Evening star., 1935-03-29
D. c. PROSECUTING
MACHINERY IS HIT
Procedure Easily Influenced
and Broken Down,
Roberts Says.
Continued From First Page.)

simplify the procedure III handling all
District matters. Such committee,
he declared, should be composed OF
members of Congress who are keenly
interested in District problems.
Calling attention to the existing
organization of the prosecuting ma
chinery with two separate prosecuting
agencies-the corporation counsel and
the United States attorney-Robert
declared:
"It is my opinion that the time is
coming when the prosecutions of every
offense against the District will be
prosecuted by one agency and that
will be the attorney general Of the
District-the corporation counsel.
1.-The dividing line between the
Jurisdiction of the district attorneys
Office and the corporation counsel is
not clear" Roberts added. "As
result there is lack of clarity and
both agencies overlap. One refers
case back to the other and it finally
disappears by the corporation counsel
losing interest. All the criminal
prosecutions against the District
should be placed either nthe dis
trict attorneys Office or the Office Of
the corporation counsel"
Penal Code Criticized.
Roberts likewise criticized the Dis
trict penal code, describing it as
"obsolete." He asked for complete
revision of the criminal statutes.
As proof of the need for such a
change, he cited the case of clerk
In the District Water Department who
had the authority to make out bills.
His accounts were found to be in
error and check-up indicated ne
had been guilty Of graft.
Roberts explained trap was set
for the clerk and as result he was
caught accepting SIS bribe to
stamp a $40 water bill paid.
Roberts testified he went to the
District attorneys Office. but was told
no charge could be found on which
to indict the clerk. Later, however
the man was called before the grand
jury and subsequently indicted on a
charge of soliciting Of felony"
Actually" declared Roberts, "the
man was guilty of graft"
Roberts skipped rapidly over the
whole field of District activities
touching, not only on the ramifled
activities of various officials, but COM
menting on timely matters that have
been brought before the committee
In that connection, he brought up the
subject of traffic ticket fixing" anc
hn oc
assistant corporation counsel he never
fixed" a ticket, and when that in
formation became generally known he
was never requested to do so.
Drisc0ll Is Heard.
A. j. Driscoll, president of the Mid
city Citizens Association, the first
witness, urged the re-establishment
Of the old second precinct head
quarters, on Fifth street between M
and N streets. now occupied by the
Woman's Bureau.
Roberts took the stand Immediately
afterward and outlined the various
civic and official activities with which
he has been identified. Afterward
he discussed his studies of the or
ganization of the District government,
with special reference to the !..-en-
forcement and prosecuting agencies.
Then he suddenly declared:
ANY plan to avoid crime in the
District must start back Of the Police
Department-you must 60 into the
economic and physical ills of the
community"
Then, almost as suddenly. Roberts
jumped to a discussion of traffic ticket
fixing" There is a belief prevalent,
he said, that If a man has an official
position in Washington he must "fix''
these tickets.