The Washington times., 1920-10-15
MASHER' WAR.
STARTED HERE.
Major Gessford Instructs Force
to Prohibit All Lettering on
City Sidewalks.
POLICEMEN HANDICAPPED
Potency Checked by Courts De-
cision in Suffragette White
House Pickets.

Every pOliCeIuhn III ""oneSo@A
has been told by Major Harry L..
Gessford to renew his efforts to
break up lettering on his beat, In an
effort to rid Washington OF tn"
promiscuous street corner" flirting.
To PROHIBIT ALL LOIrERING.
Following the weekly meeting OF
the board. Major Harry l.. Gessford
said that he had Impressed upon the
msmbers of the force that no ioiter-
ing on street corners--generally con-
oeded to be the cause behind he
existent "mashinE"-is to be allowed
on the streets and public highways,
where the movements OF pedestrians
are obstructed.
Major Gessford's statement follows
4 series of stories published In The
Washington Times, in which condi-
tions with regard to flirting In WASH
tngton have been aired by prominent
washingtonians. and declared to be
worse than in any other city In the
United States"
In order to remedy the situation.
Major Gessford says it will be abso-
lutely necessary to have the co-opera-
ton of women and girls who are ap-
preached or spoken to on the streets
HANDICAPPED BY COURT RULING
The police department is handicap
ned in its efforts to enforce the anti
lettering law, he says, since the DIS
trict courts rendered a decision In the
case of the suffragettes who picketed
the White House, declaring that they
were not blocking traffic. Since that
time the decision has been generally
applied in Washington, and practical
ly the only way the antiloitertng law
may be enforced is by making indi-
vidual arrests. and these arrests
come to naught, according to Major
Gessford, unless the girls who cause
them appear in court to prosecute the
offenders.
THINK FLIRTING AT CLIMAX.
"street corner flirting which ac-
cording to those in touch with the
situation. has been = menace to the
city ever since the war brought SO
many girls to Washington. has reach
ed its climax now. and according to
Mrs. Sarah v. Farling. Washington's
frst policewoman, every man in the
city---ice man. carpenter. milk man.
and Government clerk" Is taking
part In the popular Outdoor sport
In an interview, published in The
Times. Mrs. Farling advocated an
antt.mashins campaign as q cure for
women have taken UP the issue. and
following the expression of public
opinion in favor of such a campaign,
Major Gessford this morning an
nounced that he will have the anti
lettering law enforced as strictly as
possible.
CIVIC BODIES PLEDGE AID.
The question has been put before
several civic organizations, and their
officers have said that IL called upon
by the police department or any other
force to help rid the city of "mash-
srs" their clubs gladly will cooper
ate. 1t is possible that more than
one woman's club in the city will get
behind the movement, and-if asked
to do so--will aid in the campaign.
Mrs Nina G. Van Wrinkle, chief Of
y tfsSsv'omen's Bureau Of the Police
Department, brought a loud protest
and a cry of mot guilty from the
working girls of Washington when
she declared that IL men flirt on
street corners, 1t is the fault of the
girls.
Girls dress too temptingly," she
says. IF the men fllrt-how can you
blame themT"
There are other women in Wash
ington. however-women prominent
in business, professional and social
circles--who take issue with Mrs
Van Wrinkle on the subject.
DEFENDED ny MISS oTooLE.
THE girls have a right to dress
like they please" said Miss Mary
OToole, president of the Women's
City Club. Il don't know what they
expect-whether they want girls to go
about the streets covered from head
to foot in long cloaks But II seems
to mo ridiculous to say that girls
can't dress like they please and 60
out on the streets upescorted---
especially in view of the fact that
there are $50 many more girls in
washington than men,"
Blame for the street corner hirt-
ing is pgaced respectively on the
parents by Mrs. Giles Scott Rafter.
: president OF the District Congress of
Eotfnrs and Parent-Teachers Associa-
ton; on the men by Miss Gertrude
McNally, Of the National Federation
of Federal Employees, and on both
boys and girls by the Rev. Jason
Pierce, pastor OF the First ConGrega-
tional Church