New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-05
.CHALQNER TO FIGHT FOR
NATIONAL LUNACY LAW
Spurred to Action, He Says, by
His Own Hell on Earth
Situation"
WILL SPEND WHOLE INCOME
Talks on He'll and Declares
Devil Is Not Half Bad Chap
After a Fellow Has
Paid the Price.
lBy Telegraph to The Tribune. !

lBy IcleBIdpH u Inc iIiu"H'.
Alexandria, Va, Aug. John Arm
strong Chaloner is planning a cam
paign for national lunacy law. out
lining his views, he said this after
noon:
When was in BlOomingdalc / made
a Hannibal oath that | would spend
every dollar of my income ana every
wear OF my life when | got out IN
STRENGTHENING out the crooked lunacy
laws Of the United States. That oath
was made in 1891. and now | am about
to make good by starting national
campaign in Congress at the next scs-
sion for IA national lunacy law through
out the United states, just as there Is
a national banking law throughout thc
United States. 1t may take ne twenty
wears. IL may take two hundred years.
I viii eventually get it, or the equiv
alent of It. BY this / mean good
lunacy laws throughout the states by
state legislation as a result of years or
agitation at the national capital
Il have developed into law writer
from the hell on earth Of my situation
for the last fifteen years. / found
when | set to work To draw my brief
that the condition Of the lunacy laws
in about - per cent OF the United
States would be a disgrace To the
Congo under the enlightened rule or
the late King Leopold Of Belgium. My
brief was pronounced the encyclopedia
OF the law Of lunacy' by one OF the best
known lawyers in the United states.
That led me TO think OF publishing the
brief as a law work.
THE lunacy law Of tc- day is a sort
of backwater in the entire realm OF
law. No branch of law is so little
known. because il is so little used by
the general public, and therefore by the
general lawyers and general judges. |
have found that lunacy law is In a
state of absolute anarchy-that word Is
mot too strong-thrOugh half Of the
United States and all Of Europe.
After | have introduced a reform in
this country | propose to carry the
crusade into Europe. have hopes,
though. that through the Hague con-
ference, perhaps, the torch of reform
NAV be carried throughout Europe
without my personal effort. after |
have gained sufficient headway in this
country to bring the thing before the
notice of Europe.
And IL | do not succeed NY ghost
Will BY this l mean my rcsiduary
legatees, the Universities Of Virginia
and North Carolina, VIII be able
through the funds | give them to carry
on this educational work. which, to
quote from Blackstone, involves the
absolute rights of the individual
II have seen TO it in my will that a
certain sum Of money Is set aside an
nually by these institutions after they
have obtained possession Of my estate
for carrying on this fight until it is
safe for a millionaire to take trip to
New York and get back with his money
which he can't do now
N Message from He'll" which Incl
dentally smashed some of the tradi-
tions about that place. was another
topic Of talk by Chaloncr this after
noon.
Chaloner prefaced his remarks with
q reference to the fact that Professor
lanes, Of Harvard University, had once
tagged him as medium" so that he
felt qualified TO speak on spirituallsm,
i'm which, he asserted, he did not be-
lieve.
Inside information about the hot
place was transmitted to Chaloneri so
he asserted. by an aged New York
clubman named Miller, who died sew
eral years ago. He said Miller ad-
mitted that he had had "a hot time"
but had paid the piper" and was free
from torment.
Hell Is paved with rubies and dia-
nonds and the devil is not half bad
chap, after n fellow has paid the price
for his fun on earth, according TO my