The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-09
STATE LAW AND ORDER LEAGUE.
Annual Report Just Issued-Letters of
C0rnmendatinn of It's Work

Annual Report Just lssued-LetterS of
Commentator of its Work.
At the meeting of the directors of the
State Law and Order league, held few
days ago, communications commenting
the work of the league were read from
Hon. Samuel Fessenden of Stamford,
Judge Edgar M. Warner of Putnam,
John 3. Hardy of Chester, Rev., r. II.
Carter of Washington, Conn, and Rev.
H. S. Brown of Danielson.
The annual report contains much that
is interesting. The treasurer reports
that during the past eighteen months
the society has received and expended
about 100000 After a detailed state
ment of some Of the principal cases
dealt with by the league he report sum-
marizes as follows
Our agents have investigated four
hundred and seventy-seven places at
the request of local citizens or officials,
| including places suspected of immorali-
ty, gambling and illegal liquor selling
One hundred and seventy-eight cases
have been brought to the courts at the
| instance of the league, one hundred and
sixty-four of which have been san-
fenced by the courts either after trial
or upon pleas of guilty. 1t may be re-
marked with some satisfaction that only
| one person has been acquitted after a
| fair trial.
The fines imposed by the courts upon
the cases brought by the league have
been S1443S, forfeited bonds $7,325. 1t Is
difficult to ascertain the amount of costs
/ in, oil Wa haUa n nP
payment of $6,5O6. and we believe that
if the costs could be accurately ascer-
tanned they would amount to more than
$4,000, which would make an age ~at,
payment by the criminals arrested at
the instance of the league of more than
100000 No mention is made in these
figures Of the amount Of license bonds
forfeited as a result of the conviction
of licensed liquor dealers. If these bonds
were all collected the state treasury
would be enriched by many thousands
of dollars.
Fifty-one raids have been made which
have resulted in the seizure of nearly
twelve hundred gallons of Intoxicating
LIQUORS, and about fifteen hundred
pounds of gambling paraphernalia,
which have been dealt with as the law
provides.
| Seven persons have been sentenced to
terms in prison ranging from ten days
to eighteen months. The most nota-
BILE of these were the two cases of per-
jury before mentioned.
HISTORY OF LEGISLATION.
1t may be well to make brief mention
of the attempt which was made during
the last session of the legislature to re-
peal our charter Early In the session
bill was introduced, the purpose of
which was to take away every preroga-
tive of the organization Our offics rs
had, merely as counter move, intro
duced another bill slightly increasing
the powers of the league. Both bills
came up for hearing on the same day
and representative men from all parts
of the state were there to defend the
society, if necessary and to speak in its
behalf, but the committee were unwil-
ling to waste any time over the matter
when it was found that there was prac-
tically no opposition. A substitute bill
making a slight and only technical
change in one section of the charter was
recommended and passed, but the pow
ers of the league were not in the least
impaired. The desperate effort to crip-
pie the efficiency of the organization
proved dismal failure
From the foregoing it must be evident
that there is need of an organization
like ours The beneficial results of this
work cannot be estimated from the