The Washington times., 1923-01-05
FIGHT ON. DRUGS
|SURGEDBY
SENATOR
Shortridge Sounds Warning. to
America Of Evil 'of
! Narcotics, -.
By WALTER vODGES.
CosmopoIltam News Service Stafi
sGMrrAaDOnd0mt.

Il &
CosrmopoIltmm News Service Staff
CorrespOndcnt.
NEW YORK, Jan. 6.-A dramatic
appear 'fDria nationwide assault'upon
the narcotic evil, which il increas-
Ing rapidly, was made here yesterday
by Senator Samuel NJ. ShoFtridge Of
California, before the Chamber OF
Commerce Of New York.
He excoriated the hundreds OF
cheap John" doctors who ere Carry.
ing the drug menace to the youth o.
our nation. -.
81 sound the warning today. he
told the business men and financiers:
II cry aloud to my countrymen ana
crush this mOnstrous evil which
turks in. darkness to ensnare ana
destroy"
Victims, to Be Pitied.
Senator Shoftridge asserted that
enforcement Of the narcotic laws
alone could not throttle the growing
evil. s.
Victims Of the narcotic habit
should not be condemned, but helped.
They are to be pttied.. You know.
the Biblical injunction about casting
the first stone. This applies to the
drug traffic, for the man who casts
stones never knows when this curse
may attack his own sons and laugh
ters. s
1.-THE censorship applied against
motion picture actors who have fall
| en- victims to the nabit seems to me
to, be wrong and likewise cruel. Let
the public. decide.
Irrespective victims Of the mar
cotic evil can be saved by persuasion
rather than by force. Men and Wom-
en- are indfvliualS:' they cannot be
driven IKE cattle. They can be
reached through understanding.
Realize Peril Too Late. j.
ct think plays should be written
and moving picture scenarios por-
traying the deadly effects Of mar
cotics. The men and women. boys
and girls. who. fall victims ito the
evil generally do 80 a. q result Of
mental depression or physical III
ness. Many do not know the full ex-
tent Of the curse las they. take the
first step, Once caught, they realize
II. then Ii Is. too late. Persuade them
by prnpa9anda OF the aWfuIness Of
the evil and they viii not take that
first. step. The drug peddlers will
chussbe fruatrated. ]. think all faith
ers and mothers In the land should
explain the evil to their children
In addition to the address by Sem
ator Sh0rtridge. reports were pre-
4ented on recomme ndations IN Presi-
dent Harding message respecting
thA narcotic dYsllep FRA fffrs
= Senator aShoftridge spoke to the
business men as follows: 4,
Through an international cOnyen.
ton signed by them at The Hague,
january %, 1919, the civilized ma
tt0ns Of thesearth soIemniy agreed to
cooperate In efforts to do aWaywith
the traffic in and use Of narcotics
for other than medicinal purposes.
Tells of Drug LeglslatiOn.
Prior to this international con-
yention our country had passed an
act OF February 8. 1903. Thereafter
we further dealt with this evil by the
act. December II Isl. commonly
known az the Harrison oct, and later
on May 26ss 1922, we amendede the
original act 4of February ., 1900, in
many important particulars. As il
well known, this latter act Greatest
Federal narcotic control board, con.
sisting or the Secretaries .ofi State.
Treasury and Commerce.
Thus and by such rinternationai
engagement Z and domestic enact.
mentss have we undertaken j to SUM-,
press land destroy this awful evil.
What, then, IS to: be urged-what to.
bO'sdone? s~3 s,.. 6
'.ManifestIyf the laws and .reRula.
tons should be vietIantIy enforced. :.
and those charged. with the enforce.
ment OF them SHOULD be ever on the
alert to discover and punish their
ViOIators.
But something. more than en-.
forcement Of law remains for us 70
do. for. no matter how drastic the
Jaw is. mo matter how 5vikilant law.
enforcement officers may be, the
mercenary and odious. affickers in
these deadly drugs will, escape detec-
ton and criminally and WtckedIy
carry on this vile and infamous
traffic. -
Beauty, genius, strength, .charac..
ter all fall early victims before these
insidtous narcotics.
They mean wreck and ruin, decay
They mean .blighted hopes and
blasted careers.
They mean want and poverty
They mean tears and sorrow,
hunger and rags.
They mean all this and more. =.
They mean descent into hell. from
which there is little hope of rescue
or escape"
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