Friday, October 18, 2019

Boys 8 to 14 May Not Smoke, Why Won't Police Enforce Law? Asks Roy Wilkerson, Oct. 18, 1919

Editorial from The Daily Times, Wilson, N.C., Oct. 18, 1919

Is The Police Force in Wilson Asleep?

By J. Roy Wilkerson, Assistant Welfare Officer

About six weeks ago it was my pleasure to become connected with and hence interested in the Welfare Work of Wilson and Wilson county. One of the first duties which confronted me in this work was that of boys from 8 to 14 years of age smoking cigarettes. The principals of the schools reported that every day it was necessary to take away cigarettes from boys of these ages, and with this as a background I began a campaign on the boy cigarette smokers of this town. The first thing to do, of course, to help eradicate the evil was to strike at the root of it; namely, get the persons who are selling cigarettes contrary to law to these boys. This was done and as a result the school fund was increased some by fines imposed by Mayor Hill.

But yet the evil of boys smoking goes on. So the next step after getting the cigarette dealers informed as to the law is to get the boy in person and see if there is not some way in which he can be helped. And here is where our efficient police force of Wilson comes in.

The cigarette law as amended by the legislature of 1905 specifies that it shall be the duty of every police officer in the State of North Carolina upon knowledge or information that any minor under the age of 17 years is or has been smoking any cigarette to inquire of any such minor the names of the person or persons who sold and gave such cigarette or aided and abetted any person or persons in giving or selling any cigarettes, or the substance from which such cigarettes were made, to such minor as are forbidden by this section and the fore-going section of the Revisal of 1905; upon receiving this information from any such minor, the said officer shall forthwith cause a warrant to be issued for any person or persons giving or selling or aiding or abetting any person giving or selling any cigarette or substance out of which such cigarettes were made, and have all such persons dealt with as the law directs. Any such minor who shall refuse or fail to give to any such officer, upon inquiring, the names of all persons selling or giving him such cigarettes or substance out of which same was made, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

And so about a week ago I furnished the police force of this town with a list of veteran boy smokers, giving their exact name, residence, age, and parent’s name, telling them at the same time I stood in readiness to prove that all these boys used cigarettes. And up to the present time I have not heard anything from them. Are they waiting for the spirit to move them before they take some action, or until the weather becomes cooler? Did they take it for granted that I turned in this list of names just for the fun of it, or because there was nothing else to do?

No, I turned it in because I wanted action and they surely have had time enough to act in some way instead of laying the list aside and entirely forgetting and neglecting a duty which they are employed to do.

Something must be done and done quickly. Backed by the very mothers of the boys who use cigarettes, we are going to reduce this evil to a much lower standard than it now is. This may seem that we are going to impose a few hardships upon the fathers and mothers of these boys, but if we do this cannot be helped. And if the officers of the law are careless and negligent in their assistance, it might be well to inform them that they are still working for the public and that the public is going to demand just returns for their salaries.

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