Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-27
A CRIME OR A DISEASE?
Shall The Drunkard Be Punished or
Tenderly Cared For in Hospital?

L
Tenderly Cared For In q Hospital?
QUESTIONS on WHICH THERE 10 a GREAT Differ
kNcE OF OPINION AMONG SOCIAL REYoRNERs
AND SCIENTISTS. PHILANTHRoPIsTs AND PHYsr
i CLANS, POLICEMEN AND PLAIN crrIzxNs.
It's drunkenness Q crime?" That is the ques
ton agitating the minds Of many persons in
the District interested in the solution Of liquor
problems. The committee appointed at a mas
meeting of citizens few months ago to invest
igate and report on the matter before the
meeting of Congress, will not come to . con
clusion apparently for some time yet. In ad
dition to having the question Of . drunkard'i
responsibility legally settled, there will be an
| effort made looking toward the establishment
of an inebriate asylum. The committee have
the cooperation Of many prominent and infu'
entail citizens in the work they have on hand.
Whether or not intemperance to degrading
| extent is q crime is q point on which there
seems to be division of sentiment not only
| among the temperance workers, but there Ii q
| decided variance Of opinion even among ply.
siological and physical experts. The majority
however, seem to be against considering OF
| treating drunkenness as q crime. Many per
are of the opinion that instead of being crime
it is a disease, a constitutional weakness beyond
| the control Of the victim.
PROPOSED ASYLUM FOR INKBRIATEs.
Then there are temperance advocates who
are Of the opinion that drunkards are in many
cases victims Of unfortunate surroundings and
circumstances and arc to be pitied and ten
derby cared for, rather than despised and pun
| ished as criminals. As stated above the COM
mittee will endeavor to secure from Congress
an appropriation for the erection and main
tenanee Of an inebriate asylum. In order to
provide and care for the habitual drunkards in
the District a large building will be needed.
Such an institution would not only care for
resident "drunks," as they are designated in
police reports, but also for a large number OF
persons who come here from the states. The
transient drunkards would largely increase the
number Of patients. A considerable number
OF physicians, nurses and other attendants
would have to be employed.
The police favor the establishment of such
an institution, but they also think that intoxi-
cation should be punished. Drunken men
give the officers more trouble than any other
class OF persons with whom they have to deal
THE PoLIcEMAN's LOT Is NOT AN Apply ONE.
Certainly we are in favor Of making drunk
enness an ofense, said an experienced police
man, when questioned by a STAR reporter.
''We have been bothered with them long
enough. Drunks' give the officers more
trouble than all other classes Of persons
arrested. They give even more trouble than
sober fighters, thieves and murderer com.
blned. When an officer goes on duty and q nds
q drunken man on the street it is his duty to
arrest him. If the man is peaceable and not
disturbing any one an officer does not like to
arrest him; but then If he does not some one
Will make complaint against him. II he does
make the arrest the chances are that he will
nave trouble; The prisoner will probably be
drunk enough to make him think he owns the
earth, and can whip everybody ON it. He
begins by cursing and swearing and
WINDING UP BY FIGHTING,
Before he is locked up the officers clothing is
torn anda new pair of trousers or coat has to be
purchased. The officer has to pay for the cloth
ing thus destroyed out of his own pocket, as the
man was doing nothing when arrested. except
making himself nuisance, perhaps; the officer
does not always like to prefer a charge against
him after he has placed him under arrest.
Thus the officer wastes from fifteen minutes to
an hour OF the time that he should be guard.
ing the property of the taxpayers, and for
which the District receives nothing, while the
drunken man Is lodged at the expense Of the
taxpayers"
ALL DRUNDARDs SHOULD BE FINED.
"As have already said," the officer contin-
ued, II am in favor Of making drunkenness a
legal ofense. Not exactly a crime as it is al
ways put, for itwould not be crime. It would
be violation of a municipal ordinance and
would not any more affect mans reputation
than the mere fact of his getting drunk, The
penalty don't think should be a severe one
For instance, 1t might be from 81 to S5 fine.
The lowest fine might be imposed upon first
conviction, and then the fine should yary ac-
cordlng to the conduct Of the drunkard on the
street The usual fine should be about 90. SO.
the same as It is in many large cities. With
such q penalty for drunkenness am of the
opinion that there would be fewer intoxicated
persons ON the street than there are now"
THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF THE QUESTION,
There is another side to this question:" con-
tinued the policeman. 1.-The patrol system has
to be paid for more on account Of drunks than
for other prisoners. The system is very expen-
sve, and, with q small fine imposed on each
drunk, 1t would be less costly and the police
service would be improved without any addi-
tional expense to the citizens. Drunken pris-
oners are not only more troublesome to arrest
than sober ones, but they create much more
disturbance in the stations than thew should he
permitted to.do When they are placed behind
the bars, unless they are dead drunk thew
abuse and SANDER the police generally and
make SO much noise that the officers off duty
fun for them, but not for the tired policemen
who are trying to get their much-needed rest
before going out again on duty In cold
weather many drunkards are picked up in the
SNOW anu ice, nall frozen to DEATH and when
they reach the station a physician has to be
called in and the patient is given hospital
treatment, free OF charge, until he RECEIVERS.
HIS LIFE Is SAVED
without any expense to him or any trouble on
his part. Many others who fall about the
streets in the snow and ice are picked ND and
kept from freezing to death. In that way
many lives are saved by the officers, who get
no thanks whatever for their humanity. In
the summer time the 'drunks' have to be
looked after with much care. The hot weather
mas bad effect on them, and if they remain
out IN the sun many minutes after they fall it
Is almost a sure case OF sunstroke. Several
such deaths have occurred within a few wears
when drunken man is arrested on u very hot
day he Is often suffering from the heat in adj
dition to his load of whisky and if placed in
cell he is likely to die without warning. II is
about time that something was being done to
prevent SO much drunkenness on the streets.
A remedy will have to be provided that the
DRINKS will fear, and not something that they
Will look forward to as q safeguard for them in
their reckless folly. / don't mean, however.
that an lnebrlate asylum would not be a good
institution for the city, but l think that a law
furnishing drunkenness should also be given
the District"
MORAL sUAsIoNIsrs.
Many temperance advocates, as already
stated, maintain that drunkenness is not
crime and should not be made such by law.
They believe that inebriety is the result Of
heredity or unfortunate circumstances, and
that the victims should be tenderly cared for
h,nd words, they think. will have better