Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 80, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1912 — PEST OF ROLLER SKATERS. [ARTICLE]

PEST OF ROLLER SKATERS.

Washington has worse than a pest of locusts. It has a pest of "trundlebbd trash” roller skating on Pennsylvania avenue at night. The roller skaters are boys and girls from 10 to 15 years of age who ought to be home in bed or at least under the eyes of their parents, instead of out on the broad avenue until unmentionable hours of the night. ” The police have been ordered to arrest these skaters and take them home, which is a job, of course, they cannot accomplish, as it would take the whole police force of the District of Columbia to arrest the young skaters that skim like swallows up and down the avenue from the west front of the capitol to the treasury building. Roller skating is no' dopbt a nice, healthy sport, and no sensible person objects to it in the daytime if the skaters do not wilfully get In-the way of pedestrians. It is the moral state of affairs that makes It objectionable at night. Innocent young girls are brought in contact with a horde of wreckless, devilish youths, and the roller skating leads to joy rides in ptolen autos, eats and drinks at road houses, and all of this happens before the parents know that their girls are doing anything more than just roller skating. Of late these boys and girls have whooped and howled up and down Pennsylvania avenue and have become so reckless (here is imminent danger all the time of someone being hurt by autos, which also make a thoroughfare of Pennsylvania avenue after night.