The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-23
SECRETARY THRAsHER'S RE-
 PORT.
Submitted to the State Law and Order
 League

| League.
 At meeting of the directors of the
 Law and Order League, held in Hart
 ford Wednesday afternoon, Secretary
 Thrasher's annual report was read. | In describing some results of last years work Secretary Thrasher refers to the operations of his agents in | Plainfield, to the David Hayes case in
 Meriden, the drug store prosecutions in
 Stratford and other prosecutions.
 Among the matters of local interest
 referred to by Secretary Thrasher was the following;
 fragrant instance of class of of
 fences less common than formerly was
 discovered in New Haven A job prin-
 ter had, as an adjunct of his business, adopted the practice. of printing and
 selling literature of the vilest charac-
 ter. When caught he was in the act of
 distributing the type of one of these off,
 fensive publications. After several months in jail, awaiting trial and ap- peal, he was sent to states prison for an indeterminate period of from one to
 two years. The sentence was not only richly merited, but is just what is need ed in order to restrain mIscreants of the same order"
 Referring to policy playing the re- port contains the followingg In 1892 New Haven was a headquarters for ofN1i .,;.l.,I o1,,,- r,{ or quite unchecked in many places. Three million dollars, at least, was ex- pended in the state by dupes, mostly poor people. The league has, during the ten years, raided many policy shops and convicted many policy operators. The result is that the business has been driven to the wall It leads an attenu- ated and precarious existence in New Haven, where it once flourished. A policy king" through whose hands, according to his statement, two hun year, was raided by us again and again, was driven from his business, lost his fortune and was reduced to the point of beggingg our office to give him errands to do so that he might earn enough to keep himself over Sunday. Scarcely anywhere in Connecticut is policy played as it formerly was. In this one particular the league has done much to protect people from their own weakness and their families from the results of their folly.
 The report also contains interesting accounts of the work of the league to- If lot Q bling machines, offensec against un- chastity, obscene picture machines, and prize fights.
 Concerning prize fights there is the following:
 "The league is generally credited with a prominent part in directing public attention to the nuisance in New Ha- ven, and the charge is true. The ban ishment of prize fighting from these cities has helped to demonstrate both the quality and the strength of public opinion when aroused from its normal state of inactivity. There is but little doubt that there Is latent force enough in the better sentiment of every com munity where prize fighting is still al- lowed to destroy it, could that senti- ment but be given self consciousness and direction. Had the league the pow CT to make arrests for prize fighting, 1t would very probably by this time have swept this species of illegality from the state. If 1t be asked whence 1t derived It's authority to do so much as 1t has i'll this regard, the answer Is, from the leg slature when 1t chartered the league, in part, Ito promote industry, prosperi- ty good order and obedience to law the state.