The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-05

and the Magistrates and the police
continue their present n co.
operation, with consistent punishment
the pickpocket industry will have re-
ceived the most serious setback in its
history.
Prevention is better than cure.
When they really pick a pocket, which
is larceny from the person n a
felony, the victim rarely knows II until
the operation Is over Not infre-
quently after the first appearance in
court the complainant disappears, cs-
pecia.ly IL he does not live in this
city. II he lives here he is threatened
and bullIed and coaXed and bribed to
stop further prosecution.
The new and searching laws with
reference 20 the sale and use OF mar
cotic drugs have been reflected in the
work OF the poor mans courts" The
community. t~horoughly awakened To
the fact hat a vas army of people.
mostly young. have become the vic
tins Of these poisons, induced III"
Legislature TO pass severe laws against
those who sold or traded In them.
An unusual result followed strong
effort on the part OF the police u
thorities to enforce these laws. After
a large number Of defendants had
been convicted and properly punished
It became more difficult for the victims
to get the drugs. on top Of this the
European val cut off the main source
OF manufacture, so that this poisonous
dope was hard 70 obtain and h,sh In
price. Immediately these TretChcd
drug users came II into the daylight,
as 1t were, begging for help.
They stream down to bellevue Hos
pital and other places begging for re-
lief from the torments they suffer
from the lack Of their CUSTOMARY
supply Of poison. Not infroqn"niIE
they come To M and beg To be COM
mitted to the workhouse, 80 they MAJ
get the advantage OF the treatment on
Blackwell's Island.
AS many If them rs posSihl" "
send up to the inebrlcty farm in
Orange county. This place, however.
can provide for only n comparatively
small number. so that the larger num-
her OF these people are In Bellevue
or on RlackweWs Island. :: take,
about ten days TO get TIE drug out of
their systems, hut It takes from three
To six months to effect a III
The greater number go to Bellevue
and get the ten days treatment, after
which they are discharged. Having
their systems purged of the poisonous
effects Of the drug they can II they
have the will power make another
start and ight against the habit.
There can he no question hut that
the State and Federal laws which have
been criticised as drastic, especially
by the druggists and others. have
been most effective in dealing with
this evil. II they are persistently en-
forced ! am convinced they will save
n large army of future victims. The
principal thing is Ia make il difficult
TO get the poison.
As the war shows the PRINCIPAL
source Of manufacture to he in the
great chemical producing factories in
Europe il might he we'll for the ma
tional Government TO look into this
matter. 1t is certainly pitiablc Ia see
the number Of young people, men and
women, mere boys and girls, who come
before the Magistrates shattered in
body and mind. utterly wretchcd and
beyond words, and in somn
cases apparently hopeless as to ref
ormatiOn.
Under the influence Of narcotics,
moreover. the victims are liable Ia
commit all sorts OF crimes. II might
he interesting To social refoimcrs to
snow that the victims often tell us
they cannot use alcohol, and | have
heard, when my presence WAS not
noted, a discussion between people
Of this sort as Il the ADVANTAGE %
heroin over what they call "hoozc.'
with the decision in favor Of the drug.
Though great progress has been
In recent years in our inferior
criminal courts, there Is still much
in h method Of procedure which
for remedy. The present sys-
tenn by which in the vast majority