Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-06-27
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 30 Passed.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

H.HTH ~ ~ ..L
BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-Although this countr!
initiated the international movemen
for 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 tn,
single exception Of the act Of 1909
which by no mea strikes at the
heart Of the problem. congress SO fal
has failed to consider the necessary
remedial measures, and today, In thu
words Of Hamilton Wright, member o.
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 a 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 9th
er day regarding the opium trafic
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 I now endorse the view al
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
governments in its effort to mitigate,
II not entirely suppress, the worlds
opium evil
Passed Law to Save Our Face.
The one anti-opium law which 10
now on the federal statute books 10
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
semhling of the International Opium
Conference, when 1t was discovered
that aver since 1860 this kind of orium
had been legally imported into the
United States and that 1t had yielded
In annual revenues the enormous sum
of 100000. The promptness With
which congress repealed that privi-
lege was due. says Commissioner
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 i~ntrastate
legislation aimed to conflne 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 gem
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 a tax upon and regu.
lates the production, manufacture, and
distribution of various habit forming
drugs; and the third bill aims to
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
20 last at The Hague will stimulate
congress- 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 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.
Gives Relics Of First President.
In the United States navy there ia
a pay director who is a great-great.
granddaughter of George Washington.
His name is r. T. Mason Ball and his
home is in Baltimore. There are 9th.
er collateral descendants Of George
washington living in the country
round about Washington. Pay Director
BAH has four sisters.
The Ball family through the naval
onicer has Just presented the National
museum o. the capital with many me.
MORALS Of the Washington family.
some Of them having been owned di.