The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-10
MAYOR AINsIAEs STATEMENT.

Mayor Atnslfe seems to have set at rest ior
The present st least. the question of whether
here Will be any investigator Of the Police De-
parement OF the city-certsinly whether there
will be ore by his action His statement may
be condensed into four propositions: First, II
appointed commission TO investigate COM
mercialized rfce in Richmond and TO make such
recommendations ss are likely 10 improve con.
eitons in this regard" Second, THE commits
zion reported upon conditions and recommended
that the law be enforced al once" Third ''The
recommendations Of the commission have been
adopted ard the law IS being enforced over the
whole city" Fourth, mo specific charge against
any specific persons connected with the Police
department has been made. neither has the com
mission recommended an official investigation
and until this is done ! shall take further
action"
From The Ttroinian's viewpoint the most I'M
portant declaration made by the Mayor is that
"the l0o IS being eaforced orer he tchole city"
The Ttrqiatan has held from the beginning that
the officials Of the Police Department were VIC
lating their oaths Of Office In their failure to en-.
force tho law OF the State concerning the social
OWL, and this position openly taken by The
ruqininn before the Mayor appointed the
Vice Commission. The Vice Commission did not
give any new information to the general public
on that point. Everybody knew that the law
Of Virginia being violated, and was being
violated with the consent Of the Police Depart
rnent from the Mayor down That was the
shame Of the situation. That was why The Vir-
do, dyrs1 Ia nj
Assembly Of 1914 for the passage of the anti
vice bill The horrible fact was not only that
there was commercial vice In our midst but
that II tolerated and protected by men who
were sworn by their solemn oaths TO enforce
the law Of the state of Virginia and to stamp
out this evil. The Vtr0nidn has held from the
beginning thai while II had no objection to the
appointment Of the Vice Commission and thought
such action to be better than to do nothing, the
one issue which lowered above all others was:
WIN the law Of Virginia be enforced by those
who have sworn TO enforce It. or can 1t be VIC
lated openly IN the 3resefce of the officers Of
the law?
Now, after twelve months. The Virdtn,dn re
ioices to read statement from the Mayor OF
The city that Richmond has been divorced from
its former attitude with regard to vice. and the
law is being enforced over the whole city For
this means that not only the law against the
social evil is no longer being violated in the
city, but that the officers Of the law are them.
selves longer violating their oaths of once
and in the viewpoint OF this paper the violation
Of the oath Of office by officials OF the govern
meut is one OF the greatest evils that can befall
community State,
The TtrgtHson rejoees that Mayor Ainslie has
fully determined TO enforce the Law Of Virginia
But that does not change the fact that IT has
always regretted his failure TO enforce the law
I'm the past
The rtrginian has not heretofore considered
the question of an investigation OF the Police
Department as the matter o. prime Importance
for The VirGinian did not think that an investi-
cation would reveal anything worse than was
already we'll known Il was well known that
officials Of the Police Department, from the
Mayor down had taken solemn oath to support
the laws and the constitution " Virginia, and
they had openly violated their oaths OF Office
concerning the law Of Virginia On commercial
lied vice. Was II likely that any graver ofYense
Nouiu De proven against any one. u he ClHfnor
" the Meas Leader that there should be an In.
vestigation because vice had been tolerated by
the police outside of the segregated district is
puerile and absurd. The Law OF Virginia recog.
nizes no segregated district and II was no greater
crime on the part OF the police 10 allow houses
Of fiji repute in the West End or on Church Hill
than Mayo Street. The crime OF murder Is
the same wherever IL is committed the crime
o. prostitution is the same wherever it is com.
nitted- The yirginian has held that the whole
Police Department has been guilty. and its chief
concern has been to prevent the continued viola
ton OF the Law, rather than to discover which
officer Of the Police Department was guilty OF
certain specific things
But while holding this view, The rirgintan
does not consider that the Mayor has made out
very strong in his refusal 10 take any
steps toward Official investigation II is true
The Vice Commission has not filed any specific
:. eiarses against any specific person connected