Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-14
ANTELOPE Bill
RECEIVES BOOST
Philadelphians Who Drafted
Measure Send Letter Urg-
ing It's Passage
USE OF DRUGS ALARMING

HARRTsBtRG. March 1.-THE COM
mittee of Philadelphia citizens who draited
the Whitaker antelope bill. now in COM
mlttee In the House today sent q letter
70 Representative Samuel =. whitakgr of
chester. sponsor ~ the measure. In which
they reviewed the dope evil and stated
their reasons for seeking legislation 70 re-
enforce The Federal Harrison act
The letter was signed by Pierce Archer,
Jr. secretary Of the committee, ana was
sent in response 20 4 request made by Rep
views The letter follows
Samuel 4 whitaker. Esp
House ~ Representative.
'Hsrrisburg. IA.
YOU asked me to write you a letter sT-
piaininR the purposes NJ The hill, and will
state as briefly az possible why We believe
the bill 70 he a necessity
First The consensus of opinion NJ
medical men social service workers and
those IN charge NJ prisons. hospitals and
ref0rnatories throughout the country n that
the Use NJ narcotic drugs BE- increasing At
an sIarmingIy great rate. The use ri
reroin. which vas only invented about ff-
teen .ears ago has Increased out of all pro-
portion A. 4 drug used for dissipation.
Second. The effect Df the use Of these
drugs upon the human system has num-
her of aspects They are now believed 70
be by the leading scientists pf tho world
direct cause Of degeneration In the race
a. the children of habtual drug users viii
almost uniformly be imbeciles or defective
IN some manner The effect upon the drug
users themselves. le. Of course. obvious
our prisons and hospitals are Giled With
the physical wrecks. and tho cost 70 the
conmuni'" ~ 'hrse persons. who are per-
fcc'l" useless In the economic 'c Of the
country. .s enormous. The case n these
habi'UaI users is almost hopeless gy FAR az
4 cure ~ concerned and they have drlf'ed
into the t"ndcrloins of the large cities and
form very large proportion of the
criminals. "" have been informed bv the
police officials from number Of places that
probably forty per cent of the arrests for
mi nor evils are NJ persons addicted 20 the
Hlse ri drugs. In these persons the moral
sense seET4 wholly lost. They have no
method Of earning an honest livelihood on
account ri their iil health, and they natu-
rally driff into lives Of crime.
Third. II is not with these, however.
tina, we rish particularly 70 deal. as We
regard them a.. in nearly all cases com
pia'e 4 nd hopeless wrecks. j. nag been dIs-
covered that the habit ig spreading with
alarming rapid'y among boys and girls
nd IN a number Of cases even among school
children 4 very large proportion Of those
committed 20 the Philadelphia Hospital FOR
treatment have been under thirty years ~
age and many under twenty.
Fourth. These drugs are deadly poi
sons. and set until the Harrison act vas
put in fun force there was no restriction
upon their eale In any quantities ~ any
persons whatsoever. except In the case
" cocaine There seemed 70 be no log
IraI reason why cocaine should be dif-
ferentiated from heroin and opium. As a
matter Of fact, cocaine is used as lissi-
patton and is not strictly speaking 4 habit
forming drug. That is to say, II does not
yl,a L..
derivatives and is not ACCOMPANIED by the
same intense physical craving
Fifth. II has been discovered upon in
vest igatiOn that many Of the drug users
have become such By reason Of too great
A freedom in the use Of drugs by physicians
and nurses
As to the particular aspect Of the g.
Iicit drug trade. the two main pourceq are
now through INSCRIPTIONS physicians who
prescribe 70 sO-Called patients, and pcrsons
who peddle the drugs throughout the coun-
try, either In their natural form or in tho
form Of patent medicines, and thus create
the needs OF confirmed users and encourage
a demand among thousands who are not ac-
cus,omed TO have II. The profit from this
trade 10 both classes II very large The
drug is difficult 10 obtain in large quantities
q nd the demand for IL Ia Unsuitable
Seventh. From practical experience In
the enforcement Of the Harrison act, 1t has
been SHOWN thdt the FcdeTaI Government,
having no power 70 Iegislate for the health
and morals Of community. was limited
under the Harrison act 10 provide a con-
yeuient system Of registration by which the
drug could be traced from the producer TO
the ultimate consumer Wherever the Har-
rison act attempted through its provisions
or by regulation to 20 further the courts
have construed II strictly and In order TO
prevent the act from being declared uncon-
HtgI
revenue producing purposes. n has never
been the intention Of the Harrison act TO
be = cure-all, and every State must pass
particular legislation covering this point
which the Harrison act cannot control.