The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-04-23
ny EDWIN J. BROWN
seattie's Leading Destkgt
los CoIanbta 81.

iOo Ceeonbta 81.
The dental law. its administratseo
and the decisions Of our state courtGn
uphoiding the Law as constitutIona1v
seem monsuous when viewed from
the standpoint of constitutional
rights guaranteed by fundamentaIs
law. but when / discuss what -
known ms the quarantine declsion
wherein our Writ OF Habeas Corpus
was made q trifllng mockery you
viii probably wonder whether The
decision was rendered by Q co0rt|
from which reason had fled
have not read the decirfoR Of
the Y. ). Court restraining the opeOs
alton of the dental law OF this stafn
viii do 80. however. and give e1o'
preston rs TO whether the deciatoxI
renders the law totally unconstttu11
tional and void or whether q poEUI
only has been found imperative
The dental profession in the ST.
OF Washington has been in rfdicUl
lous turmoil for twenty years r
one can readily understand when
Is seen that tho dental law Of 1So|
prescribed that none but graduael
from dental college could take ~
de ntal boards arbitrary examinattoG
Unauthorized by laW--when two on
three of the board members theue
selves were not college. Eraduano
our dental universities and q
ily prescribing and tmposir
standard Of qualification
for examinationb for us grX
dentists and denying us the cofS1
tutionaf right to earn our livtG
and when they were sustained
our state courts liberty and secuPi
became a myth.
l would have been destroyed -
! not graduated at law in 1888 e
been willing to make an appeal &
public opinion and take the chan
OF going TO jail for my rights-
The dental combine was . pow
full Influence with public Officials
n certain type For instance. . 81 =
ciai deputy tstool- pig eo nb arres0
us one Saturday about eleven Q. cIol
knowing that all the judges q
officials would be away until No
We would have TO remain in TAIL oV1
Sunday. Jack Stringer was chit
deputy and Bob" Hodge shertG
Bob said: Are these boys all rig1X
poc answered yes, and that thG3
bonds would all be put up McndGB
We were all liberated. and mind yGk
not one case was ever tried. II
evidence was phoney. and the stooG*
pigeon was afterward dismissed =
disgrace and barely escaped proeo&
cution for attempted graft
A fellow who talks as thou q
head were filled with croton oil t.
the 1919 legislature that I was heS
twelve years before the dental boaf4
Introduce him to Seattle At . later
date.
RECENT DENTAL PROSECUTION
While Mr.. Fred c. Brown wno
took the office of prosecuting atto&sE
ney tby the grace of the kiu<
County gang) when I was elected '
1918. sanctioned and allowed VIII
styled itself as the Veterans Deno
Law Enforcement League to funG
ton Stool-pigcons were sent out d
get evidence They honored n
office with a call. and while two e.
three of the flock were having SOM
work done. others were stationGIE
across the street in the Right H0tG
with powerful field glasses so -
to see the operations. My registere(
operators were arrested. Two carcX
were dismissed and n jury acquittcI
the other. W
After Brown retired. a failure ~
the primaries. there had been muc
boasting by some of the so-cAllcI
cthicais that they were going to rue
all OF us poor fellows out of tho
state. i have often wondered whaU
some OF these noisy dentists woul&
do ~ were to publish a list OF tho
now ethical dentists who at one time
had been in my employ as operatoraI
and others who were not Qualifio4
to remain in my employ after a brief
DENTISTS IN THE LAST
LEGIsLATuRE
In accord with the suggestions n
the Legislative Investigating Cccn
mittee's report of 1910, I carOGU
drafted a dental law which was C
troduced in the 1911 legislature bJ
never allowed to leave the commite
tee on rules. The Dental Combine
was still active. so l abandoned Al
effort in the legislature.
In the last legislature the ethica1o
were divided. One branch desiring
n n N M :, M ~ "A sul ~
prophylactic work and others joiu-
ing with some of the Advertisin1t
dentists to secure law to servo
the purpose OF dentists who were
old, old story of seeking class Iegis-z
lation. or law for their special
benefit
There Is one reason only for the
enactment OF . law to regulate the VI
practice OF dentistry. namely: To
protect the public health against
persons who are not qualified. The
state may prescribe an examination
to test the qualification tskili and
knowledge) and morals OF all whe
would practice dentistry. All poss
sessing the. qualification prescribed
by law should have the right
whether their qualification was ac-
auired IN dental college or undsr
man may possess the highest degree
OF qualification and not be a gradu>
ate. or a man may have a diplome I
and be a blockhead. and dangerous - -.
the public II allowed to practl.
dentistry. However, the stat -
and must protect the public health
without destroying the privatoN
rights OF the citizen to practice his
profession. In other words, tho
profession OF dentistry must be sos
regulated as to protect the public
without destroying private rights. 4
MY article next week will be or
Ireland. "A
EDWIN J. BROWN