Evening star., 1934-05-26
Bar Moues to Correct Idea
Center Would Be Playground
Begins Campaign to Sho'c District Des-
perately Needs Proposed Municipal
Building for Necessary Business.

Discovering that many members Of
Congress think the proposed Munich
pal Center Is to be a huge public
playground and recreational mecca,
| the District Bar Association today
| initiated an intensive educational
campaign to correct that impression
| in an effort to get funds for con-
struction of the first unit containing
the urgently needed Courts Building.
The association hopes to have the
Municipal Center item restored to the
Districts P. w. A. loan bill which Is
to be called up in the House next
, week under a special rule limiting
debate. The Senate-approved meas
ure carried an authorization for con-
struction in the center, but this was
eliminated in compromise bill re-
ported by the House District Com
| mittee.
Noel Urges Support.
F. Regis Noel president of the as
sociation, directing the campaign, has
urged members to communicate with
all of their friends in Congress, stress
| the need of a new Courts Building
and call attention to the fact that
unless funds for its construction are
provided now, it may be years before
the project is carried out. Particular
! emphasis will be placed on a letter
written by Gus A. Schuldt, presiding
Judge of the Police Court, to Secre-
tary of Interior Ickes, describing the
deplorable conditions at the Police
Court Building.
provision for the new buildings
to house Police, Municipal and Juve-
nile Courts is in a desperate stage"
Mr.. Noel wrote members OF the as
sociation "A bill permitting a loan
from the public works allotment
passed the Senate, but Is meeting
obstacles in the House.
Your Legislative Committee and
local public officials are doing strenu-
GUS work. The local administration.
Parking and Planning Commission.
Federation of Citizens Associations,
Federal Bar Association. Broad OF
Trade, Chamber of Commerce and
many other local organizations have
indorsed and are helping. If these
buildings are not obtained now, there
is little likelihood of getting them in
the next decade.
Great Importance Cited.
will each member please call his
congressional friend-Senator or Rep
resentative-and have friends and
associates also call or send telegrams
setting forth that S6000,OO0 is al
ready invested in an idle site and
that these courts, which handle the
affairs of the great rank and hle,
are in deplorable conditions. The
administration of justice is ham
pered. Tell the members that this
is not a playground. Judging by the
name many think it Is. Have every
Congressman called during this cam
paign. Do not delay one moment.
This project is of utmost Importance
to the public. bench and the bar.
Let the Bar Association Of the
District of Columbia muster its full
strength at once and push this prof.
ect to success. Will you help?"
Judge Schuldt in his letter to Sec
retary Ickes called attention to the
fact that congressional committee
visited the court in 1926 and as
result bill was introduced providing
for the erection of new Police Court
building, but no appropriation was
provided Subsequently the munich
pal center project was initiated, he
pointed out, with the thought in mind
that speedy action would be taken,
but thus far only the site has been
acquired.
ssrr1l, 1xyicf c ~
tolerable," said Judge Schuldt. The
corridors, district attorneys office,
corporation counsel's Office and courts
are crowded to suffocation. The ter
rible jam of prisoners in the cells is
shameful and really dangerous. These
conditions have been repeatedly
stressed in the public press.
The present Police Court was
built in 1907 when the population OF
the District was considerably less than
at the present and when the number
of cases was approximately one-haf
of what they are now. 1t had two
court rooms, respectively, for the trial
of District of Columbia and United
States cases.
Under the District Of Columbia
traffic act, passed March 3, 1925, two
additional judges were provided for
the Police Court and several rooms
were remodeled so as to make two
additional court rooms. The clerks
formerly occupying these rooms nat
urally had to be crowded into other
quarters.
Corridors Congested.
These remodeled court rooms are
simply makeshifts and far too small
for their purpose. Conditions in the
cells and corridors are so crowded
and congested as often to make in
gress and egress through the halls
practically impossible and conditions
are generally intolerable. We are
functioning with the same cubic foot
age which was considered necessary
in 1907 when We had smaller juris-
diction and less cases.
There is no elevator in the build
ing. necessitating aged, and all per-
sons having business in the United
States Branch of the court to climb
stairs to the fourth floor.
THE act of Congress allowing
women to serve on juries has also
created an unsatisfactory and embar-
assing condition in that there are no
separate toilet facilities for them in
the two small jury rooms and there
is no room available for the installa-
ton of any
Furthermore, all possible space has
been exhausted and the clerk is in a
ouandry as to what disposition to
make of the fast accommodating
dockets and informations.
Business Steadily Increases.
"a recent count indicated that
10000 persons enter the building
weekly, and as the volume Of busi-
ness steadily increases there is an ad-
ditional impetus to the noise and con-
fusion existing in the halls and corri-