The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-06-19
TAGGING
Behind '0thef Nations IN Re-
strlction of Opium.
isRIN ANOMALOUS POSITION
Nnltlated Movement for Control Of the
Traffic and Has Neglected to
! Adoptsthe Necessary Remedial
Mtasures-Lawo Urged
to Be Passed.
1y GEORGE CLINTON.


Observation-Disclosures this country
initiated the international movement
tor the control of the traffic in opium,
the United States Is today the one ma
ton whichth has not been vitality affect
cd by the movement. For. with the
single exception of the act Of 1909.
which by no means strikes at the
heart Of the problem, congress so far
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 a clear case,
say those who are urging tho suppress
sion Of tho opium trade, Of neglect at
home and charity abroad.
In his message to congress the 9th.
or day regarding the opium traffic,
President Taft laid stress upon this
Legislative 1naction" when he said:
Il have. several times called the at,
tention Of congress to the necessity
for helpassage of the proposed meas
ures, and I now endorse the view OF
: the secretary of state that congress
should promptly pass these measures,
moro especially because this govern
ment took the initiative and has been
generously supported by twelve other
governments in It's effort to mitigate,
If not entirely suppress, tho 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 Eote, 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 1T had yielded
In annual revenues the enormous sum
Of $27,00Q000. The promptness with
which congress repealed that priv.
lege was due, says Commissioner
Wright to the, fact that 1T would
be quite impossible for the American
commissioners4to appearlat the shans.
hal conference until the federal gov
eminent had taken, someasteps toward
a housekeeping" - - *0@-
Although several Of the individual
states during the last few years have
revised and strengthened intrastate
legislation aimed ito conf1ne narcotics
to legitimate usesjyet the federal gov.
eminent has ,done{nothing. There have
been urged upon, congress, however,
three bills, each 1of which strikes at
some important Iphase Of the opium
traffic and all ofswhich have the gen.
eral approval of 1.-THE pharmacy boards
Of tho difterenttastates Of the Union
which are charged with the enforce.
naent, under the pddice power Of the
states, of tho 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,
uonal opium convention on January
% last at The Hague will stimulate
CONGRESSES into activity, for by the
terms OF the treaty entered Into at
that time by twelve worh powers. It
is ordered that the laws suggested n
the convention shall be proposed bv
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,
The problems which arise IN con.
nection with the question Of suppress.
Ing or controlling the opium traffic Of
the world are many and serious. The
underlying principle upon which the
convention and the legislation which
will probably follow its ratification
are based Is. briefly, that opium. NOR.
prime and cocaine, and their resnec.
tive salts, must be sold under the
most severe restrictions, and, further.
more, that successfully to impose
such restrictions all the nations Of the
world must act together. Of Ina