Evening star., 1925-05-13
.LEWD MAGAZINE
SALES STOPPEDBY
/. D. c. DISTRIBUTORS
Rapid Strides Made in Drive
on SaIacious Writing
and "Art."
DISSATISFACTION HALTS
PROSECUTION BY GORDON
Police Ordered to Prevent Recur-
renee of Distribution of In.
decent Matter.

Swift and decisive developments in
the fight to rid Washington of the
sa!acious literature and obscene art
that has been cluttering it's news
stands for the past year followed in
rapid succession today, assuring a
victory for the forces determined 10
keep the National Capital clean of
lascivious publications.
Three victorious results were
achieved today:
First, two of the leading distributors
of magazines in Washington sub
mitted TO United States District At
torney Peyton G.. Gordon copies of
every publication they offer for sale
and definitely promised not only to
stop the sale of questionable ones but
to recall Immediately as many as
possible that have already been dis
tributed and ship them promptly back
to the publishers from whom they
were purchased.
Suppressions Ordered.
Second, Mai Gordon announced
that he had ordered the suppression
of many OF the magazines; that he
had asked the police department to
keep a strict watch for any recur-
renee of the orgy of Salacious publ
cations that has been practiced for
months past, and that any newsdealer
found violating the promise to cease
the sale of Objectionable editions
would be prosecuted without mercy
and without loss of time.
Third, Inspector Evans, acting
superintendent of police, sent an order
to every precinct station in the city,
calling the attention of commanders
to existing conditions, ordering every
sergeant and private in the city to
carefully watch newsstands for OBJ
jectionable literature, and declaring
that the precinct commanders would
be held personally responsible for the
| immediate cleaning up of their dis
| trictS.
| Warrants to Be Withheld.
As a result of these sweeping de-
| velopments, District Attorney Gordon
will withhold service of the two war
rants that were issued for the arrest
| of two dealers, charging them with
violating the law prohibiting the sale
of obscene, indecent or lewd' pub
lications In the District of Columbia.
The slightest infraction in the future,
however, will bring the offenders to
speedy trial, he promised.
The two news dealers, who supply
ma jority of Washington's newsstands
with their literature, made clean
breast of their wares when they Wis
tied Mai Gordon's office. Accompanied
by attorneys, they took with them
copies of every magazine under their
control here and asked the district at
torney to give a decision as to their
legality under the District code. They
even submitted such substantial and
irreproachable publications as the
Postal Guide and magazines on proSar
diet.
Gordon Rules on Many.
After an examination Mr.. Gordon
blue-penciled a number of the maga-
zines, informed the dealers that they
would be prosecuted if they offered
them for sale and added that, taking
his decision as a guide, they must act
as their own cenSorS in the future or
the Criminal Court would be called
upon to assume that role, with the
natural consequences to the dealers.
The law, Mr.. Gordon said, is clear in
it's intent and sweeping in its scope.
AS a result. the dealers promised
promptly to withdraw from circula-
tion the forbidden publications. Thou
sands of copies are already scattered
through the city. but the distributors
agreed to inform news dealers of the
ruling, take back all copies they could
obtain and ship them back to New
York and Chicago, from which most
of them were originally shipped to
Washington. Extraordinary care will
| be exercised in the future.
Dealers Plead Ignorance.
| The dealers pointed out that they
| were unaware they were violating the
| law and promised the fullest co-opera-
tion with the prosecutors office and
the Police Department in strictly en-
| forcing the law. Feeling that the
ends he sought to attain had been
satisfied for the present, at least, Maj.
| Gordon said he would not press serv-
| ice of the warrants at this time, but
| will hold them until newsdealers and
distributors have been given an op-
| portunity of cleaning their own
houses.
Mai. Gordon has taken steps, how
ever. to see that the law continues to
be enforced. He has informed the
Police Department of his stand on this
question, asked the fullest co-opera-
ton in strict application of the
statutes and promised immediate prose
cutions for every case submitted TO
him by an officer il the publication or
picture IN question Is deemed ODSCSIle,
indecent, lewd or offensive to public
morality and common decency.
Police Ordered to Act.
Even before the district attorney
had taken this action, however, the
, Police Department had stepped into
the fight, and before noon today an
order was in the hands of every pre-
cinct commander in Washington di-
recting that the officers on every pa
troll be instructed to inspect news
stands in their districts and putting
enforcement of the law squarely up
| to the precinct chiefs. This order fol
lows:
ITO all captains and precinct COM
manders: Your attention again is in
vited to section 872 of the Code of
Laws for the District of Columbia, re-
( garding indecent publications. 1t is
reported to these headquarters by re-
sponsible persons that newsdealers
and others are violating this law. You
will instruct officers under your com.
mand that this law is to be strictly
enforced and commanding officers win
be held responsible for the suppress
sion of these publications in their dis