Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-18
CAPITAL DUBBED
A 'SODOM Of SUDS'
Prohibition Mass Meeting
Told of 342 LaWIeSS
Places.

Dubbing the Capital "Sodom of
Studs" Clinton N. Howard, chairman of
the National United Committee for Law
Enforcement, yesterday announced his
investigators had discovered 342 places
in the city lin which the law is fla
GRAVITY and openly violated, and in
which wine, gin, red liquor, corn or
whisky was being sold and purchased
by the drink and bottle"
Speaking before a prohibition mass
meeting at Eastern Presbyterian Church,
DR.. Howard gave list of the streets in
the city where these places had been
discovered, and the number of places
on each street.
But he declared at would be useless
to turn such information over to Po-
lice Department which could at any
time obtain it first hand The Police
Department" he added, may be handi-
capped by lack of District enforcement
laws, available appropriations and UNI
supported by courts and juries, as is
claimed, but it is not helpless
IF there are grating captains and
policemen, as is charged and believed,
1t would be compromising lawleSsneSs to
furnish them with information and mo-
tive to be used for additional shake
downs.
while the Police Department is not
to be excused for the conditions that
exist, and are culpable If they are per-
mitted to continue under such authority
as they possess. the real responsibility
lies higher up. At any time during the
past seven years the President could
have corrected these conditions in his
National Capital.
Congress has left this city for nine
years without enforcement laws essen
tial to clean UP this scandalous Situa-
ton at the seat of Government It
has been content to sit and stew in its
own juice while the fire of anarchy
burns in the bosom of the Nation.
Bills for new laws and additional APP
preparations are now pending and
should be passed. For the rest-we
await the arrival of Herbert Hoover"
Copies of Towards address. contain
ing names of streets on which the 342
places were found, were ordered by the
meeting to be sent to the President, to
each member of Congress and to the
pastors of the city.
For the past month";" said Howard,
"the united committee has been max
ing an undercover investigation into
conditions in this Capital City. For
this work We brought in experienced
and trained men from outside the city
and unknown in Washington. They
report to us the places visited, the
hour, the date, observations, character
or premises and purchases seen and
made.
1.-THE places include hotels, back
room bars restaurants, lunch rooms,
barber shops, tailor shops, cigar, deli
catessen and candy stores and private
houses with rooms to let"
Displaying before the mass meeting
a 1f l. H..
Vestigators, Howard said: Entered
- E street northwest. CigaY store.
1918 pm. Purchased five drinks of
gin, % cents per drink. Sold in back
room with sign no admittance' on
door, Time, 20 minutes"
THE places visited where the eight
zenith amendment was being violated"
Howard said, include: PENNSYLVANIA
avenue, 80 places; First street, 8: Sec
ond street, S; Third street, 8 Fourth
street, Q; Four-and-a-Half street, 26:
Fifth street, 6: Sixth street, 3; Seventh
street, IL; Eighth street, %: Ninth
street, 46; Tenth street. g.; Eleventh
street, /; Twelfth street, 6; Thirteenth
street, g. Fourteenth street, SO; Fiji
tenth street, g.: Eighteenth street, /
B street, q; c street, /; d street, 8; E
street, g. F street, IL; G street, Ia H
street, IL: I street, 3; K street, 2: l.
street, 2; N street, 3; P street, 8; r.
street, 3; U street, z; Florida avenue,
3; Massachusetts avenue, 2; Minnesota
avenue northeast, /; Missouri avenue,
l; New Jersey avenue, 3: New York
avenue, 6: De Sales street, l; East Cap
ltol street, /; Irving street. 4.
Here are 342 places in which the law
Is f1agrantly and openly violated, and
in which wine, gin, red liquor. corn or
whisky was being sold, and purchased
by the drink and bottle"
The Capital City is seething in law
lessness," said Howard, land saturated
with poison liquor. dispensed by boot
leggers under various aliases, operating
openly and sold in hundreds of places
as sugar is sold In the grocery"