Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-06
Maj. Pullman Believes 1t Is
Duty of All Citizens to
Aid Police.
UNAWARE OF ANY DEN
IN CAPITOL'S SHADOW
Evidence Is Desired to Assist Au.
thorities in SURPRISING the
Unlawful.

No citizen of the District who has
knowledge Of the existence OF any vice
den or other disreputable place has any
moral right to withhold the informa-
ton from the police department.
This statement was made today by
Maj. Raymond w. Pullman, superin-
tendent Of police. following a published
report that there is a street in the
shadow OF the Capitol whore Woe is
practiced openly and practically with
out police Interference.
II the best police administration is
to be obtained in this city. and vice
reduced to a minimum. the police de-
partment must have the aid Of the en-
tire citizenship of the community, Maj.
Pullman stated.
The story IN a morning paper about
vice dens in the shadow of the United
States Capitol is naturally of interest
to the police department" said Maj
Pullman. The statement that the in
mates of the dives say that they have
nothing to fear infers that policemen
on the beat or in the precinct know of
the existence of these dives and have
given them protection. If there Is
single case where any person can sub
stantiate such a statement the member
of the force responsible for giving these
inmates the impression that they have
nothing to fear will be suspended and
either sent before the grand jury by
the United States district attorney or
put before the police trial board for ne
glect of duty.
Fighting the Vice.
The police department is interested
in keeping Washington free of the no
torious houses of prostitution which
existed in several sections of the city
during the half century preceding the
enactment of the Kenyon law. It is
true that some prostitutes continued to
do business for a number of months
after the enactment of this law, as is
proven by the hearing in open court in
the Ardmore case. Starting in August
year ago, however, the District au-
thoritieS have made constant efforts to
rid the city of the disreputable bust
ness which was formerly sanctioned.
In August of 1914 former Commits
Sioner Siddons and the present super
intendent of police made tour of sec
lions of the city where vice was known
to exist and as result the vice squad
was appointed several weeks later. inc
record of the men assigned to this
work speaks for itself. Hundreds OF
arrests have been made, and for t.
first time in the history of the city
every section of the federal and Dis
trict law has been brought into play
to keep down the vice traffic.
ington for known prostitutes to gather
has been raided and closed.
THE Mann white slave law has been
enforced for the first time against cab
the District of Columbia for immoral
purposes. The law of conspiracy has
also been invoked against persons con-
spring to defeat the Kenyon law.
Raiding Houses.
Several sections of the city have
been notorious from the time of the
civil war as gathering places for low
prostitutes. Reference Is made par
ticularly to Missouri avenue and Maine
avenue. Since the LIST of April of this
year. when 1 assumed the duties of
superintendent of police, the blocks on
these two streets. which have been the
gathering places of scores OF prostf-
tutes, have been cleaned UP by the po-
fourth precinct If prostitutes come
into these sections again, or operate
in any other section, they again will be
raided.
There will never be a time in Wash
ington, perhaps, with it's two hundred
and fifty or two hundred and sixty
thousand Of white population and APP
proximately a hundred thousand of col
ored population. when all Of the people.
men and women, will become entirely
moral. There will always be loose char
acters of both sexes and both races
who will try to continue the practice
of commercialized prostitution.
The police authorities, however in
all cases follow up every suggestion
given of supicious characters and no
person claiming to know of the exist
ence of vice dens, dives or disorderly
houses of any kind. in the shadow of
the United States Capitol or out of the
shadow of the United States Capitol
has any moral right to refrain from
Informing the police of these places
The best demonstration of public
spirit on the part of every one is to
cooperate with the police in putting
down vice wherever 1t appears, and
any case where hearty cooperation
does not come from the police depart
ment, then is the time to complain Of
the fact that vicious dens are ignored"