Evening star., 1926-05-26
CITIZENS APPROVE
. POLICE COURT BILL
KaIorama Association Acts
After Bad Conditions at
Building Are Shown.

DeploiSbte conditions. existing al the
Police Court were described to mem
hers of the Kalora ma Citizens AssO-
citation al meeting in st. Margarets
Parish House. Connecticut avenue
and Bancroft street, last night, by
"rete Martin" of The Star, who re-
Gently submitted to arrest and inn
prisonment in order to obtain flrst-
hand information regarding condi-
tions at the Jail and Police Court. He
pointed out that the campaign waged
for the passage of a bill in Congress
to provide for an addition to the Dis
trict jail had been successful. the bill
having been signed by the President
last week, and that the efforts OF The
Star and citizens associations should
now be turned. to improving condi-
ticns Al the Police Court.
The speaker painted a. word picture
nf. the ef3lthy, ill.ventilated. overcrOwd-
ed conditions at the court building.
pointing out that at the time OF MS
incarceration he was penned in
small barred room with about l4O
. other offenders. 1t was impossible to
do anything but remain in standing
position, with not even room enough
to raise the arms or hands to the
. face and he was compelled to endure
this for nine hours before being re-
lieved.
Ride to Jail Oppressive.
There are sometimes well over 200
rrtsoners confined in this same cell
room. he said. He described the ride
to the Jail in the Black Maria as
another abominable condition and
concluded by answering questions and
relating events leading up to his ar
rest, which occurred after several
hours search for a policeman. An
ardent plea was made for the support
Of the association in the campaign
being waGed for the erection Of
new court building Of sufficient size
to afford ordinary comfort and con-
Neniences. The association voted TO
direct it's secretary to communicate
with the proper congressional com
mittees and state the stand taken by
the orga nizatio and urge the passage
nf remedial legislation.
DIR. Harvey w. Wiley denounced the
action of the Senate In passing the
Cummings law "legaliZing adultera-
ton of food products" in direct op'
position to the tenets of the pure food
law. which. he said, has been dead
for about ~ years. The Cummings
law, he said. was clothed to make
II appear as an aid to the corn-Srow-
Ing farmers of Iowa. hut in reality
IS solely in the interest of the Corn
Products Co. Nf the measure as pass
ed bv the Senate becomes law, Dr.
WILEY declared. II will mean the
,eealizing of food adulteration. The
Bureau of Standards. he said. is
evincipc a keener interest in the
mutilation Of the food law than the
Department Of Agriculture. He was
bitter in his attack on the bill. which.
he said, was Cut through the Senate
in the guise of tanner relief. 1t will
mean the flooding of the markets
with sugar made from corn starch,
which will be inferior in quality to
the regular sugar. will cost less to
produce, but the consumer will pay
lust as much for it as the original
cane sugar, he contended.
English Prisons Described.
William Wells. a British subject. ad-
dressed the meeting. relating some OF
his experiences in ar English prison.
where he spent two years during the
World War as conscientious OBJ
iector. He pictured prison life in Eng
land as entirely opposite to that pic
tured by Mr.. Martin" in the District
Jail Everything was maintained in
clean. orderly and systematic manner.
Declaring that there was nothing
definite to work on and that there
was no desire to besmirch the char
acter of any official or align itself
with any group intent on premature
action in District affairs. j. w.
Murphy moved and it was voted TO
table the matter of particlpa ton In
a meeting called by the Dupont