The Washington times., 1923-07-17
GOVERNOR
BLAMES
SHERIFF
Declares Latter Official Sought
to Control Appointment
of Assistant.

The deliberately u n I o m q,
motorcycle mounted and highly
trained members of the Maryland
State police force have no power
whatever to make arrests for any
attractions of the law from auto
mobile speeding to petting parties
within the boundaries of Prince
Georges county, according to no
less an authority than Gov. Albert
C.. Richie himself.
Criticizes Sheriff.
Such is the answer which the citi-
zens of the northern end Of the
country who reside along the Ma
tional Defense Highway which leads
out of Baldensburg through Land
over, Ardwick, Lanham and Sea-
brook and ultimately to Annapolis,
received to a petition bearing over
a hundred signatures asking His
Excellency, the Governor, to have
the newly-opened highway patrolled
Throughout the spring and sum
mer at nights the new concrete
highway has been nightly Uttered
with automobile parties which en-
gage in commonly called petting
parties, with drinking and gambling
on the side.
The residents of the communities
who have been veritably praying for
a new road to grace their section
little thought that the fulfillment OF
their dream would bring with 1t
the nocturnal sessions of automobile
parties and all-night reVelry.
An appeal was made last week 20
Governor Richie and his response
is an open admission that the State
police force, which he has at his dis
posal, cannot operate in Prince
Georges county because the sheriff
| of that county refuses to swear In
the members of the force.
Offer Was Refused.
Governor Richie further reveals
the startling fact over his signature
that the Prince Georges county
sheriff recently agreed to swear in
one or two members of the State
police force provided he were al.
lowed to designate which men these
should be. Col. Ausin Baughman,
head of the Maryland State police
force, says Governor Richie, mat
urally refused to accept the offer
under those conditions"
Governor Ritchie's letter. ad.
| dressed to Maurice A. Downas, Of
Lanham, whose name headed the
recently submitted petition follows:
Dear Mr.. Downes:
Your name heads the petition /
received today relative to State DO.
nee protection on the National De-
| tense Highway from Bladensburg
10 Lanham IN Prince Georges coun.
W, and / am accordingly acknowl-
edg1ng receipt of the same to YOU
Colonel Baughman Is head of
the State police force, and I would
send your petition to him with the
request that he assign some of the
torce to the highway in question
| If he finds that possible, except
for the fact that the State police
force has no authority in any
county in which the sheriff de-
ci1nes to swear them in.
THE sheriff of Prince Georges
county has, from the beginning,
refused to swear in the force in
that county, so that they have
no power or authority of any
klnO there.
| i believe the sheriff recently said
mat ne would swear in a couple Of
the men, provided he were per-
mltted to select the men himself.
| Dut Colonel Baughman rather
| naturally did not think 1t proper
10 accept that condition. II the
sheriff will swear in the police force
IN Frlnce Georges county, then
am sure Colonel Baughman will do
MS pest to arrange matters so as to
lufnlsh the protection for which
your petition asks, but, unless THAI
| Is zone, no member of the force
would have the right to arrest any
one IN your county, nor would we
nave any authority there Of any
KIND Under these circumstances
IL would OF course, be useless to as
sign any OF the men to the ma
'lonal defense highway"
The sheriff of Prince Georges
county Is j. A Sweeney with Of
ices at Marlboro.
| While discussing the police situa
'ion in his county over the tele-
pnone with representative of The
| washington Times today, Mr.
sweeney found 1t necessary to
| mvsferiously leave the telephone.
When his office was finally
aroused by the telephone operator
another man answered the tele-
nhone and said that the sheriff had
been called out on business.
But he left in the middle of q