The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1929-11-20
ECOND GRAND JURY PROBE OF MCPHERSON MURDER ENDS
PARDON
+. IS URGED FOR
" REPORTERS

Continued From Page y
acted officially every way in thu
performance Of their duties, have
mo connection directly or indi
rectly with law violatOrs or with
the police of the District, and
have been committed to Jail fOI
what seems to be a crime today
that Is, the telling Of the simple
truth about ihetiOn, It's en-
forcement, and existing cOndi
tiOns.
Condition Generally Known
IF they had lied and helped
the bootleggers and, incidentally
the police of this District by
stating and swearing falsely that
prohibition was a great success,
that no liquor was being sold In
the District Of Columbia and
that the police were performing
their duties honestly and eff.
GENTLY, they would not be in
jail today.
This is what happened: Two
years ago, it became generally
known that the prohibition laws
were universally and flagrantly
violated through the District of
Columbia. The condition was
the subject of discussion in Con,
gress. Many were the promises
that the condition would be i'm.
proved and that the police would
rigidly enforce the law.
The Washington Times as q
matter of public service and in
keeping with good journalistic
practices, initiated an investiga-
ton of It's own to ascertain
whether conditions were better
today than they were two years
ago. Within "a hours a. trained
reporter assigned to the task. re-
ported that conditions were as
bad, If not worse. than they we're
two years ago and his investiga-
ton disclosed names, places,
dates, qualities of liquor, prices
and a general condition so shock
ing that The Times assigned two
more men to check and corrobo-
rate this report.
Confirmed by Re-check
Again, within a few hours,
the three trained reporters, haV-
ing no other interest than the
faithful performance of their
Journalistic duty. reported in de-
tail and itemized a condition
known generally to all people in
the District of Columbia and par
ticularly to the Police Depart
ment. The Times continued its
disclosures of conditions. It's sole
purpose was to show either in,
competency or cOnnivance nithe
part of the authorities charged
with the enforcement of the law.
Thereupon, the District Attorney
called upon the paper to furnish
the evidence.
The original memorandum of
the three investigators was sub
mitted to the District Attorney
and by him to the Grand Jury
They had names. addresses. dates
and details. When the three re
pOrters refused to assume the
duties Of a Federal prohibition
agent, the District Police Depart.
ment and the District Attorney,
they were SummariIy committed
to Jail by Justice Gordon.
"The commitment was based
on the fact that these three re.
pOrterS told the truth and yet il
never occurred to Judge Gordon
and the District Attorney to
prosecute any of the law viOlatorS
whose names, addresses and facts
they had, or to call upon the re.
spOnSible police officials to &C.
count for why these places were
permitted to do business in viola.
tiOn of law, or to ascertain the
source Of supply of the very
liquor which they know was sold
and for which three law.abidins,
respectable newspaper men were
committed to Jail.
Business At Old Stand
Judge Gordon, himself, was a
district attorney not very long
ago and he must have recognized
that some of the places dis
covered by these enterprising
newspaper men were doing bust.
ness at the SAME old stand, of
all Of which he must have had
notice because the same facts
were brought to his attention
when he was the district attOr-
ney. District Attorney Gordon
did not act and did not prosecute
the law viOlatOrs then. Judge
Gordon commits three newspaper
men to jail for calling the atten.
ton of the public that these con.
ditiOnS still exist.
The newspaper men are in
jail and the bootleggers at liberty,
still doing business, all neces.
sarily with the full knowledge of
the court and the authorities.
President Hoover has the
power to pardon these unfOrtu.
nate men. He could do so with.
out application and on his own
initiative.
II recall that President Coolidge
pardoned former controller of
the City Of New York, who had
been committed to 80 DAYS in
Jail by a Federal Judge. There
was no application before Presi.
dent Coolidge, and he acted on
his own initiative.