The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1912-06-20
UNCLE SAM TAGGING
Behind Other Nations in Re-
striction of Opium.
IS IN ANOMALOUS POSITION
initiated Movement for Control Of the
Traffic and Has Neglected to
Adopt the Necessary Remedial
Measures-Laws Urged
to Be Passed.
By GEORGE CLINTON.


Washington. Although this country
initiated the international movement
Tor the control of the traffic in opium,
the United States is today the one ma
ton which has not been vitality affect
ed by the movement For. with the
single exception of the act OF 1919,
which by no means strikes at the
heart of the problem, congress so lar
has failed to consider the necessary
remedial measures, and today, in the
words of Hamilton Wright, member OF
the American delegation to the Inter
national Opium Conference, 1.-The Unit
ed States Is in the position, after hav-
ing received the cordial cooperation
Of twelve powers, of being far behind
In the movement" 1t is clear case,
say those who are urging the suppress
sion of the opium trade, of neglect al
home and charity abroad.
In his message to congress the oth-
er day regarding the opium traffic,
President Taft laid stress upon this
Legislative inaction" when he said:
II have several times called the at
tention of congress to the necessity
for the passage of the proposed meas
ures, and | now endorse the view OF
the secretary of state that congress
should promptly pass these measures
more especially because this govern
ment took the initiative and has been
generously supported by twelve other
on IN, &c 70 NIT
If not entirely suppress, the worlds
opium evil"
Passed Law to Save Our Face.
The one anti-opium law which Is
now on the federal statute books is
the so-called "opium-exclusion act" Of
1909, whose purpose it is to prevent
the importation into the United States
Of the vicious form of opium used for
smoking. This law was not passed, It
is curious to note, until after the as
sembling of the International Opium
Conference. when it was discovered
that ever since 1860 this kind of opium
had been legally imported into the
United States and that it had yielded
In annual revenues the enormous sum
of $27,000,000. The promptness With
which congress repealed that privi-
| lege was due, says Commissioners
Wright to the fact that lit would
be quite impossible for the American
commissioners to appear at the Shang-
hal conference until the federal gov
eminent had taken some steps toward
housekeeping.
Although several of the individual
states during the last few years have
revised and strengthened interstate
! legislation aimed to confine narcotics
to legitimate uses, yet the federal gov
eminent has done nothing. There have
been urged upon congress, however,
three bills. each of which strikes at
some important phase of the opium
traffic and all of which have the gen
eral approval of the pharmacy boards
Of the different states of the Union
which are charged with the enforce
ment, under the police power OF the
states, of the state acts for the regu.
lation Of the sale of narcotics.
Three Bills Urged.
! The first of these bills calls for an
amendment to the act of 1890, regu-
lating the manufacture Of smoking
opium within the United States: the
second imposes tax upon and regu-
lates the production, manufacture. and
distribution Of various habit forming
drugs; and the third bill aims to regu
late the practice of pharmacy and the
sale of poisons in the consular dis.
tricts Of the United States in China
The opinion is expressed In Washing
| ton that the signing of the interna.
tional opium convention on January
% last at The Hague will stimulate
congress- into activity, for by the
terms of the treaty entered into al
that time by twelve world powers. II
Is ordered that the laws suggested In
the convention shall be proposed by
the several governments to their mar
liaments or legislative bodies within
the period of six months. Mr.. Taft
therefore, In sending his message to
congress on May 81, was ahead OF
time by about seven weeks, so that
technically at least, this country has
+ kept to the agreement.
Gives Relics Of First President.
In the United States navy there ia
pay director who is a great.great-
grand-nephew of George Washington.
HIS name is r. T. Mason Ball and his
nome Is in Baltimore. There are 9TH
er collateral descendants OF George
washington living in the country
round about Washington. Pay Director
Ball has four sisters.
The Ball family through the naval
ofilcer has just presented the National
museum OF the capital with many me.
MORALS OF the Washington family,
some OF them having been owned di.
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