The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-25
LONDON POLICE COURTS.

London, Feb. 12.
 To the Editor Of the Journal and Courier:
 One who drops in occasionally at the London police courts will see, of course, much to depress, but he will find the sadness of the proceedings relieved by repeated flashes of humor, and will, in cidentally, lay in store of information regarding the manners customs and laws of this country, such as could scarcely come to him in any other way. Just now one is forcibly reminded in these temples of petty justice what a mistake was made when. some years ago, the compulsory vaccination law was modified in the interests of those who might allege conscientious objec- tons to vaccination because of possible injury from it. Originally, every infant must be subjected to this precautionary ordeal, or the parent, in default, was subjected to fine, and, in case of con- tinued defiance, to a term of inprison- 1nent. With characteristic John Bull ishness thousands of English parents fought this law to the last issue. That Is, they made martyrs of themselves and went to gaol, rather than have their children vaccinated, and the pres- sure became so strong that parliament yielded to it. To gain exemption one must appear in court and get certiti- cate from some magistrate. But there's the rub, for in these scary times, with smallpox spreading so rapidly, to get an exemption certificate from the mag istrates is like pulling teeth, and usual ly the teeth don't come out.
 Here and there a magistrate says, "We have law, and we must admins ter 1t, regardless of consequences. If exempted cases contribute to the spread of contagion, the responsibility is with parliament not with us." But very generally magistrates are lodging, some of them savagely fighting, this law. Such cases are not brought for ward as a rule until the session is about to close, and often magistrates, after few curt remarks, will leave the bench while so called conscientious obJec- tors' to vaccination are still pleading their cause. This settles the matter for that occasion, and the same process of refusal or some other which is equally evasive and tantallizing, is gone through so often, that in many cases the applicant gets tired and presents his child for vaccination as the lesser of two evils Even when exemption cer- tificates are granted they are not forth coming until the magistrate has sound- ly berated the applicants for their ig norance and folly This is done as a deterrent to others, and in view of spreading smallpox it might well, di- vested of it's savageness, be mark of good sense in these English magistrates, 1xrith ,,e1I1o. tance they certainly have facts to war rant them, though their oficiousness has no warrant in law. Up to date the deaths from smallpox in persons of all ages are reported at AS per cent. of un- vaccinated, and IA per cent of vaccina- ted cases while in the case of children, the proportion of deaths was stated re- gently by one of the London magistrates to be 60 per cent. against only 1 per cent.
 Quite busy and somewhat perplexed are the magistrates courts just at this time by the many cases brought before them under the new child messenger act This act under severe pains and penalties. prohibits saloon keepers (publicans) from serving liquor or beer to any child messenger under fourteen in any quantity less than pint. and in any vessel other than a corked and sealed bottle. It also, under similar penalties, prohibits parents or any one else from sending for less than pint by these ld-messengers and from l sending them with any vessel that can not be corked and sealed. One object of this new law is to keep children out of public-houses. Hence the pint, rather than the smaller measure, necessitating ! less frequent visits to such places, while | the corking and sealing is a precaution | intended to preclude the serrupttious | indulgence of the child messenger on l the way home This law only came into | effect with the new year, and that pros- cautions should have begun almost inn mediately, all of them inaugurated by | the police, shows clearly that in Eng | and when a law has moral sentiment | behind It. there is no doubt of it's being enforced and no doubt that it's execu- tion can be safely left to the police de- partment. It is infinitely to the credit of England that the laws governing and | restricting the drink traffic are as scrlpulolISly enforced as any laws on the statute books.
 For this result. however credit must be given not only to the police, but to the publicans, who whatever may be said of the results of their business, are as Iaw-abiding class of tradesmen as the country affords. In the case of this child messenger act there have been, it is true, numerous prosecutions, but in no instance have the magistrates found that the accused pubicans transgressed the law with malice or even wilfuly | and knowingly. and this, of course, has led to marked leniency in the infliction of fines. AS rule, too, the magistrates have not had these convictions indorsed on the publicans' license and for this latter act of clemency publicans may well be thankful, as they undoubtedly are because, when license has three convictions upon it, it must be forfeited, and the one who held it is debarred from getting another; is practically, in fact, driven out of the business.
 This, perhaps is one of the chief req sons why English saloon keepers are so Jealous in keeping the law and so care full to make as few appearances as pos eible at the bar of the police court. In | proof of their scrupulous care in this matter 1t is interesting to note that there are many districts in London and