Evening star., 1939-09-17
Curb Planned
On Guides Near
White House
Seal Says Probe
Bores Sale Of Forged
Admittunce Cards

ing activities by guides and sight
seeing agents near the White House
and along Pennsylvania avenue was
proposed yesterday by Corporation
Counsel Elwood H. Seal as he dis
closed that some agents had made
use of counterfeited admittance
cards to the Executive Mansion.
Mr.. Seal revealed he had con-
Quoted a secret investigation over
a period of weeks. with the aid of
police officials, including Sergt.
Richard j. Felber, who was detailed
to the corporation counsel's office
for the purpose.
The investigation was made as a
result of numerous complaints filed
at the District Building that tour
lists were being halted by guides or
sight seeing agents who wear
official looking caps and beseiged to
buy their services, some being urged
to purchase cards admitting them
to quarters shut of from other
White House visitors.
Privilege Badly Abused
Investigation disclosed, Mr.. Seal
reported, that cards issued by men,
bers of Congress requesting the adj
mission of the tourists to private
parlors at the White House were
easily obtained and that the priv
ilege had been badly abused
Mr.. Seal said the investigation
further disclosed that guides had
been purchasing admittance cards
from the stationery room at the
Capitol and that the names of some
members of Congress were forged
to these. In some other cases he
said it was discovered that admis-
sion cards had been counterfeited
although investiga ting officers were
unable to determine as yet where
they had been printed. Inquiries
at the Government Printing Office
he said. brought declarations that
such cards had not been printed
there.
Cards said to have been sold to
tourists and used by them at the
White House were taken to some
Congressman in the chreckup. They
declared it was not their signatures
on these cards, Mr.. Seal reported.
Mrs. Roosevelt's Protest.
While no effort has been made to
restrict the privilege of members OF
Congress in issuing cards to their
friends, Mr.. Seal said they had
promised to tighten up on past loose
practices" as a means of preventing
them from falling into a CONNER
cialized scheme.
Some weeks ago, 1t was recalled
Mrs. Roosevelt made a public pro-
test that cards Of admittance to the
White House were being sold tc
tourists, whereas it should be real
lied the public is not admitted tc
the living quarters and that passes
to the parlors might be obtained
from members of Congress.
Mr.. Seal planned to recommend te
the Commissioners adoption of ar
amendment to the police regulation:
which would forbid guides or sight
seeing agents from engaging in So
licitation of business along Pennsyl.
vania avenue, between the Capito
and Twenty-third street NV, OF
around the White House Grounds
or on East or West Executive ave.
nues.
Tourist guides are licensed. They
must apply to Police Supt. Ernes,
w. Brown for their licenses and pay
fee of $40 each. Mr.. Seal explained
last night that while guides guilty
of forging White House cards OF
otherwise perpetrating frauds coulc
have their licenses revoked, it wa.
felt that the licensing regulation.
set forth in the act of July !, 1882
were not stringent enough. These
regulations, he said, did not pro.
hibit soliciting tourists or interfer.
ing with traffic by jumping on the
running boards of cars, and licensees
could not be put out of business sc
long as they carried out existing
regulations and did not commit some
fragrant breach of peace or order.
The present law limits the fees
which guides may charge to S1.5C
an hour, or $40 a day. The &C,
gives the Commissioners authority
to adopt reasonable" regulations
for the control of those conducting
sightseeing tours.