Evening star., 1936-03-11
HOUSE COMMITTEE.
VOTES TO REPORT
NEW LUNACY BILL
Praise ShoWered on Pretty
man in Last Appearance
Before Group.
RESOLUTION ADOPTED
THANKING HIM FOR AID
Measure Favored Authorizing
Printing of Testimony at
Red Rider" Quiz.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

III JhNAG0 IL
The House District Committee today
showered praise on E. Barrett Pretty
man during his final appearance be-
fore 1t as corporation counsel, and
then, at his request, favorably reported
q bill designed to set up a complete
new procedure for handling lunacy
cases.
Prettyman is to retire from public
life at the end of the week to engage
IN private law practice.
Unanimously, the committee adopted
q resolution lauding him Tor his Serv-
tees as corporation counsel. Individual
members added words of praise
Blushing, Prettynan tried to respond
but admitted it was impossible for him
to find words to express his apprecia-
ton.
Commission Would Be Created.
Prettyman appealed for action or
the lunacy bill, so the present pro-
cedure of committing the insane would
be freed from the stigma Of the dark
ages" The measure would create a
special commission of physicians ano
q lawyer to handle lunacy cases, in
stead of the court.
"I don't have words to condemn the
present system" Prettyman declared
at has been left over from the dark
ages. At present lunacy case is han
died like a criminal case. There Is q
public trial by jury. Every year be-
tween $50 and 700 persons have to &c
through that procedure before crowd
Of morbid curiosity seekers, who go tc
the court to witness the performance.
Prettyman pointed out that the bill
would throw every conceivable safe
guard around persons who might be-
come involved in lunacy proceedings
and that they would be spared "the
public spectacle left over from the
days when humans were thrown to
the lions for a Roman holiday"
Attended Lunacy Trial.
A. Philip Kane, chairman of COM
Ynittee of the District Bar Association
which studied the bill, indorsed it or
behalf of the organization. The meas
ure also has been approved by the
District Medical Society and the Fed
Grafton Of Citizens Associations.
Chairman Norton of the District
Committee said she and Represent
ative Palmisano, chairman of the
Judiciary Subcommittee. visited Dis.
trict Supreme Court last Friday to wit
ness a lunacy trial.
What Mr.. Prettyman said about
the barbarous situation is true" she
declared. II am amazed that some
thing was not done years ago to cor
rect that situation"
Mrs. Norton led in heaping praise
on Prettyman before introducing the
resolution.
Regret His Resignation.
"I regret Mr.. Prettynan has found
It necessary to resign" she said. I'VE
will lose not only a very fine corpora
ticn counsel, but a real friend. We
have learned to depend on him abso-
lutely. We could trust his judgment.
"I felt we had a real friend at
court and in this committee we need
q real friend. I don't know who his
successor will be, but do know that
no man will be able to give any better
service than he has given this COM
mittee."
Representative Brewster, Republic
an, of Maine said it had been refresh
ang to him to know Prettyman. SINH
lar individual tributes came from Rep
resentatives Carpenter of Kansas,
Quinn of Pennsylvania and Nichols of
Oklahoma, all Democrats.
The resolution expressed regret at
the loss of lone of the most able cor
poration counsels the District of Co.
lumbia has had" and voiced appre-
citation for "his remarkable work and
cooperation with the committee and
for the splendid success he has made
of his Office"
The committee also ordered IA
Vorable report on a bill authorizing the
Board of Optometry to give a special
examination for license to Walton B
Hutton, and authorized printing OF
testimony at the recent hearings con-
Quoted by the Education Subcommittee
on the so-called red rider" The COM
mittee, however, directed that any
testimony taken from the record Of the
hearings before the Subcommittee on
Appropriations which framed the 1881
appropriation bill be excluded from
the report.