The Washington herald., 1915-01-04

stands a negro, smiling in evident en-
joyment of the scene before him.
This is evidently another hired out
fit
Trick No. 3.
Attempted in Washington, December
1914, but failed.
A few days before Christmas party
of four was vending its way down
Pennsylvania avenue. When they ar
rived in front of the restaurant OF
Mr.. Ernst Gerstenberg they came Il
a halt. a consultation was held In
which the lone woman of the party
took the leading part.
When they had evidently arrived al
some decision, a young man belong
ing TO the party separated himself
from the rest and entered Gersten-
berg's restaurant. Tho proprietor
having been pointed out TO him, he
approached him and asked permission
to attach a sign bearing the inscrip-
tion SALOON TO the side door in the
back part of the adjoining alley,
which separated the restaurant from
the building occupied by the Postal
Telegraph Company.
Mr.. Gerstenberg Indignantly refused
the request, telling the young man
he was not running a saloon but a
restaurant. The yOungSter then re-
tired and announced the result of his
mission to the woman and her two
companions, one of whom was a
photographer Nothing daunted, the
party moved up the alley and tackled
the sign on a wall a short distance
from the restaurant door.
4 number of messenger boys in the
employ of the Postal Telegraph Com
pany were coming In and out OF a
side door of their office which was
also in the alley. When Walter
Schmidt, who bears No. on his cap,
came along the woman asked him
whether he would not like to get into
moving picture show, to which
Walter gave a prompt affirmative re-
ply. Three other boys were invited.
and directed to 20 in front of the
saloon sign and shoot crap" one of
the men OF the party furnishing the
dice.
Just at this stage of the game Mr.,
FOOte, the manager of the telegraph
company. became aware that some
thing unusual was going on, and,
stepping to the side door. took in the
whole scene at a glance. He called
the boys in at once and severely
scored the woman for enticing his
employees who were decent boys, into
a play in which they were represent
ed as lawbreakers. Fortunately, the
photographer had only begun his
operations when interrupted by the
manager. and the picture was not
completed. The intention, however,
was plain enough.
Officer Clark, Of the First precinct,
was also a witness Of the show, but
seeing nothing Illegal about II, con-
tented himself with keeping away the
rapidly gathering crowd.
Upon further investigation il be-
came known that the party came
from the Department Of Labor, and
were out for pictures on child labor,
to be shown at the San Francisco ex-
hibition.
The chief clerk OF the department,
Mr.. Watson, stated that these pic
lures were intended TO be typical"
but declared that the party of
artists" had gone beyond their au-
thorIty, and that similar perform
ances would be stopped.
Great indignation was expressed
at Mr.. Gerstenberg's by some of the
patrons who happened to be present.
While no one was inclined to blame
the Department. ii was evident to
all that II the picture had been sue
cessful and the party had gotten
away with it, one of the best res
taurants of the city would have
been misrepresented. and a distinct
slap made at the saloon generally.
Furthermore. a number of decent
boys, who were trying to make an
honest living, would have been ad-
vertised all over the country as
lawbreakers, to the great distress of
their fathers and mothers. Then
again, the National Capital of this
country would have been misrepre-
sented to the visitors from foreign
countries by these typical pictures
just as il such pictures typified con-
ditions in Washington, which, of
course. is not the case. But even IL
there had been some foundation for
them, what object could the Gov
ernment have in advertising the fact
to foreign visitors? Besides. the
very fact that they had to resort to
pictures shows that
the real ones could not be obtained.
Another gentleman present re-
marked:
Pictures Of this character bring
back with vivid force the horrible
and utterly false Misrepresentation
once used by the advocates of the
a bolition of slavery. showing a con-
dition in the South which was bar
barous and heathenish, all of which
tended to place the condition of the
slaves in the South, and the South
itself, in a bad light and inflame the
minds Of the people of the North
against their fellow citizens of the
South. thus bringing on the Civil
War"
The use of the SALOON sign Gre
ated the impression upon many that
the Department of Labor had moth
ing at all to do with this picture
business, and that the whole thing
was a plan to furnish campaign ma
teriaI for the Prohibitionists in their
Effort TO pass the local prohibition
pill. II, therefore, this was not one
If the regulation prohibition tricks.
[ was such a close imitation that
t could easily pass for the real
Lrticle.
True Nature of Prohibition.
The true nature Of the prohibition
is therefore a combina-
ion of the religious and the political
the Church and the State. It is be-
coming plain to many earnest, think
ng men, both of the clergy and the
atty, that this politico-religious OIL
garchy, masquerading under the cloak
4 an alleged moral movement. is be-
coming a grave danger to the coun-
ry. More than a year ago promi-
tent politician from the South assert
d in a private conversation that an
nter-denominational oligarchy, with
Prohibition as a pretext, is holding
he politics and politicians Of many