Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-23

sang OF Jonn bfDWii, uto D'Nt 49,
marching on. Tho organizatNn "hlch
no founded 10 fight vice VIII soon
celebrate It's fiftieth anniversary ana
lte latest report indicates that II rs
ns busy as ever. In fact, its activity
may be even more effective and more
far-reaching than Il was In Who days
when Coustock w0s tho nemesis Oi
producers of pDurient plays and pub
liehers cf literature OF the game char
acter.
II In not generally known that the
New York Society for the Suppression
Of Vice does not conilne It's work TO
tho city and State which give IL It's
name Most OF the publicity 1t has
received has beon IN connection with
it's efforts to suppress plays staged or
books published in New York City.
However. the Society's report shows
that IL has participated in investiga-
tlons and prosecutions in several cit
Ies in Pennsylvania, Michigan, HI
noiF Missouri. and Wisconsin, and
! that II co-opeTated with a somewhat
similar organization In Paris.
In tho course OF it's work tho So
! ciety has been instrumental in pro-
curing the arrest Of more than 1900
persons 4 whom more than $500 were
! convicted or pleaded guilty. Senten-
! cee aggregatlng GAG years inprls0n-
ment have been imposed upon the
| guilty and fines asseased against them
amounting to more than a quarter
Of a million dollars.
In connection with thess cases
there have been confisoatcd 127.904
pounds of book and sheet etock,
3.23l. .6S3 obscene pictures and post
cards. 2l,6lG photo negatives and
films. 30.s43 plates for printing books.
432,459 articles If immoral use and
3.7l9.Oj7 circulars. catalogues. e. Get
era. iaet year there were also taken
on search warrant 1859 magazines and
ss evidence reels Of obscene moticn
picture films.
In addition 10 all this the officers Oi
tho Society also point with pride e
tho part II has taken in the Bet 81
Public shows Movement In New Yori
City and in bringing about the enact
ment # tho law establ.ehing the Now
, York state Motion Picture CoTnmis
? sion. Films now shown in tho Stat
must pc licensed by tho Commission
and license may be refused on tn
grounds Of indecency. tendency to In
cite 70 crime and for other causes.
y Morgan One Of the Founders.
e J. Plerpont Morgan. the elder. wa
- associated with Anthony Comstoc
as one Of tho founders OF the S-clety
n and other prominent men included 8
? the list OF incorporators were WFllaT
!. r.. Dodge, IT, Morris X Jeesup an
Z Robert H. McBurney. Its liet OF c5n
Q trjbutOrs for 1921 tOtaied some thre
hundred individuals and organization.
? The Society was legalized by an ac
T. Of the Legislature Of tho state OF Me-
:, York passed May 16. 1873, and its Oh
y jsct. as stated In the law. Ia the en-
L forcement of the laws for the SUI
o preston OF the trade IN and circu
latiOn Of obscene literature and Illus
. trations. advertisements, and article
J. OF indecent and immoral use, as #
. or may be forbidden by the laws {
the State of New York or of th
o United States.
. Tho law further provided that n
Il police foroe of the city of New Yorl
IT os we'll as other places where polic
II organizations exist, shall. as occas!c
e may require. aid this corporation, &
, members or agents, IN the enforc
Il ment OF all laws which now exist ,
ic which may hereafter be enacted :.
1e the suppression Of the acts and O
l. fenses specified in Section OF the Az
y Thus 1t !s apparent that the Socfe
is an extraordinary organization wi
altogether unusual functions and Do,
ers. Law enforcement "a general
regarded as something TO be entrust
solely 70 public officials duly Great
and commissioned by the body IN
enacts the laws. Such officials q
paid by the Government, Federal. sta
or municipal. as the case may I
their responsibility g fixed and n,
authority carefully defined.
Yet here was Il group OF private I
dividuals. almost all OF whom we
1ficers. directors. or life members
the I. NJ. G. a. OF New York, who we
empowered 20 enforce certain laws q
police-the usual law-enforc!ng OF
cla!s--were directed 10 assist the
Mona Of them and none q their ageI
was required to furnish bond or 9th,
wise establish his responsibility a
no control whatever over the otfic'
sSd agents OF the Society was
served TO the state.
The original act even went so
as to provide that "one-half Of
fines collected through the lnstrumt
tally OF this Society or its agent.
the violation Of the laws IN this 4
specified, shall accrue to It's benet
This clause was speedily repealed Z
provision was made for the div!s
of the fines between the Female Gu
dian Society and the Prison Assoc
ton OF New York. but the fact :
It was IN the law as 81 was first pas
IL illustrative OF the confidence
'' posed by the legislature n the Soc
10 at the time It was formed.
q, However, Il was many years be;
- the general public accorded Il sim
NJ recognition. It was something ent
= ly new TO the courts. prosecuting
s. j. torneys. the psclice, and the newsr
ers and IL was an object OF suspi,
lay. and sometimes OF active anlmoe
,at- as It now admits in Its pub!icau
nm Anthony ComStoclS, who was the e!
am uttve secretary and director Il it's
wy, tivities from the date Of is fount
1a,, until his death in 1915. was subje'
ano- TO all manner Of criticism. He
ng- lampooned and caricatured in the %
sui and burlesqued on the stage, and r
people had the idea that he was el
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