Evening star., 1923-12-30
Special Dispatch to The Star.

| Special Dsps tch to The Star.
| QUANTICO, Va. December %
This obstreperous village, twelve
hundred feet by one thousand feet
wide, rose up with indignant defiance
| today when it learned that Maj. Gen.
Lejeune, commandant of the Marine
Corps, had proposed to acquire and
raze it, characterizing it as unsani-
tary, an abode of bootleggers and a
detriment to the morals of the
marines stationed at the big post
nearby.
For, strange to say. this ram
shackle place. with it's aimless
streets, it's rubbish-filled vacant lots
and it's squalid shacks spells home
to some of it's inhabitants. They are
disinclined to leave 1t, even though
the government agree to pay them a
fair price for their property. Gen.
Lejeune proposed that Congress ap-
propriate 100000 to buy up the
not be nearly enough.
Take NJ r. Stevens, for instance.
He has lived in his little Quantico
cottage for fifty years-long before
why, 1 can't leave here for more
than three or four days without get
IT'S Its not so much. maybe. but Pm
used to it. It's home to me-.
Have you thought Of the effect the
purchase by the government of this
place would have on the morale Of
faced boy in uniform who was in MIR.
Stevens poolroom when the corre-
spondent called.
Should the town of Quantico be
closed up, there would be no place
for the enlisted man to go for recre-
alton. where they would be free from
the supervision of their officers, ur-
| less they went to Fredericksburg,
thirty miles away, or to Washington.
It's a poor place, but It's better than
none. It costs d couple of bucks 20
go to Washington and by the time a
marine buys his cigarettes and shoe
blacking out of his twenty a month,
there isn't much left. Do away with
Quantico and l believe there will be
a lot more of them going over the
hill (deserting).'
l.. L. Stevens, proprietor of the
towns best drug store. was highly
! indignant at, Gen. Lejeune's attack
on the village. He declared the town
was not nearly SO bad as it had been
| painted. Other business men-pro-
prietors of the restaurants, candy
and fruit stalls, the poolrooms and
the haberdasheries which thrive off
| the marines chimed in in similar
vein.
But Brig. Gen. Smedley Butler.
post commandant, who has been
| itching to wash Quantities. dirty face
| and dig out its ears. stood back of
every harsh word his chief said about
the place.
II could clean 1t up in 10 minutes
| if 1 were given the authority to do
So" he declared. on the eve of his
departure for Philadelphia to clean
up that town as head of its police
| force.
Parasite" and pest hole" were a
couple of pet names Gen. Butler ap-
piled to the place. "Pigsty" was an
other. From his Office window he
pointed a disgusted finger at it.
did you ever see a drearier look
| ing placer he asked. 1T has no
sewerage and no water, depending
| on the supply at the post. The. main
street was paved by the marines be-
,, cause it leads, to the dock on the
| Potomac river. 1t is bounded on the
south by the parade ground, on the
I north by the experiment stations and
| here on the east by the administra-
+, tion building, the barracks and the
| officers homes. Ugh! Pigsty.''
! A few of the inhabitants agree
with Gems. Lejeune and Butler, but