The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-17
RICHMOND MINISTERS DEAL PERT|NENTLy
WITH EXISTING VICE CONDITIONS HERE;
SAY CITY MUST Be CLEANED UPAT ONCE
DR.. Dumvie, at Decatur-Street Methodist Church,
Puts Situation and Remedy Up to the Mayor.
Takes as Text, Except Jehovah Keep the City,
the Waterman Waketh in Vain"-Dr. Nc
Daniel Also Says Responsibility Is Upon Head
of Police Force.

First Baptist church last night de-
| livered a. strong sermon son the pre-
| vailing upheaval of social conditions,
| in which he placed much of the blame
| for the wretched state of affairs up
on the shoulders of the mayor. He
took as his text the words: Except
the Lord. Keep the City, the Watch
man Waketh But in Vain" He said
in part:
"A few years ago figures were dis
| played showing Richmond to have a
larger membership in proportion to
/ the population than any other city In
| the United States. This is also one
Of the best church going cities In the
world. Today. the news is displayed
to the reading public showing ineffi-
cheney lawlessness and i'm morality In
the city government to a degree that
makes every lover OF this community
blush with shame Richmond Is
blazoned in an unenviable light before
the state and the nation. One who
would defend her Is helpless for the
indisputabie facts condemn her.
The Conditions.
What are some of these facts
One of the largest camps In the ma
ton is within twenty-five miles OF
Richmond and many OF the soldiers
frequent this city. 1t develops that a
! larger percentage of the men OF that
camp are incapacitated by venereal
diseases than rom any other camp.
A Richmonder could wish to say that
they were infected before they en-
tered camp. hut The same could be
| said cf all otiser camps and would
| not account for the disproportion at
! Camp Lee.
Richmond Is Blamed.
! 1T is true that these men visit
| Petersburg, but that would only
! partly exculpate Richmond Whether
/ Richmond is largely blamabie or not
! the public and the federal officers
/ think SO.
! Thursday night preached at Camp
Lee. 4 young soldier from Rich
4, mond said. There are 500 men in
the hospital-sick from venereal dis
! eases and many OF them are from
| Richmond. If that statement is true
| 1t meant that our own men had been
poisoned before they enlisted, not TO
consider the question as to whethe
or not others in that hospital were in
fected in Richmond. The last legis-
lature enacted a law which. If rigidly
enforced. would reduce, If 1t did not
eliminate, this evil.
| The city is INVADED by bootleggers
and officers TO enforce the prohibit
ton laws are interfered with by en-
ployes of the corporations. Upon
what meat have these corporation men
field that they have grown SO great
as to impair the machinery of the
state and city government?
/ Mayor In Responsible.
what is the cause of this shameful
| situation? The responsibility pri-
martly Is upon the mayor. Try as he
| may he cannot escape that RESPONSE
bility. He is the head (too much OF
n nxure-head) OF the police force. and
he cannot discharge the duties of his
office simple candar would suggest
that he resign. He has confessed his
inability to suppress the crimes in
this community. So far as / know no
| other mayor in this country has made
| such confession
| Let US not be unfair to the mayor
He appears to advantage before con-
ventions and. at times, makes q happy
speech. However. he is not a strong
| force nor q vigorous official. He
| means well, too. feebiy. was IN Eu-
| rope when the report OF his election
~ mayor reached a group of Rich
mcnders. A highly-esteemed public man
who had known the mayor all his life
made the following comment. The Sc
lection of George Ainslie as mayor
state adopts prohibition he will be ar
embarrassment to the city" subse-
| ouent events prove the prediction was
we'll founded.
We cannot forget that plain clothes
officers were put back in uniform when
complaints were made that they were
| too aggressive in ferreting out liquor
has called the chief and the captains
| and the policemen before him and
charged them to enforce these laws
rigidly.
Allows Things to Drift.
He hash allowed things to drift
until they got beyond the control oil
HIS uncertain hand. and when the fed.
held conference with them and
agreed. though he did not know wher
they were to make the raid. The
cleanup was upon the initiative oil
the federal government and not OF
the mayor. 1t was to awaken thu
people OF Richmond and to demonstrate
what could be done by those wht
really tried.
when the mayor published a let
ter to the effect that the federal au
thcrities came upon his request. 1t wal
= feeble attempt to strengthen him
self with the people. Who can believe
that II every man on the police force
knew that tho mayor Of this city wal
invlinerable and would tolerate n,
laxness in enforcing the law that thes
policemen would be ~ Indifferent a
many Of them have been and As cor
rupt - some Of them are?
Perhaps he would say he DID no
know OF these things. 1t IL his busi
ness to know. He could know Il h
sought the information. Hundreds Q
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