Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-05-06

| be turned over for use by the police as
a central police headquarters. thus
releasing space in the District building
| Mr.. Blanton offered motion that
Chairman Gibson be instructed to re-
port to Chairman Madden of the
| House appropriations committee the
| urgent need for q new Police Court
Building, which had been impressed
upon this subcommittee by personal
| investigation of the property ON Tues
| day, and to ask Chairman Madden to
have the appropriations committee
provide funds for this building in the
second deficiency appropriation bll
now being dra fted Mr.. Blanton said
that on investigation he had found
that there is adequate space in
Judiciary Square for suitable Police
Court Building. ut ought 10 be built
this Summer" said Mr.. Blauton, 1--WE
ought not to go away and leave hu'
man beings suffering as they are IN
that building If new central police
| Headquarters is needed. well and good
| let them have the old Police Court
Building. What we must see Is that
there is an adequate Police Court
Building erected
RepOrt Is Favored.
| on suggestion of Representative
| Bowman, Republican, of West VIZ
| ginia. il was decided that the Gibson
subcommittee should report to the
| general committee today with instruC'
tions for Chairman Zihlman of the
| fun District committee and Chairman
| Gibson of the subcommittee to present
| the case to the appropriations com
mittee and TO introduce n Legislative
! measure Immediately providing sub
stantive law for the appropriation.
\ report from the auditor of the
District, asked Cor by the sIbcommt'
tee. was next put in the record. Civ
| inc details regarding $50 autopsles
performed by the Coroner'S office.
Mr.. Gibson then put in report
| from Traffic Director NJ. q. EldrldSe
calling attention to two sections of the
traffic act OF 1925, which seem To he
in opposition 20 each other, in regard
to the resistance of operators per
mits. one az these provides for IA
| charge of 81 for renewals and the
other indicates there should be re.
newals without charge. The traffic d.
rector explained that sufficient FUNDS
had not been provided To permit re-
issuance of more than 5000 per
mits.
In that, ] think. the director is
right" said Mr.. Gibson. and this
should be Strengthened out" Mr.. Blan'
ton declared that the matter would be
eXpeditiously Strengthened out If the
Senate could be prevailed upon To pass
bill already approved by the House
and which mas been pending for a
month and a half on the Senate cal
endar.
Blackman Case Brought Up.
Mr.. Blanton put into the record n
statement of the case Of Policeman
II. C.. Blackman, who. with three other
policemen, had worked in depart
ment store at Sc day on four days
which he had off in lieu of Sunday.
These four policemen were ordered to
pay the $24 they had earned by this
extra work into the police fund and
when, on advice of counsel. Policeman
Blackman refused to do this ne was
fined SIS and suspended for II days
with loss OF pay Mr.. Blanton empha
sized that this policeman had not Of
Tended any law or police regulation
and declared Commissioner Fenning =
treatment of him was an outrage.
He read into the record letters which
Henry l.. Davis, a prominent local
attorney and former assistant TO the
district attorney. had voluntarily and
gratuitously written to Commissioner
Fenning, stating that this case ought
to have reconsideration and that Mr..
Davis sole thought and purpose was
to aid one unjustly and illegally
punished.
The whole of this correspondence
was put into the record. and later
Mr. Bowman called as witness
Joseph Donoghue, an attorney for Po-
liceman Blackman, who confirmed
the statement previously made by
in
had written to Mr.. Davis that the
case was closed. Mr.. Blanton said:
"IIe has closed the case of officer
after officer who was illegally pun
ished and dismissed. There is just
one case that is not closed and that
is the case of the people against
Fenning.'
Many Drive Taxis.
Mr.. Bowman asked if a number
of policemen and tiremen were driv-
ing taXiCabS on their time off from
duty. Mr.. Blanton said that this was
true. Mr. Bowman thought 1t was
difficult to differentiate between driv-
ing a taXicab and working in de-
partment store on a policeman's day
off. He was surprised that those driv-
ing taXicabs were allowed to con-
tinue while the policeman working
in department store was deprived
of his earnings, fined an even larger
amount and made to lose his pay
for three weeks.
Mr.. Blanton asked the cooperation
of the subcommittee to prevent what
he termed another injustice being
done police and firemen. n large
number of whom are now living in
Virginia because. he said, they can
live there cheaper. The District Com
missioners, he said, are today fixing
to pass a resolution to compel all of
these police and firemen to live in
the District. Mr.. Blanton and Mr..
Bowman agreed that any policeman
and fireman should be allowed to
spend any free time he has in earn
ing money to support his family.
Tells of Denmark Trip.
James E. Toner, a supervisor in
ST. EliZabeth's for 40 years, who &C
companied Mr.. Fenning on his trip
to Denmark with one of his lunatic
wards, was closely questioned re-
gardinS that trip. He said it took
Is days of his vacation, that he had
never received one cent from Mr..
Fenning. whom he has known since
the latter was a small boy working
Ill tfle 1eIiSlDil olilCC. lie St'i IT.
official of st. Elizabeth's had directed
him to make the trip. and he did 1t
solely on the request of Mr.. Fen
ming. He was also asked regarding
alleged 10 per cent discounts on pur'
chases made for lunatic wards, but
insisted he had never profited through
such discounts and that they were
allowed to the credit of the inmate
on the books Of the institution.
In reply to question from Mr..
Gibson, MIR. Blanton said that he ex-
poets to show the subcommittee that
a system was worked whereby such
agents of st. Elizabeth Hospital re-
ceived a 10 per cent commission on
all purchases for the inmates Mr.