Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-11-27
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Or. Banta On Conviction.

Peoria. ILL.,, Nov. 25.-Editor The
Argus: 1t is not with a feeling of re-
venge toward anyone that / ask you to
publish short statement In your pa
per, but with more OF that feeling
which Christ expounded when he said,
Forgive them. Lord. for they know
not what they do.
When the newspapers were printing
untruths. falsehoods and CARRIED
statements of my case they knew not
what they we're doing; when witness
after witness swore to lie after lie they
knew not what they were doing; when
DR.. Foster was calling on witnesses
and coaching them what to say that
would commit me, he knew not what
he was doing, when I was conscien-
tiously treating addicts by the grad
ual reduction method | knew not what
| was doing
sincerely believed / was within the
! law and doing great deal OF good. III
it is crime TO take a young man suf-
fering from morphine disease who has
sunk to the depths and despair OF deg
relation that | have seen, cure him
and put him back in a permanent job
where he has lost no time for year,
then I am rezdy to suffer any penalty
the good people may choose.
| The few witnesses the government
had were Of the very hardest class to
cure. Some powerful influence was
! brought to bear surely or they would
not have sworn the Hes they did.
knew that the chief characteristics OF
the morphine disease Is the ability OF
the victim to lie slyly and conyinc-
ingly, but no one could have made me
believe they would swear as some OF
the witnesses did after all had done
for them. It must be true today as
thousands of years ago, that II you
cast pearls to swine the swine will
turn and rend you.
am thoroughly convinced that 1t Is
folly and often real harm to treat 8
drug addict In a hospital for few
months, turn him out and expect hin
to stay cured / am Just as thoroughly
convinced that the best way Is to grad
ually withdraw the narcotic and a
the same time give tonics, stimulants
physics and encouragement. The one
great thing needed is to cheer the pa
TENTS mind of the wrong ideas tina
, hold 1t, the oDsessions that bind II
the dark picture of life before 1t. Built
. up the pride and desire to get well.
quotation from the poet Holland Otter
! comes to me, How shall ] habi
break? AS you did that habit make
thread by thread the patient han'
! must continue err free you stand.
: I wish to state to the doctors tina
; are trying to cure addicts by the grad
ual reduction cure that | have gottel
, some excellent results, but | viii
t never treat another case out of a hos
pital and if You value your liberty TAX
the advice of one who is now payinl
the penalty for doing what he though
was right. Dc not attempt to treat
, drug addict by the reduction metho
Y in jail. hospital or at home You thin
you are within your rights and dom
+ good So did l. The law has no
0 changed but different interpretation
is being made by the courts.
: The point was made that a gradua
o reduction treatment is not legitimat
: practice no matter how good a fait
' the doctor may use in administering il
l. l had long talk with government
7 official yesterday. From him / lear
: that several other prominent physi
. clans of Rock Island and vicinity ar
i under strong suspicion by the revenu
n Office One mentioned took a conceale
: part in my prosecution. No doubt h
was honest In trying to cure the ad
diets. So was |, yet he said TO me i
his office one day: Get your pay In ad
vance and let them go to hell If the
want TO"
II it is right to treat one patient