Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-28
TO CALL ON STATE
FOR VICE CLEANUP
Secretary Daniels Will Ask
Governor to Act Since
City Failed
SCORES RAIDS BY POLICE
Doesn't Propose to Reduce
League Island Navy Yard,
but Resorts Must Go

Governor Brumbaugh promised the Sec
retary of the Navy that States Attorne,
General Brown will be sent to Philadelphia
to make conditions surrounding the Pbila.
delphia Navy Yard wholesome The nex,
step in the Federal Governments fight TO
clean up vice conditions will be to cal,
upon the Governor of the State. as was
done in EhoGe Island. If there is anotho,
failure by the States, as in the case of Tho
Philadelphia authorities then the Fedora,
Government will take charge of the sitn.
alton
Attorney General Brown is somewhere IN
the city today, and the Governor LEFT tIar,
risburg. for Philadelphia early this mornin,
Secretary Daniels was greatly distrosaaS
at the outcome of the hearings i'm pbiia-
delphia yesterday. He said the Federa,
authorities had furnished indisputable owl
dence of the existence of the places ana
ne mad expected the police of Phiadelphia
would get the evidence on the proprietors
The manner of conducting the raids h
the police. he said. worked against rettinS
evidence of proprietorship
HE SUPPLIED INFORMATION
IF a man is known TO be runrirn
gambling place and is told by the police IN
advance OF raid, he certainly Womb ha
IN tne 'front.' pew of a church when tha
raids are in progress" was the way Secre0
'ary Dahieis commented upon the action
of the police. He said he had s,,n,iios
the names and numbers of places tra,is
IN vice In order that the police could get
evidence on them, not with the idea tbot
local authorities would simply raid tho,
without attempting to get evidence that
would result in conviction.
Secretary Daniels said he had no,.-
said that Philadelphia was a citv of vica
but that the conditions around League
Island were bad. In justification of hi.
position he had received hundreds of let
ters from Philadelphia citizens giving him
evidence and approving his course. Mr.
| Daniels is not in the least embarrassed bv
| the action in Philadelphia Yesterday Hs
| does not charge that politics operated there
but he has some well-founded ideas how IN
| get evidence and how to allow the guilty
| to escape.
He called particular attention TO this part
| or his letter to Mayor Smith today:
| IF The conditions of which I complained
| in my letter to Governor Brumbauph can
| be discovered by agents of the Navy De.
| partment, they can be discovered by the
police of Philadelphia, and 1 am confident
| that with vigilance and careful action on
the part of the police, they can be cor
| rected.
| "Of course, II the Governments of Penn.
| sylvania and Philadelphia notify the Navy
| Department that they are unable to main.
| tain clean and wholesome environment for
| youths intrusted to them during their train
| ing, then the question of what must be
| the duty of the Navy Department in such
an impossible condition in such an enlight.
ened State and city, will not be avoided
| by the navy"
| DIDN'T CALL IT CITY OF VICE
| II never said that Philadelphia was a
| city of vice" he added. II did say that
conditions were bad there, as at many
| other Government yards. and I repeat the
| charge Further, I mean to see that they
are cleaned up, and am satisfied that the
| Governor of the State and the spirit of ths
press and people of Philadelphia will aid
in such course I have never doubted
that the people Of Philadelphia will make
such an atmosphere there that fathers and
mothers will not object to sending their
boys to the yards 7 thought that all was
needed was to point out conditions. and
that the authorities would get legal evi.
dence and promptly act. But I am conf
dent that the spirit of the people and the
| press can force cleanup, and that
promptly"
Asked whether he meant to stop progress
at the yard because of the conditions the
Secretary replied that he had no such
thought; that he knew the State or local
authorities would quickly establish whole
some condition.
philadelphia will be made the great ship
building center for the Government" he
said Il still hold that the vice conditions
must be cleaned up, but never had any
idea of furnishing the yard because of con-
ditions which have just arisen I have
expended the greater portion of SIS 900. 900
on the yard increased the marine barracks
and developed the yards for building dread
noughts and battle cruisers"
!