Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-11
Ehrntrg Ul1at

the Legislature will adopt antidrug
legislation of a drastic character. The
nearing held yesterday was not so
much for the purpose of discussing
the advisability of passing such q
law as of reaching a conclusion as to
the best type of bill to put through
captain Archibald Mackrell, of the
pittsburgh Department of Safety,
who spoke before the House commit
zee at the hearing, has q bill of his
own before the Legislature but he is
IN taVor of any drastic legislation that
WIN meet the need. After the meet
ing he said he felt -'ery much en-
couraged over the interest of the leg
islators and believes that q stringent
law Will be enacted.
EVERY man, woman and child in
TINS state of ours should, and I ara
sure WILL welcome any effort that Is
made to stamp out of existence a
monster that is gnawing at the v1tais
OF thls nation he said following the
nearing. 1T is worse than war, it is
worse than death. it is worse than
any plague or pestilence that might
descend upon us, because it doesn't
come and go. but it is here always
with us, and growing steadily and
steadily until it has become a menace
TO the life of our country.
A nations future depends upon its
youth, its boys and girls who will
! be the men and women of the flu
ture, and 1t is at them that the drug
| habit strikes it's most vicious blow.
| Boys and girls of tender years, many
oil them not past the public school
! age, are numbered among it's victims
by thousands. And it is no respecter
or persons for its destructive influ-
ences will be found in the home of
the rich as we'll as the poor. 1t breeds
criminals at an alarming rate and
along its pathway are strewn count
less broken hearts. wrecked homes.
shattered careers and human dere-
| licts to whom the mercy of death
seems to be refused.
! The drug fiends greatest punish
ment is that he has to live and en-
| dure the tortures of a habit that is
seldom If ever actually conquered.
| Once in the grip of the habit the vic
tim usually remains it's slave until
the end. I venture to say that not
one of these unfortunates wilfully or
voluntarily cling to the habit They
would gladly give it Up, but they no
| longer possess the will-power and the
! physical strength necessary to make
! the fight successfully. I have heard
\ them beg TO be cured. to be locked
| up so that they couldn't get more of
| the drug, and in the next breath they
would be on their knees pleading for
| 1t. | venture to say the majority of
our greatest crimes have dope as
| one of their elements. A large per-
centage of criminals ere addicted to
! it,"
State legislation is necessary to
back UP the Harrison drug act This
federal statute is not complete of it
| self. Tt deals with habit forming
! drugs in an Interstate commerce way
but leaves big gap under a court
! decision rendered year ago in Phila-
! delphia. 1t is now proposed to make
| the state law Drastic enough to land
behind the bars not alone those who
| Illegally sell such drugs but all who
are found with any such in their pos
session.
! Chief Wetzel. of the Harrisburg po-
lice force who has been waging q per-
sistent war on dope" ever since he
was appointed, is one of those who
agree with Mr.. Mackrell in what he
says concerning the awful danger
that the illegal sale and use of drugs
holds for the public at large. De-
spite all that he can do, under pres
ent laws, the sale of drugs continues
in Harrisburg, but he will undertake
ness entirely If the proper laws are
enacted.
Physicians, on the other hand, say
that the Harrison act has greatly re-
duced the number of drug users. Di-
rectly after it's enactment, when hun
dreds of those addicted were unable
| to get supplies from the regular
sources and did not know how to buy
a supply by the underground sys-
tenn used by criminals and those who
since have learned the ropes, many
victims became seriously sick. Many
of these people recovered and have
not since gone back to the habit.
Scores of others died. In nearly all
cases friendly physicians and consid-
crate families We're able to give the
public some name for the fatal ill
ness other than the real cause, so that
the death list from drugs never ap-
peared so large as it really was.
Anxious to get job, but very hope
full that he might not get one with
the government was the stand re-
Gently taken by seeker for informa-
ton at one of the public libraries. He
asked to be shown all the acts of the
Legislature that might exempt Il man
from military duties If he had relig-
iouS scruples. He said that he had
passed the examination for postal
clerk and THAT he might possibly get
his commission before his conscrip-
ton but was anxious to be on the safe
side.
The clerk very obligingly looked up
the acts that had bearing on eXemp-
ton and called his attention to the
act of January 8, 1916. This act pro-
vides that any one having religious
scruples may be exempted from active
duty on the firing line but not from
such noncombatant duties as the
President may prescribe. It was
small loophole, but large enough to
give the future government servant
satisfaction. He departed very much
pleased.