Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
Amendment Is Voted After
Caraway Flags Dougherty
and Captain.
GIBSON GROUP TO DECIDE
ON COURSE TOMORROW
D. C.. Heads to Sift Case Thor
oughly-Police Ordered to Join
Search for Palmist.

Rebuffed by the District Commission
ers in its move to force the suspension
of Capt. Guy F. Burlingame of the
second precinct pending an investiga-
ton of the charges of Mrs. Helen F.
Blalock, the Gibson subcommittee of
the House will meet in special session
tomorrow morning to determine new
course of action.
late yesterday following receipt Of Q
communication from the Commissioners
containing refusal to agree to the COM
mittee's demand that Burlingame be
suspended.
Will Sift Case Thoroughly.
Another outstanding development in
the Burlingame-B -Blalock case was an
announcement last night by Commits
sioner Proctor L. Dougherty that the
Commissioners intend to sift the case
thoroughly, even though they refused
to suspend the police captain. The let
ter the Commissioners sent to Mr.. Glib
son, he said, should not be construed
that they had in mind "whitewashing"
Burlingame.
Commissioner Dougherty also revealed
that the Police Department had been
ordered TO join in the search for the
missing palmiSt. Department of JUS
tice agents have been on her trail for
several days
"The Commissioners have no inten-
ton whatever of dropping the case"
declared Mr.. Dougherty. I'VE have di-
rected the police to make search for
to prosecuting it to its conclusion"
The reply of the Commissioners to the
Gibson committees demand had not
been at the Capitol an hour when the
Burlingame- -Blalock case flared up un-
expectedly In the Senate during coaSid-
Grafton of the District appropriation
bill. Senator Caraway, Democrat, of
Arkansas, unloosed bitter attack on
Commissioner Proctor l.. Dougherty,
who has administrative supervision over
the Police Department, as well as Bur
lingame, and as result the Senate, on
the motion of the Arkansas Senator.
adopted an amendment to the appro-
priation bill denying the police cap
tain his salary until he shall be vindi-
Gated from the charges now pending
against him."
Conference Necessary.
The amendment must be settled in
conference with the House before the
appropriation bill Is enacted into law
Even though the conferees should agree
to the amendment there Is speculation
as to what the immediate effect of the
Senate's action. since Burlingame would
be kept on the pay roll until June 80,
uFay, fho onnroF,ri0 finy, tai1l'S fi,v,A=
available. unless removed for cause ID
the meantime. It would then be ques-
ton who will decide whether the Off
Ger is vindicated of Charges" which as
yet have not been filed against him
officially.
Senator Caraway declared that Com
missioner Dougherty lis utterly unsuited
to have charge of the police force" and
asserted that Burlingame stands con-.
yicted in the minds of everybody who
has half sense"
Il have been, like every one else, in
terested in the controversy now raging
down at police headquarters" Senator
Caraway began. II am confident there
Is something very wrong with the po-
lice force. Whether 1t is with the In
dividual men or whether it is the major
In charge, do not know. have no
doubt about one things however-that
Mr.. Dougherty who is the Commissioner
of the District of Columbia, is utterly
unSuited to have charge Of the police
force. He may not be in sympathy with
lawleSSness; do not know; I never
heard of him until he was appointed.
and have not found anybody else who
ever had; but he is in sympathy with
most of the abuses that are taking
place in the police force, am sure, by
his attitude toward some things that
have been attempted.
Attacks Buriingame.
Here is Capt. Burlingame, who stands
convicted in the minds of everybody
who has half sense. Everybody knows
there is something wrong with him and
his connections with this palmist; his
extortion of money from her; his unwil-
lingness to explain to the District Com
missioners or any one else his relations
with this palmiSt: and in that he is up
held by the District Commissioners not
withstanding the fact that the House
committee investigating the affairs of
the District has reqas5ted them to sus-
pe--;- him.
Yesterday policeman. who pleaded
guilty to intoxication, was fined s100
and restored to duty. Anybody knows
that man who gets drunk on the po-
lice force Is protecting somebody who
is selling whisky. and If he will protect
q bootlegger. he will protect burglar
or murderer or any one else for con-
sideratlon, because men are not honest
and dishonest in spots: they are either
honest or they are dishonest. The man
who protects somebody in the commits
sion of a crime is dishonest Whether
he is in sympathy with the law or not,
he is an undesirable man to be put in
charge of law enforcement because he
is corrupt already"
Protection Charged.
After Senator Caraway had offered
his amendment, he continued his dis
cusSion, as follows:
The security of property and life
in the District Of Columbia, as in every
city, depends on the police force. When
everybody knows that some man who
is corrupt is still retained on the force,
and In a position of authority, he knows
that that example tends to break down
the morale of the whole police force
If it were just a matter of dealing with
Capt. Burlingame alone, 1t would be
different. He has been on the force, he
has been crooked for years, we now
know. but the public did not know it.
The public does know ID now. Every
policeman in the department knows it
now and they know that for some rea-
son not given the Commissioners are
protecting Burlingame in his position.
They know there Is something wrong
with those higher UP In command, and.
therefore. their attitude Is an invita-
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