The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-02-06
LEGISLATURE ADVOCATES
0PPENHEIMER TREATMENT
special Committee Of New York AZ.
ssmbly Rssemmends Its Adoption
by the State For the Reeiama-
ton Of the Drunkard.

ssnnbly Reeemmends Its Adoption
! by the State For the Reeiama-
| tion Of the Drunkard.
The relation of alcoholism to crime
received serious consideration by the
senate and assembly In the state Of
New York during the session Of the
present year, 1905, the result being the
appointment of special committee by
the Judiciary committee of the assem-
bly, to investigate and report what they
considered to be the best methods Of
dealing with the treatment Of criminal
inebriates. The report of the commit
tee will interest all classes.
About 30 per cent of the convictions
In the criminal courts of New York
state are for intoxlcation, the punish
ment in many cases being term In
prison, where the offenders are treated
as criminals. On the expiration Of
their sentences they are sent back to
the community with the stigma Of
''convicts" or 'jail birds" to seek Q
livelihood as best they may.
| This treatment Of inebriates is inhu-
man from humanitarian point of
view and an enormous expense to the
| state In the maintenance Of jails and
penitsntiaries as well as by the sup
port Of offenders while imprisoned. It
has been recommended for several
| years past in various official reports
that some action should be taken by
the state to better the condition of the
| criminal inebriate and that he should
be furnished with some means by
which he could, if he so wished, be-
come temperate and law abiding
| citizen.
! The special committee made a care
full and exhaustive investigation into
the various methods for the cure of al
coholism brought to their notice and
reported as follows, in part:
I'm Re Criminal Inebriates.-The
ofacial report of the state commission
Of prisons for 1903 states:
'The taxpayers of the state are an
| nually subjected to large expense in the
| arrest and rearrest OF persons charged
Of our criminal courts Is occupied in their
| trial, and about one-half Of the expense
| of maintaining our jails and peniten-
| tiaries il caused by the maintenance of
| this class of offenders during their term
of commitment When a man Is intox-
icated his reason il dethroned for the time
being. II Is often necessary for the pro-
teotion of the public that he be taken into
| custody and receive treatment at the
hands OF the state. This offenBe drunk
snnsss) should not be treated strictly A.
a crime. Drunkenness has in it no ele-
I ment OF malice. The law should recognise
\ this distinction. The present practice of
sending him to the Jail to the penitsn-
| tiaFy branded as a criminal to consoYt
| with thieves only degrades and diseour-
| ages him and at the same time indicts
punishment and privation upon his fam
lly. Some wiser method Of dealing with
this Offense should obtain.
Pursuant to the above recommen-
dations, the committee have carefully
considered the need of some action for
the relief of these dependent and de-
linQusnt classes and also various meth
obs of treatment of persons suffering
from alcoholism. Recognizing that
many Of these persons are suffering
| frem q disease, some form of med
zeal treatment should be given.
"ln the Judgment Of this COMMITTEES
the best treatment therefor IL that Of
the oppepheimsr lnstituts, as 1t IL
strongly indorsed and advocated by
large numbers Of physicians and bust
ness and professional men OF high
standing, national repute and unques-
toned authority, the treatment itself
being reported as prompt, effective and
free from certain objections inherent
Ia other systems. A further reason
for the selection of this treatment 10
Its especial adaptability to those
classes specified by the state commits
sion of prisons and the Charity Or
ganizatiOn society on account of its
simplicity Of operation, no residence at
an instituts being required, and also
because of its easy administration In
each city and county Of the state.
Furthermore, carefully compiled re-
ports show that the Oppenheimer In
stitute has already treated with
marked success considerable num-
Der Of this class of inebriates, many OF
them at the instance Of courts and pro-
baton officers, both in New York state
and elsewhere"
The solution of the problem had In
mind by the committee as being at once
more economical, more scientific and
more humane may be shown by sim
gle illustration. The Philadelphia Even
ing Bulletin and the North American
called the attention of their readers TO
d man, veteran OF the Grand Army,
who had spent most Of his time for
thirty years in jail for drunkenness.
He was then under his one hundred
and eighth sentence In the house of
correction in Philadelphia for intoxi-
cation. This attracted the attention
Of the Oppenheimer physician, who WIS.,
tied the prison and with the consent Of
the proper official brought the man I'M
der treatment. In twenty-four hours
he was entirely free from his craving
and at the instance of the physician
was parolsd. He came every day to
the Institute for his medicine and In
four weeks was completely restored.
He has had year and half of good
health, lived as a peaceable, orderly
citizen, a breadwinner and producer OF
values and kept his family off the list
Of public or private charity. This Is
the work that should be done for the
criminal inebriats in every state Of the
Union.
The Oppenheimer Treatment, which
il 80 highly praised by the special COM
mittee. is being administered in New
York city by the Oppenheimer Insti-
tute and a. branches in many cities
throughout the United States. in Eng
land and other countries. ANY one in
terested In the subject of alcoholism,
its trsatme and cure, can have sent
to him without charge interesting and
instructive lterature on the subject by
writing to the Institute.
In Danger.
Gregs0n Tin alarm)-Great Scott, I've
left my pocketbook under my pillowl