Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-06-25
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.


initiated the international movement
for the control Of the trafnc III opium,
4 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 1903,
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
1 the American delegation to the Inter
national Opium Conference, "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.
sion OF the opium trade, of neglect at
home and charity abroad.
/ In his message to congress the 9TH
er day regarding the opium traffic.
President Taft laid stress upon this
Legislative inaction" when he said:
Il 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 aud has been
generously supported by twelve other
governments in its effort to mitigate,
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 1t is to prevent
the importation into the United States
of the vicious form Of opium used for
smoking. This law was not passed. 1t
is curious to note, until after the as
sembling of the International Opium
Conference. when 1t 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 SGT 100000 The promptness with
4 which congress repealed that privi-
! lege was due, says Commissioner
4 Wright to the fact that ut 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
a housekeeping.
Although several of the individual
states during the last few years have
revised and strengthened !ntrastate
! 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
| 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
CONGRESSES into activity, for by the
| terms OF the treaty entered into at
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 par.
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.
Women and Politics.
Women are taking more and more
interest in politics every day and
the movement is particularly no
ticeable in Washington where no
body, man or woman, has vote.
/ There are purely political movements
in Washington under constant discus
| sion blythe women which have moth
ing TO do with the matter of suffrage
for the sex Republican women are
| taking an interest in the success of
the Republican ticket ami the Demo
/ cratic women are taking an interest
! in the success of the ticket OF their
! party. and thus far the women of both
sides have insisted that the move
ment shall be for the success OF their
parties at the polls and that no at
tempt shall be made on behalf OF any
particular candidate for the nominal
| tons
There was harmony breakfast pro-
noted by the Democratic women here
recently, accounts of which already
| have appeared. There were present
at the breakfast the wives of most
Of the candidates for the party's pres-
idential nomination. Following this
breakfast and perhaps as a sort of a