Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-20
A REFORM THAT CANNOT
BE OPPOSED


States District Attorneys fnce and
this newspaper cooperating to bring 90
light the almost incredible growth Of the
narcotic drug evil in this city, urged tho
enactment of n State law 70 stop Mt It's
source the poison hidden In the life OF
the community. These efforts are evil
IDENTIFY about to be rewarded by the pass
Hge of such n measure, state Senator
Ware in most commenduble spirit hav-
ing undertaken to father the bill. No
opposition is apparent or indeed possible.
But the EVENING LEDGER is not con-
tent to stop there, A statute with
teeth" TO punish those who distribute
the drugs and provision for the establish.
ment of n State institution for the treat.
ment of addicts can do much, but not ALL
The question is essentially n moral and
religious one, and cannot be left entirely
to officials and agents And It is not
local. There will be plenty of ways for
drugs to be smuggled from other States
and countries If other states' Legisla-
lures and Congress do not supplement
the legislation that is to be enacted at
Harrisburg.
A pioneer in the work to correct con-
ditions that became apparent after Sec
tlon s of the Harrison drug net was de.
cIorod ,,pcopy+t+utJon,1 ,,,,, NJ, 7 II,r+
ley Manners, the playwright. He had
written "Wreckage" to show the misery
of the mind tortured with drug craving
and to urge the necessity of first getting
the poison out OF the system before self
respect could be restored. He had sup
posed, with many others, that tho HarrI-
son act would prove a vital blow to the
dope" industry. But the emasculation
of the law, preventing the punishment of
those found with large quantities of
drugs on their persons, soon showed that
the fight had hardly begun. He has been
in this city appealing to wellto-do citi-
gems for the endowment at once of wards
in hospitals for tho treatment of addicts,
without waiting for the State to provide
this humane treatment Whether he
succeeds or not, It is certain that only by
direct attention to the problem, in social
life as we'll as political, can the law be
made effective
Similar legislation Is patiently needed
in New York. where the percentage of
addicts to population is said to be even
greater than It is here. If New York
and Philadelphia are the centers of the |
drug traffic in the East. as Federal
authorities assert they arc. 1t is the duty |
OF all the States in this section to stamp |
out the smuggling at their boundaries
Again tho evil is thus brought to the
doors Of Congress. 1t is proposed that |
OF all narcotic drugs coming into the
country. Mr.. Manners, as an English.
man aware OF the spread of doping" in
his native land. as the ugly companion
of war miseries, sees It in a national
light. In England. Parliament would
naturally have complete Jurisdiction.
and doubtless this new leader in the re-
form is impatient of the divided author
ity which produces plecemeal legislation
here.
OF course. the Government at Wash
ington cannot command the police power
of the States and cities. 1t is. there
fore. imperative that the States adjoin-
ing Pennsylvania and New York and
throughout the Union be promptly in
formed OF the probable effect OF stamp
ing out the evil hereabouts. Thousands
Of drug fiends viii not consent to retire
to institutions. They will migrate to the
States where restrictive legislation is not
in force. Even the wide seas win not
stop their craving. They win come from
abroad. they win come from the ends of
tho earth. to ease that siekening hunger.