The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-05-31
JOIN COCAINE CRUSADERS TO
DEMAND TARIFF CHECK.
Congress an Shield American Homes
BY High Duty-Doctors Urge
This Protection.

NEW YORK, May 31.-For the first
time in it's history the police depart
ment of this city has today organized
and begun a special crusade to stamp
out the alarming spread of the CO.
caine habit, which is now recognized
to be one of the most serious sources
of vice and crime throughout the coLn.
try Every effort is being made to en-
force the new state law against the
sale of excessive quantities of this
drug for the uses of the dope ficnd"
rather than the doctor. Fully rs per
cent. Of the cocaine that passes
| through an underground system of
traffic which draws principally from
foreign sources.
With no duty upon coca leaves, from
which Illicit purveyors extract d rough
form of cocaine for their drug-crazed
customers, and only a low tariff i'm,
posed upon the quantities of the drug
that are shipped here for secret els
tributiOn throughout the country. il
is recognized that the chances for con-
trolling the spreading cocaine curse
are today very slim, even undo. the
most strict state laws and police sur
veilance. Urging the recent recon-
mendation of the American Health
League for "a prohibitory tariff, inter-
which which will restrict the use of
cocaine, it's substitutes and deliya.
tives, to mediscal purposes" members
of the medical profession, welfare
workers, clergymen and the leading
drug houses here are now looking to
congress to safeguard every commu-
nifty in the country by thus shutting
off this chief source of the illegal SUP
ply of the noXious drug. Through re.
strictive laws can be and are being
successfully enforced by compelling
the local manufacturers and wholesal-
ers to keep records of their cocaine
sales, it has been proven, unscrupul.
Gus retailers to whom the American
houses refuse to sell excessive guam
titles are perfectly free to obtain a
limitless and untraceable supply from
abroad.
More cocaine is sold to drug victims
from one of their supply stations In a
single night than an ordinary drug
store could sell for medicinal pur.
poses in year, the police declare.
Medical men who are interesting them.
selves in urging congress to give the
homes of this country this high tariff
protection from the ravages of the
drug assert that the comparatively
small supply of cocaine necessary for
professional purposes will still be read
lily available for their uses. With a
tariff of $3.50 an ounce put upon the
foreign cocaine supply and a duty Of
five cents on each pound of coca
leaves it is proposed to decisively
check the cocaine plague and place It
firmly under government control by
an internal revenue tax.
No power but that of the people
can now induce the law makers at
Washington to include in the Aldrich
Payne bill this necessary clause for
the protection of every American fam
lily, the leaders in this movement de-
clared today. If every philanthropic,
medical and charitable organization
throughout the land will recommend
ITO its members an immediate appeal
to Senator Lodge, who is presenting
this matter, or to their representatives
in congress, it is believed these rf
forts to combat the curse of cocaine
may succeed.