Evening star., 1923-10-18
PROPOSES REVIVED
WAR ON NARCOTICS
Representative Porter, Back
From Geneva, Urges Sepa-
rate Enforcement Bureau.

Separation OF the narcotics division
from the prohibition unit and Great
ing it into an individual bureau under
the control of the Treasury Depart
ment probably will be-proposed at
the next session of Congress by Rep
resentative Stephen G. Porter of
Pennsylvania, chairman of the House
foreign affairs committee, who has
Just returned from a meeting in
Geneva of the fifth committee of the
fourth assembly of the league of ma
tions. which had under consideration
about a reduction in the production
of opium and other hablt-forming
drugs.
Representative Porter contends that
the enforcement of the narcotic law
is by far more important to the health
and safety of the nation than is the
enforcement of prohibition. and, IN
his opinion, the narcotic enforcement
should not be continued as a small
and less important branch of the pro-
htbition unit.
CnIIs on President.
these views at the White House today
following a long conference with
President Coolidge, during which he
made a formal report of the sessions
of the fifth committee in Geneva,
which he attended as chairman OF a
special committee appointed by the
President to represent the United
States.
The great increase in the number of
drug users in the United states is
alarming, according to Mr.. Porter.
and because of the apparent ease with
which drugs are obtained, he assert
ed that the government should 90
everything within its power to sup
press this unlawful traffic. he Sai1 .iSi
also that he hoped that an effort Will
be made to keep the enforcement or
the narcotic law beyond the bounds
of the tyranny of politics ana t1at
more liberal appropriations viii be
made in the future to permit a stricter
enforcement.
Aims at Production.
Representative Porter does not look
for any great amount of success in sup
pressing this evil until an organized
effort is made on the part OF the
larger nations of the world to bring
about a reduction in the production
of the habit forming drugs. He be
lieves in striking at the source of
the evil If there is to be an ultimate
success.
In making his report to the Pres
ident Mr.. Porter told him that the
principles of the United States re-
garding the reduction of production
and curbing the sale of narcotics
were accepted in good faith by the
representatives of the other nations
present at the Geneva meeting, and
that the committee adopted resolu-
tion calling for the submission of
these principles to a meeting of the
league next summer.
The President today was given
optimistic reports of the agricultural
situation in the northwest by julius
II. Barnes, president of the Chamber
of Commerce of the United States.
Shortly after Mr.. Barnes call, Leon
Shaw, editor of the Billings. Mont,
Gazette, gave the President as
surance of conditions just as favor
able.
Mr. Barnes was accompanied on his
call to the President by A. c. Bed
ford, chairman of the executive COM
rnittee of the chamber.
Distress Due to Crop Failure.
Mr.. Barnes said after the confer
ence that, in his opinion, the recent
distress among the wheat growers
was due more to crop failure rather
than to a break In wheat price.
Col. r. B. Creager, republican ma
tionaI committeeman from Texas,
who has been mentioned prominently
for appointment as ambassador to
Mexico, today urged the President to
appoint Walter Splawn of Texas to a
vacancy now existing on the Inter-
state Commerce Commission.