Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-26
CRIME
Continued From First Page

Senate next week.
Washington has been struck
by an outbreak Of hoodlum.
ISM" Senator Bible warned in
a separate speech on the Senate
floor.
Senator Bible demanded:
!. That the House District
Committee clear legislation
passed by the Senate April 10 to
put two more judges on the
Juvenile Court bench.
2. That the Commissioners
rush to Congress this week
stopgap proposals to hire from
100 to 200 policemen.
3. That city officials perfect
by January a $2.5 million pro-
posal for 500 more policemen.
4. That sponsors of an anti
lettering" law aimed at curb.
ing rowing juveniles submit
their proposal so the Bible
Icommittee can proceed with
hearings.
Commissioners Respond
The Commissioners responded
swiftly to Senator Bibles cal
for action. In asking for l0(
more policemen now, Commits
sioner Robert E. Mclaughlin
said the men would be assigned
to dangerous parts of the city
where two policemen SHOULD
be assigned to patrol beats TO-
gether rather than alone.
The Commissioners h a
planned to wait until January
and ask for 500 men in thu
fiscal 1861 budget. but the!
decided to take the first steI
toward the goal of 5000 mer
now. The police force nov
numbers $500 men.
In the House, the crime ratt
was injected into home ruiz
hearings today.
A witness, A. L. Wheeler. Dis
trict Democratic Central Com
mittee chairman, insisted thai
q locally elected government
wouldn't tolerate the crime
wave now threatening the Dis.
trict.
IF a Democrat or Repub-
lican were in office, the op-
posite party would use that
crime rate politically and clear
up the government" he said.
Representatives Differ
His view was disputed by
House District Subcommittee
men Davis, Democrat Of Geor-
gia, and Matthews, Democrat
of Florida. Mr.. Davis said
Chief Murray and his force
were doing a tremendous job
a swell Job under difficult cir.
cumStances."
Agreeing, Mr.. Wheeler still
argued that the impetus to dc
a maximum job would flow
from a force responsive to the
people. The city would have
to run an efficient force o.
city officials would have to get
out. he said.
Pointing out that police
would remain under q merit
system were home rule adopted
Subcommittee Chairman Davis
noted "a lot Of difficulties" in
police enforcement not gen.
orally known.
For instance. he said, it took
the police a long time to fill
their authorized quota of off,
GERS after Congress increased
the strength to its present
2,508 men.
Home Rule Doubted as Cure
I'VE constantly have i'm
proved salaries and retire
ment," said Representative
Davis, who for years has han
died key crime and court legis-
lation for the District. I'VE still
have a great deal of trouble
recruiting the right kind of
men,"
Mr.. Matthews said he doubt
ed that home rule would stem
a crime wave. Migrants and
hoodlumS often come from
broken homes here, he said.
He contended reforms would
follow the acceptance of in
dividual and family RESPONSE
bilities by the people rather
than a new form of govern
ment.
In other developments:
Senator Robert Byrd, Demo-
crat of West Virginia, and
Senator Henning, Democrat of
Missouri. made separate pleas
to the House to get out the
Juvenile Court judgeShip bill.
Representative Burleson
Democrat of Texas, introduced
a bill authorizing the use Of
two Marine companies to boil
ster the District police force at
the discretion of the Commits
sionerS.
Commissioner Mclaughlin
promptly opposed such a move,
saying, eve don't need any
martial law"
Senator Byrd called the
Juvenile Court judgeship bill
no panacea, but added that
Its potential to help meet
Washington's growing youth
gang problem is, I believe, sig
nificant."
Overlooking Cited
Senator Hennlngs said:
IAN understaffed, overloaded
Juvenile Court, such as we now
have in the District, is almost
worse than no court at all
when it comes to prevention of
juvenile delinquency and re-
Mobilization of young Offend
ers." He heads a Senate Sub
committee to Investigate Juve-
nile Delinquency, conducting an
inquiry into Juvenile Court SyS-
/ z.A..z