Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-16
Fifty Years Ago
I'm The Star

Several grave crimes were committed
in the District Of Columbia so years
More Protective cause the spread Of
Laws Needed. alarm throushout
was evident that the police force was
not adequate for the protection of the
growing Capital City. The Star oi
| March IS, 1880, says:
1.-THE readiness with which both
F, houses of Congress have taken hold OF
the matter Of increasing the District
police force warrants belief that a bill
to that effect will be passed without any
unnecessary delay. That a larger mum.
Der OF police than now constitutes the
force is essential to the protection Of the
I very lives of citizens nobody questions
The Hirth murder. followed by the
brutal assault upon a young lady, both
occurring at an early hour In the eve
ming and in localities surrounded BY
residences, excited feeling Of inse-
curtty that has apparently been recog-
niZed by Congress.
while upon the subject Of providing
for the protection of the District against
an aggressively lawlesS class, would 1t
not De wen for Congress to consider
force is sufficient legislation in this di-
rection? Some means Of punishment for
petty offenses that would exercise o re-
Stralning influence upon that class would
have a beneficial effect In Washington.
The jail and workhouse, with plenty to
eat and nothing to do, have no terrors
for the idlers, vagabonds and petty
thieves who tnfest Washington and they
rapidly progress in crime until they be-
come dangerous.
"A we'll devised vagrant law rigidly
enforced would, no doubt, relieve this
community Of large percentage Of its
worthless population, Persons without
available means of support, however,
would have to be sent where they would
be required to perform manual labor. in
order to effect any good. The labor
the average vagrant would leave the
city rather than be subjected to i'm
priSonment and work. In the present
temper of Congress the citizens Of the
District could procure almost any legis-
lation, Of a practical and reasonable
character, designed to afford them pro-
lection from lawlessness, and now is the
time for them to move"
r
"It is hard to tell what the memory
of the oldest inhabitant may be able to
WILL. bring forth from the misty
WlntTy recesseS Of the past" says
March The Star of March 10, 1850,
but 1t Is safe to say that q
ton near the middle of March such
as we have had yesterday and to-
day. is more than the majority of
readers can recall. At present it
looks very much as though the ill-na-
tured fellows who have been telling us
all along that We would have to pay
for our mild, pleasant Winter with a
late and cold Spring were going to have
their way. AT any rate, the daisies that
have been in bloom all Winter and the
apricot and jasmine that have been
burning in red and yellow flame in orr
parks for some time past seem to have
abundant reason to feel discouraged.
The appearance they present Just now,
half hidden as they are by heavy
wreaths OF snow, is at once odd and
pitiful."
According to the following paragraph
In The Star Of March IL, 1880. Senator
Lobbyist Of VISIONS; c GsspsnteT
"Roosters." Il he did not coin, a
been put to effective use during the re-.
cent and still pending Senatorial in
vestigation Of lobbyists in this CITY
While Senator Carpenter cannot en-
joy the distinction Of having invented
the term rooster to define lobbyists who
tors he has aided in making it one of
the current Americanisms. In the Pet |
ron trial at Harrisburg q witness testi- |
fed that the accused asked him how he |
would like to become rooster In hiS
speech on the case Wednesday, Senator |
Carpenter seized upon the term and
maoe prominent use Of IL. This Ia ali |
the ndorsement It needs to make 1t
get caught in the act of briberv will he |
commonly known in this country as !
'roosters.T