The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-19

"&0aAA0k&At A. ~ OS~s 49,
thony Comstoek may be dead. but.
as they sang Of John Brown. his
soul goes marching On. The or
ganiration which he founded to
fight vice will soon celebrate its
50th anniversary and It's latest re-
port indicates that 1t IL as busy as
ever. In fact, its activity may be
even more effective and more far
reaching than it was in the days
when Comstock was the nemesis OF
producers Of prurient plays a d
publishers of literature OF the same
character.
1t is not generally known that the
New York Society for the Suppress
sion Of Vice does not confine its
work to the city and state which
give it its name. Most OF the puc-
licity il has received has been in
connection with its efforts to sup
press plays staged or books pub
lished in New York City. However
the society's report shows that II
| has participated in investigations
and prosecutions in. several cities
in Pennsylvania, Michigan. Illinois
! Missouri and Wisconsin, and thai
it cooperated with somewhat
similar organization In Paris.
+ In the course of its work the So
ciety has been instrumental in pro
curing the arrest Of more than 4.6ot
persons of whom more than $500
were convicted Or pleaded guilty
Sentences aggregating GAS years
Imprisonment have been imposed
upon the guilty and fines assessed
against them amounting to more
than quarter Of . million dollars
| In connection with these case!
there have been confiscated 127, go
pounds of book and sheet stock
1921 ,6S3 obscene pictures and post
cards, 21,616 photo negatives ant
films, 30,843 plates for printing
books, 432,459 articles Of immora
use and 3,719,057 circulars, cata
logs, etc. Last year there War
also taken on search warrant 4,5b
magazines and as evidence tw
reels of obscene motion pictur
films.
In addition to all THIS the officer
OF the society also point with prid
tDthe part it has taken Ill IN
better public shows movement Il
| New York City and in bringin
about the enactment of the law es
tablishing the New York State Nc
ton Picture commission. Film
now shown in the state must b
licensed by the commission and
license may be refused on tn
grounds of indecency, tendency t
tincite to crime and for otha
causes.
Morgan One Of the Founders.
]. Pierpont Morgan, the eide
was associated with Anthony Con
stock as one of the founders OF tt
society, and other prominent me
included in the list of incorporation
were William E. Dodge, Jr., MORT
X. Jessup and Robert B. McBirne.
Its list of contributors for 192
totaled some three hundred ind
vi5uals and organizations. =
The society was legalized by a
act of the legislature of the stat
Of New York passed May 16, lS7'
/, and its object. as stated in the Law
: is the enforcement of the laws IL
the suppression of the trade in an
r circulation of obscene literature an
, illustrations, advertisements. an
articles of indecent and minors
use, as it is or may be forbidde
by the laws of the state OF Ne
York or of the United States.
), The law.further provided that =
police force Of the city of Ne
York, as we'll as of other place
r where police organizations ext
, shall, as occasion may require. q
, this corporation, its members
a agents.. in the enforcement Of a
: laws which now exist or which ma
, hereafter be enacted for the su
preston of the acts and offens'
7 specified in section 3 of the act.
;" Thus it is apparent that the 8
4 ciety is an extraordinary organic
n ton with altogether unusual fun
Q tions and powers. Law enforc
$ ,nent is generally regarded as som
4 thing to be entrusted solely to pu
{, lie officials duly created and COZ
i, missioned by the body that enac
; the laws. Such officials are pa
s by the government, federal, sta
J. or municipal, as the case may