credited by those who proved faithless
to their duty
There is no proof whatever that any
negligence or Indifference upon the part
of members of the Police Department
was warranted by any suggestion or act
of the superintendent or those in higher
authority: nor was any officer, whether
uniformed or special, justified in believ-
ing that any dereIiction upon his part
would be either excused or overlooked
by his superiors. On the contrary. all
the officers who testified said. in sub
stance, that they fully understood that
all orders issued were to be obeyed lit
orally, and that any one neglecting his
duty was alone personally responsible
therefor.
Proper Orders I.sued.
IAN reasonable precautions were taken
in issuing proper orders and in detailing
and assigning the police along the Ave
nue., considering the number available
for duty.
THE resolution of Congress should
have been so drawn as TO authorize the
department to stop all traffic on the
Avenue between the curb lines as early
as. if not before. l. o'clock noon.
when the Superintendent of Police
found that the cars could not be stopped
from running on the Avenue without ac-
ton by Congress, he should have sug-
gested to the Commissioners the wisdom
of having the necessary legislation and
the Commissioners should have made the
request of Congress for the necessary
authority.
Those who were interested in promot-
ing the parade when they found that
there was no authority to stop the cars
should have brought this fact to the at
tention of their friends in Congress ear
lier. SO that the resolution could have
mad ample consideration and an earlier
hour fixed for stopping traffic.
NO conditions existed and none were
threatened that warranted a request for
United States troops. and the War De-
partment went to the limit of its au-
thority, If it did not exceed il, in de-
failing a troop of cavalry from Fort
Myer
Legislation should be enacted by Cen
gress giving the Commissioners of the
District full authority to stop all traffic
and travel on any street along which a
permit may be given for a parade, if it
is deemed necessary to do so. in ample
time to insure proper protection for such
parade"
Review Is Thorough.
In its report the subcommittee gives a
history of the movement for the suf-
frage parade. the requests made to the
District authorities for a permit to hold
the parade, requests made for United
States troops to aid in policing the Ave-
nue., and steps taken by Congress to have
the Avenue cleared. The orders issued
by the superintendent of police also are
Incorporated in the report.
The report continues:
''The same instructions regarding the
conduct of the members of the force for
March were in effect March 3. -
AT the time these orders were issued
the hour of starting the parade was not
definitely known to the chief of police
The cars were passing up and down
Pennsylvania Avenue March 3. receiving
and discharging passengers until 3
o clock, being stopped from entering the
Avenue at the Treasury at 2:30, but al
lowed to pass out there until 3. and the
same was true at the Peace Monument
Cars also were crossing the Avenue at
various points until O'Clock. These cars
We're all crowded. Cars passed along the
Avenue from II o'clock noon until 2.30
p. M
After presenting a statement showing
the number of cars passing along the
Avenue and crossing ii at Seventh Street,
the report continues:
Because Maj. Sylvester tried to per-
suade some of the ladies who called on
him with reference to this parade not to
hold it on the &c OF March, or, If so. to
hold it on Sixteenth Street, some have
charged that he was unfriendly to the
cause represented by those taking part
in the parade and that he neglected to
do his duty regarding it. We do not
think this criticism is justified.
No Proof Presented.
BY virtue of his position he knew
better than almost any one else the diff
ficulties that would attend the protection
Of parade held under the circumstances
and the indignities to which the paraders
might be subjected. He had a good con-
ception of the size Of the crowd that
would be present, its character, and itsl
disposition. He had had much expert
ence with Inauguration crowds. and knew
that with two or three hundred thousand
people collected from ali over the country
Of all classes, and some of them out for
a good time, this crowd would be very
liff1cult to control He knev fhe anvil