Evening star., 1938-02-09
HOUSE COMMITTEE
REEVES NUMBERS
bill FROM FILES
Palmisano Agrees to Hol,'
Hearing on Measure
at Early Date.
CHAIRMAN REPEATS
OPPOSITION TO ACTION
Says Police Would Be Allowed to
Invade Private Homes "Vir.
tually on Whim."
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.

BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.
The numbers" bill, buried in the
| files of the House District Commit
tee since it was passed by the Sen
ate a year ago, was exhumed today
by demand Of committee members,
and, at their insistence, Chairman
Palmisano agreed to hold a hearing
on the measure at an early date.
During discussion Of the bill at the
committee meeting, Representative
Palmisano said a special crime COM
mittee held a hearing on similar legis-
lation several years ago and at that
time "a colored gentleman named
Brown" bellhop numbers writer,
testified his boss" was paying $40 a
month to police for protection.
police official present, the chairman
added, was not interested enough to
bring Brown before the grand jury
and force him to divulge to whom the
protection was paid
Campaign Is Embarrassing.
If this numbers game has such a
corrupting influence" said Repre-
SCAlVotlSC AAAdlSl, xtSpuDllSpll, VI WILL.
igan. who launched the demand for
action on the bill, land this bill has
sufficient merit to pass the Senate.
We should do something with 1t. 1t
is embarrassing to every member Of
this committee to have newspaper
campaigning for action on bill which
has been before us for year."
CIo, nN1, kAA T.;
oft-expressed opposition to the num-
bers BILL declaring it would allow
police to invade private homes virtu-
ally at their whin1. He charged Wash
ington newspapers with bad faith in
campaigning against the numbers
from time to time, when they still
published information encouraging IL
legal betting on the races.
The committee voted, to 3, to take
up the numbers bill at hearing OF
the whole committee rather than refer
it to subcommittee, the usual pro-
cedure.
Wants Whole Committee.
| Chairman Palmisano said he pre-
ferred to have the whole committee
take it up and believed the authori-
ties should be heard from before an
expression from the public was sought
The chairman explained that the
testimony of the bellhop had been
given before the special District Crime
Committee. The police officer to
whom he alluded, he told the COM
mittee, was Capt. George c. Little,
head of the vice squad, who, he said,
was present when Brown told his
story.
When he completed his testimony
Brown was allowed to depart, and no
further efforts were made to inquire
into his alleged disclosures, Mr.. Pal
misano said.
Mr.. Palmisano asked why the wit
ness had not been taken before the
grand jury and forced to divulge to
| whom his boss was paying protection,
if the authorities were so interested
in breaking up the numbers racket.
The bill should pass" Representa-
| tive Shafer declared before todays
committee meeting. This numbers
racket should be run out Of Wash
ington before it does more harm.
believe most of the committee members
favor it, and if so, it should be reported
to the House promptly.
Gangs Control Rackets.
Nobody should need to be con-
vinced that such racket is bad
thing for any community. The num-
bers game always gets in the hands
OF unscrupulous gangs, who settle their
disputes by violence and frequently
spread out into other illegal activities.
I'VE have serious situation in the
Capital, and If we tolerate racket like
the numbers, We'll have q lot more
trouble. The men backing this game
are making millions in an illicit busi-
ness and thus encouraging crime in
| general. believe this legislation will
give the police power enough to stop
it or at least to cripple it."
Chairman Palmisano has not brought
the bill before the committee since it
was referred to this group on Febru-
ary II of last year.
Sponsored by the Senate Distric.
Committee at the request Of Maj
Ernest w. Brown, superintendent O
police, and other officials, the measure
was approved promptly by the Senate
And that was the second time tn,
Senate had adopted similar legislatio,
designed to deal with the Capital City
biggest racket. The first such effor
also perished in the House Districi
Committee.
Instead of requiring the police
through undercover men, to buy num-
bers slips with marked money, diff.
cult procedure, the new law woulc
make possession of these lottery tickets
prima facie evidence of violating the
District Lottery Act.
While some members Of Congress
object to the search-and-seizure pro-
vision Of the proposed act as too
drastic and likely to lead to invasion
of private homes without justification,
those backing the bill point out that
this clause is no more stringent than
similar measures dealing with mar
cotics, untaxed liquor and other con-
| fro md artjrIoS