Norwich bulletin., 1912-12-04

resented, including the United States, and comprehensive plans for the future work of the commission were adopted
 At the next meeting, fixed for June, 1 1914, committees already appointed are
 instructed to report regarding topics assigned to them.
 Opium Conference-Urfcrtun Fall
 ure of Our Government to Enact Rec commended Legislation.
 In my message on foreign relations communicated to the two houses of
 congress Dec. z, 1911, called special
 attention to the assembling of the
 opium conference at The Hague, to the fact that that conference was to review all pertinent municipal laws relating to | the opium and allied evils and certain l Iy all international rules regarding these evils, and to the fact that it seemed to me most essential that the congress | should take immediate action on the anti-narcctic legislation before the con gress, to which I had previously called
 attention by a special message.
 The international convention adopt. l ed by the conference conforms almost
 entirely to the principles contained in | the proposed anti-narcotic legislation which has been before the last two | congresses. It was most unfortunate | that this government, having taken the initiative in the International ac- | ton which eventuated in the impor- tant international opium conv% tiOn. failed to do it's share in the great work
 by neg1ecting to pass the necessary | legislation to correct the deplorable narcotic evil in the United States as
 we'll as to redeem international pledges
 upon which it entered by virtue of the above mentioned convention.
 | The congress at it's present session should enact into law those bills now
 before it which have been so carefully l drawn up in collaboration between the department of state and the other ex-
 ecutive departments and which have behind them not only the moral senti-
 ment of the country, but the practical
 support of all the legitimate trade in- terests likely to be affected. Since the
 international convention was signed | adherence to 1t has been made by sev- 1 eral European states not represented | at the conference of The Hague and 1 also by seventeen Latin-American re-
 publics.
 Europe and the Near East. | The war between Italy and Turkey i came to close in October last by the 1 signature of a treaty of peace. subse-
 uuently to which the Ottoman empire
 renounced sovereignty over Cyrenaica and Tripolitania in favor of Italy.
 During the past year the near east has
 unfortunately been the theater of con-
 stant hostilities. Almost simultaneous 1 ly with the conclusion of peace be- tween Italy and Turkey and their ar
 rival at an adjustment of the complex | questions at issue between them, war
 broke out between Turkey on the one hand and Bulgaria, Greece. Montene- gro and Serva on the other.
 | The United States has happily been
 involved neither directly nor indirectly
 with the causes or questions incident | to any of these hostilities and has
 maintained in regard to them an atti-
 tude of absolute neutrality and of com
 plete political disinterestedness. In the
 second war in which the Ottoman en- pire has been engaged the loss of life and the consequent distress on both
 sides have been appalling, and the | United States has found occasion in
 the interest of humanity to carry out the charitable desires of the American l people to extend a measure of relief to 1 the sufferers on either side through the
 impartial medium of the Red Cross Beyond this the chief care of the gov 1 ernment of the United States has been | to make due provision for the protec- | tion of it's nationals resident in bellig erent territory.
 1 In the exercise of my duty in this l matter 1 have dispatched to Turkish
 waters a special service squadron, con-
 sisting of two armored cruisers in or.
 der that this government may if need
 be bear it's part in such measures as it
 may be necessary for the interested
 nations to adopt for the safeguarding
 of foreign lives and property in the
 Ottoman empire in the event that a dangerous situation should develop. | In the meanwhile the several inter- ested European powers have promised | to extend to American citizens the ben
 eft of such precautionary or protective
 measures as they might adopt in the
 same manner in which it has been the
 practice of this government to extend | its protection to all foreigners resident
 In those countries of the western hemi- 1 sphere in which it has from time to time been the task of the United States
 to act in the interest of peace and good | order
 The early appearance of large fleet of European warships in the Bosporus
 apparently assured the protection Of
 foreigners in that quarter, where the
 presence of the American stationnaire
 the U, S. S. Scorpion sufficed, under
 the circumstances, to represent the l United States. Our cruisers were thus
 left free to act if need be along the
 Mediterranean coasts should any unex-
 pected contingency arise affecting the
 numerous American interests in the
 neighborfood of Smyrna and Beirut 1 Spitzbergen.
 The great preponderance of Ameri.
 can material interests in the subarctic
 island of Spitzbergen, which has al-
 ways been regarded politically as mo
 mans land" impels this government
 to continued and lively interest in
 the international dispositions to be
 made for the political governance and l admiri ctrafi0U of that raoinp ThA