The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-23
federal AIIl-lARC0IE
LAW AND THE COURTS
By r. II. RrsHoP.

There are times when one II prons
to imagine that the criminal laws OF
the country. II not Intentionally franz
ed with foopholes to aid the escape
OF the offender, are so constructed
as to admit OF having loophoies In
terpreted into them
Before us lie several newspaper
comments on the sinister coincidence
that Just when a man was dying OF
an overdose Of dope at the Hahne-
mann Hospital an Philadelphia,
Judge Thompson, in federal court,
made a ruling that virtually frees IL
licit peddlers Of drugs from prosecu-
ton"
The two men on trial in Judge
Thompsons court were found to
have in their possession more than
5000 grains of morphine, heroin. CO.
caine, scales for Weighing drugs, two
large cans of opium and other para
phernaIia. The dope was conffscat-
ed In a raid on the defendantS
rooms
The reason for turning these two
men loose to continue their deadly
work Is thus explained by the North
American of that city,
His action, In accordance with
recent Supreme Court decision. re-
suited in acquittal of two men against
whom the government had apparent
~ built up a strong case. Under ths
ruling. 1t will be necessary for gov
eminent officers TO actually catch Of
tenders selling drugs banned by this
Harrison anti-narcotic law before
convictions can be obtained.
Forty cases similar to the ones dis
posed of yesterday are awaiting trial.
and IT Is virtually a foregone con-
clusion that acquittals will be record
ed and the dope traffic opened
up wide"
IL is not the province Of iaymen.
certainly not of those engaged in re-
form movements. to sit in Judgment
on the courts The federal statute, a.
drawn and duly passed by Congress.
has undoubtedly received a strict and
literal Interpretation by the courts.
| Nevertheless, the intention Of the
lawmakers and of the overwhelming
| public sentiment behind the law has
been largely thwarted. and depraved
men and women will continue TO prey
on society unless a night and day
watch shall be kept up on all sus-
pected parties. But this is simply im-
possi ME
Thus We are to have more OF th1
laws delays and uncertainties in
dealing with the cormorants that prey
on society, and once more the ques-
| ton comes UP whether It Is worth
while to go through the tumult Of
successive campaigns to elect big
bodies OF men to the two houses Of
Congress and the State Legislatures
at great expense to the taxpayers to
deliberate for weeks and months and
then turn out 80 much work which
fails of Its object reason of soma
technical defect or infelicity In tho
wording.
small fraction of the men now
fective laws would, II entrusted with
the responsibility, surely not peerpe-
trate a larger percentage of these
weli-meant miscarriages, while the
saving In time and expense wouii
seem to warrant the radical departure
| from the present unsatisfactory
methods. OF course this defect IN the
federal anti-narcotfc law will be
remedted but the delay means ex-
tended license to the Illicit pedGIing
of deadly drugs; It means that many
another victim Is TO be picked up un-
conscious on the street. and that
society can legally protect the ign,r-
ant and unwary from the dopesters.
| Let 1t be noted once more that
the deadly doings Of narcotic drugs
are for the most part In the we-tess
of wet territory. The wise men Of
the liquor traffic are dumfounded at
the facts whicn frown upon them IN
every vestigation OF this grave sub
tect.
They continue, however, their old.
diseredited falsehaod that drug VIC,
Tins are found only or chiefly in dry
territory