CO129-396 - Public Offices - 1912 — Page 243

240

4

THE OPIUM EVIL.

solved, the convention so limits and safeguards the manufacture of and national and international traffic in these drugs as to make possi- ble to a great degree the stamping out of their illicit use.

It is a source of deep satisfaction that this Government has taken such a prominent part toward the accomplishment of these great international reforms.

While this Government has been so actively engaged internationally in attempting to solve the problem of successfully coping with the traffic in and illicit use of habit-forming drugs, nationally it has advanced not one step since the enactment, in February, 1909, at the moment of the meeting of the Shanghai Commission of the "Act to prohibit the importation and use of opium for other than medicinal purposes." That this legislative inaction has not passed unnoticed abroad is made clear by the following from the accompanying report:

There is no doubt that during the sittings of the International Opium Conference at The Hague the American delegation was placed in a somewhat embarrassing position owing to the neglect of the Congress to pass legislation which had been urged upon it by the Executive, aiming to perfect the opium-exclusion act of February, 1909, and to bring under efficient control the export and interstate commerce in opium and other habit-forming drugs. Both formally and informally, it was pointed out to the Ameri- can delegates at that conference that the other nations could have little hope for a final suppression of opium and allied evils by international action so long as the United States, which had initiated the movement, failed to adopt the standard of national control in vogue in several European nations and in Japan.

In view of the foregoing reasons I have the honor to recommend that the accompanying report be transmitted to the Congress, for its information; and that, as the Department of State has made a thor- ough investigation of the conditions in regard to the abuse of opium and habit-forming drugs in the United States and its possessions, and as the bills drafted to correct these conditions have been carefully revised and perfected in the light of the International Opium Con- vention, you will again urge upon Congress their speedy considera- tion. If not so considered the American Government may be justly accused of being half-hearted in its effort to mitigate or suppress the opium and allied evils, an effort in which it has had the earnest cooper- ation of the chief powers of Europe and Asia.

Respectfully submitted.

P. (. Kxox.

INTERNATIONAL OPIUM CONFERENCE.

[Proposed by the United States Government Sept. 1, 1909. Assembled by the Government of the Netherlands Dec. 1, 1911. Held at The Ilague from Dec. 1, 1911, to Jan. 23, 1912.)

INSTRUCTIONS TO AND REPORTS FROM THE DELEGATES OF THE UNITED STATES.

The Hon. PHILANDER C. Knox,

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, May 15, 1912.

Secretary of State.

SIR: The following report, made on behalf of the American dele- gates to the International Opium Conference held at The Hague from December 1, 1911, to January 23, 1912, is in continuation of a report of January 1, 1910, made to you on behalf of the American delegates

THE OPIUM EVIL.

5

to the International Opium Commission, which met at Shanghai in February, 1909. (S. Doc. No. 377, 61st Cong., 2d sess.)

That report, in addition to dealing with the proceedings, reports and conclusions of the International Opium Commission, contained a wide range of data, embracing treaties affecting citizens of the United States in regard to the opium traffic, contracted between the United States and China, Siam, and the former independent State of Korea; statutes respecting Americans engaged in the foreign opium traffic; tariff, internal-revenue, and other statutes covering the trade in opium in the United States and its possessions; the opium problem as seen in the Philippines; the opium, morphine, and cocaine vices as they had developed and were then seen in the continental United States, and a review of the effect of treaties, tariff, internal-revenue, and other Federal laws upon the importation into the United States and the abuse therein of opium, morphine, and cocaine.

After reviewing the work of the International Opium commission and the results attained, it was pointed out that although no official action was taken by the commission for continued international action to solve the problems which it had studied and the vices which it had condemned, it was, nevertheless, generally expected by the commissioners that the United States Government would proceed to arrange for an international conference composed of delegates, with full powers, to conventionalize the conclusions of the commission and the corollaries derived therefrom, with the object of giving them the force of law and international agreement. For the investigation of the international and national aspects of the opium evil an appropriation of $20,000 was made by the Congress by the act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909. ↑ That part of the act pertinent to the subject is as follows:

[H. R. 21260.-Public, No. 141.)

AN ACT Making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums be, and the same are hereby, appro- priated, for the objects hereinunder expressed, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, namely:

International investigation of opium evil.--To enable the President to appoint not more than three commissioners to collate and complete on behalf of the United States information bearing on the opium question, and a secretary, who shall act as disbursing officer, and for traveling expenses, stationery, printing, and other incidental expenses connected with the investigation, and the meeting of the commissioners for the purpose of finding common ground for joint and several recommendations and reports to their respective Governments with a view to the suppression of the opium evil, $20,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary.

Through the strict economy of the American commissioners to the International Opium Commission, some $5,000 of this appropria- tion remained in hand after the adjournment of the commission. By your direction it was applied to the continuation of the work arising out of the commission, and until such time as the Congress should make a further appropriation to enable the Government to carry to a logical conclusion the task which it had undertaken.

In transmitting this report to the President, you recommended that the Congress be asked to appropriate the sum of $25,000, or so much thereof as might be necessary, so as to enable this Government to con-