Evening star., 1924-10-06
UNCLE SAM LEADS
IN WAR ON OPIUM
Working With League of Ma.
tions for Suppression of
Drug Traffic.
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER,
Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicas =
Daily News.

correspondence OF ne SIar ana tne CnlcdS0
Daily News.
PARIS. France, August 4-Few
Americans realize that probably there
Is no country in the world that has
greater interest than their own,
morally. historically and practically
in the suppression of the drug evil
Historically. desiring TO protect
Americans against this evil and real
izing htat this end could be achieved
only by international co-operation
against the smuggling of narcotics,
Inc United States took the initiative
IN bringing together the nations con-
ccrned for the discussion of common
measures of control. The United
states does not cultivate either the
opium poppy or the coca-leaf bush,
but Americans are perhaps the larg-
est manufacturers of those coca and
opium medical products the abuse of
which is so frequent and so deplor
able. Moreover, in the United States
inc number of drug addctS is con-
serNatively estimated at 100000
enough to populate d city.-and the
prevention of contraband opium in
the Philippines is perennial prob
lem.
As cooperation with other nations
for humanitarian ends has always
been an American policy, it is
scarcely surprising that the United
States Government should be fully
and officially represented on the ad
NiSory committee which. under the
auspices of the League of Nations, is
meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. for
the purpose of drafting the program
OF the great narcotics conference TO
be held in Geneva next November.
American Clippers in Opium Trade.
To this conference it is expected
the United States will send a fun
delegation. That does not mean that
The United States is about to join
he League of Nations. 1t does mean.
however that the new American pol
icy of active and unprejudiced CO.
operation with the league in all mat
ters that really concern the United
States is being carried into effect.
The American Governments repre-
sentative on the interna tional advs-
CRY committee is Edwin l.. Neville. a
foreign service official who served
for many years in the Far East and
who is thoroughly familiar with con-
ditions there.
Tho formal contact Of the United
States with the opium traffic dates
back TO the Gays of the old American
merchant marine. The Yankee clip
per ship could outSail anything else
afloat, and men who sailed those fa-
IhcuS IIb u on illt seas OIL Inc "DIlu
were. as a rule. ready for any lucra-
tive cnterpricc. no matter how dan
EcrouS.
At that time opium was about the
most profitable article Of trade in the
Orient. China, druEged almost to
stupefaction. was struggling to pre-
vent both the production and the i'm
portation Of opium. By imperial. edCt
the smuggling OF it was made pun
ishable by death. But among the
Chinese the opium-smoki habit.
then, as now, Was deep rooted and
widespread, and quick fortunes were
to be made in contraba English
merchants, who controlled the Indian
opium market, particularly appreci-
ated and would charter by preference
American clippers, whose speed and
the daring of whose captains adapted
them we'll to the exciting work of
bootlegging opium UP and down the
China coast
The dumping of 10000 cases of
British opium into the waters of Can
ton Harbor by Chinese officials, and
an imperial cdict forbidding trade
thenceforth with the British. precipi-
tated the So-called opium war OF
1S40-1S43. China. defeated. was
forced to cede Hongkong to Great
Britain, to pay an indemnity OF $2l.
900, 900, and to accord British COM
merce special facilities in certain
ports. Other powers. including the
United States: desired to enjoy the
same facilities and Immediately made
treaties with China. 1t was in the
American Chinese commercial treaty
of 1874 that the United States Govern
ment took its first definite stand
against the opium traffic. In this
treaty it waived eXtraterritorial
rights over Americans caught snug
Cling. thus delivering them over mer-
cileSsly to Chinese justice and the
death sentence. / do not know that
any American smugglerS were ac-
tualy caught and executed. but at
least Americas intentions were good.
American commercial treaties with
Japan and Siam definitely classed
opium as contraband and in 1880 the
United States forbade Americans to
engage in the opium trade in any
form.