Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-20
16 MORE CAUGHT
in VICE ROUNDUP
Men and Women Taken
Early Today in Anti
Joint Crusade
TENDERLOIN is PATROLLED
Forty Marines With Night Sticks
Guard Spots Designated
by the Police

Sixteen more arrests were made early to-
day In the joint campaign of the naval
authorities and the police against vice,
which Secretary Of the Navy Daniels de-
clares menaces the morals Of marines and
sailors Two men were arrested and ac-
cused of conducting disorderly houses. Ten
girls, accused of being inmates of the
places. also were arrested. All those
arrests were made In the district north of
Market street. In South Philadelphia two
men and two women were arrested and ac-
cused of conducting speak-easies where
liquor was offered to enlisted men.
Forty marines with nightsticks patrolled
the tenderloin, Point Breeze Park, South
ern Boulevard and other places where the
police said they were needed to suppress vice.
The marine patrols have been established
by Rear Admiral Benjamin Tappan, COM
mandant of the Navy Yard, in response to
complaint of the police that marines and
sailors themselves hGmpered the work
against vice
A movement is on foot for a probe of
hearings of persons arrested and then re-
leased in the vice crusade. Some lack of
cooperation between the police and the
Courts is indicated by the large number
of arrested persons released. The Board of
Judges may institute an investigation.
Chaos now exists in the vice situation in
this city, according to Robert D. Dripps,
chairman of the Philadelphia district COM
nittee of the Public Safety Committee. The
erive on vicious resorts and women Of the
streets has failed to do any good. he inti-
mated, because Of the fact that none of the
women arrested on the streets was held by
Judge Brown and because Magistrate Wat
sons action in allowing all those arrested
in the spectacular raids OF Wednesday
night to sign their own bail bonds is equiv
alent to a commission to go and sin no
more"
Dripps will try his hand this morning in
an effort to bring order out of this chaos
and to make the vice crusade effective, He
announced his intention last night of calling
meeting Of prominent lawyers, men well
known in the community, who will have
the confidence of the public and who, as
representatives Of the Bar association, Law
Academy and other organizations composed
OF legal minds. will make an effort to con-
vince the Judges Of Philadelphia County
| that 1t will be best to make different in
| depreciation of the law which governs the
| cases Of those charged with violations OF
| the statutes respecting various forms OF
| vice.
Chairman Dripps believes he has the solu
ton. In outlining his plan Mr.. Dripps said
| For years past. during all administrations
there have existed differences between th'
| Safety. The police always have under
| stood II they saw upon the streets a womaf
| they knew frequented the same place nigh
after night. saw her go through the samt
| procedure again and again, saw her dis
| appear and then come back to repeat the
accustomed routine. they were justified II
| arriving at a conclusion as to her calling
They arrested her and told the story of how
| they had seen her night after night tramp
ing the streets
The judges, on the other hand" sale
| Mr.. Dripps, have repeatedly ruled tha
unless she accosted the police officer on th
| specific occasion On which they ARRESTED
| her, 1t was not convincing that she wal
guilty of the offense charged against her
| In many cases, too. the police were sus
pected and openly criticized for not ad
| herring strictly to the truth.
"If, on the other hand, individuals took
| up the task Of performing as amateur
| sleuths ano trailed these women, they were
| either classed as cranks. or worse than po-
| licemen, and the Courts never have believed
them.
I'VE may as we'll come to the conclusion
| that the social ev; Is here to stay. This
| is not the time to attempt to eradicate it.
We would like the judges to understand we
are not attempting to change their opinions
on this question"