Show PRESIDENT GETS OPIUM REPORT Drug Can Be Sold in the Philippines I but Natives Not Allowed to Use It FOlLOWS SPA SPANISH LAW FIGHT MADE BY CHRISTIAN ELEMENT ENT WashIngton March president today sent to congress the report of the opium commission appoInted in 1904 to investigate the use of opium in the Philippines and to suggest means for its regulation The report itself in out outline line haa already been pu published but in view of the earnest efforts of Christian clergymen and reformatory socIeties to I stop the traffic in opium in the Philip Philippines vines pines and after developments since the publication of the report the following letter from Secretary Taft which ac accompanies accompanies companies the pr presidents message to congress may be bf of interest p Washington March 9 1906 My Dear have the honor to enclose herewith for transmIssion sion to congress the report of the corn com e appoInted by the PhilippIne commissIon to investigate the use of opIum and the traffic therein and aid the rules ordinances and laws regulating such use and traffic in Japan Formosa Shanghai Saigon Singa Singapore Singapore pore Burmah Java and aid the PhilIppIne Spanish Law in the Philippines The law in force in the Philippine is islands lands ands under the government of SpaIn made It unlawful for any Filipino to smoke or use opium in any way It pErmitted however a license to Issue for the maintaining of opium smoking resorts to be patronized only by the Chinese and police supervIsion was ex exer er over the resorts and any Fill FiU pino found there was arrested and pun puni i hed The owner of the resort was also punished for connivIng at the Filipinos of the law It Is generally thought that the law was vas fairly well enforced and that the spread of the use of the drug among the Filipinos was much retarded by its enforcement Un UndEr Under dEr the law the right to sell opium for smoking and other purposes was farmed out in the various provinces to toa toa a wholesale dealer who purchased the privilege at a public auction When the AmerIcan tr entered Manila and took possession of the islands the Spanish opium law was not continued in force foree A dut duty was Imposed on opium i and towns were enjoIned to pass ordinances nances es forbidding the establishment of opium dives Such information as the could obtain Indicated that the suspension of the Spanish law had lp lel to an of the ure uee of the drug among FilipInos Resorts Were Abolished Early in 1903 there was introduced in inthe th the Philippine commission for enact ent into law a bill following in some the Spanish law especially in hc main feature that the sale of opium and its use by them was r If absolutely prohibited and made a penal Tense It abolished licensed opium smoking resorts and provided that no opIum could be 5 Sold to anyone any one to be smoked upon the premises It con tamed taitu d the feature of farming out the right to sell opium to Chinese persons 21 1 years ears of age The bill bilI was wac advertised for three months and when it came before the Committee In open session it was dis discussed cussed by members of the pu public lIc with great vIgor It was very ery vigorously op opposed opposed posed by the clergymen ot of the cIty of Manila Indeed so strong was their i objection It lead the committee to table the bill and appoint a committee con consisting consisting or of Major Carter Surgeon U S SA SA A chIef sanitary officer of the islands Dr Jose Albert a a prominent FilIpino physician ot of Manila and aid the Bt Rev I ICharles Charles H Brent EpIscopal bishop of 1 the Philippines who were authorized to visit the various oriental countries to Investigate the measures taken by bythe bythe the different governments for the pur purpose purpose pose ot of suppressing the use of opIum This committee made its report to the Philippine committee in June 1904 The report was not the Phil PhilIppine committee to ta this department until last August The time sInce then has been taken in printing of it and the correction of and other errors contained In It Department Gets Report An Informal copy of the opium report brought by Bi Bishop hop Brent to the depart department department ment a year ago and the result of its I contents and conclusions were trans transmitted transmitted to the committee of the house and senate when they were considering the the duty to be imposed upon opium In n ft bill providing for a on goods Imported into the Phil Philippines PhilIppines The result was the opinion of the committee Opium A crude N W kilo 4 B the same manufactured or pre prepared prepared pared for the smoking or other pur purposes purposes poses N W kilo 5 provided how however however ever that the Philippine commIssion or any subsequent Philippine legislature shall have the power to enact legIsla legIslation legislation tion to prohibIt absolutely importation or sale of opium or to limit or restrict its importation and sale or adopt such other measures as maybe may be required for forthe forthe the suppression of the evils resulting from the sale and use of the drug and provided further that after March I 1 1908 it shall be unlawful to import Into the Islands opium pium In whatever form except by the govern government men ment and for medicinal purposes only md and at no time shall it be lawful to sell opi opium m to any native Filipino in inthe Inthe the islands except for medical pur purposeS poseS Doses An act entitled An act to revise and amend the laws of the Philippine Islands and for tor other purposes ap approved approved proved March 3 1905 Opium Bill Pending There is now pending before the Phil PhilippIne Philippine committee for public discussion a bill providing for the suppression of opium smoking which penalizes the sale of opium to Filipinos or its use by them second it prohibIts the sale of opium to any Chinaman unless he be registered as an habitual user of the i drug License taxes are imposed on wholesale and retailer dealers who are ar subject to close regulation and scrutiny scrutiny tiny The text of the bill has not been received but only a cable summary This bill if it becomes a law will by reason of the congressional restriction above set out cease cease to have effect until April 1908 1903 and at th that t time an im importation Importation of opium into the Islands will cease except for medicinal purposes and the importation for that purpose will wili be made by the government only The Interval of two years before the absolute prohibition applies is made in i accordance with the successful policy followed In Formosa by the Japanese who dId not put Into operation the pro prohIbition until after three years of preparation durIng which licenses were Imposed and a registered list of habit habitual habitual ual users was required The proposal license bill follows exactly the recommendation recommendation of the investigating commit committee tee but if it passes it will affect the same purpose in a somewhat dIfferent way Bill Was Passed A supplement to the let letter letter ter is contained in a cablegram received from the tho governor general of the P il islands at Manila indicating that the pUblIc dIscussion on the pro proposed proposed posed opIum bill has been finished and that the bill was passed There was little opposition except from clergy clergymen clergymen men who favored government monopoly monopoly oly but in view of the short time before the total prohibItion was not strenuous strenuous ous in its advocacy It was felt by the commission it is announced in the re report report port that the establishment of govern government government ment monopoly with the necessary forces of was Impracticable in view of the act In the importation Importation tation and use of tile the opium was Vas to be prohibited after about two years under the act of congress approved March 3 1905 The bill bIlI in its general terms provides for the abolition of the opium traffic in accordance with the provisIons of thIs act of congress which prohibits the importation of opium In whatever form after March 1 except by the I government and for medIcinal pur purposes purposes poses only and makes it unlawful at I any time to sell opium oDium to any native 1 of the Philippine islands except for I medicinal purposes The commissions i proposed high makes it un unlawful I lawful to sell opium to any of I Ithe the Philippines except t for medicInal purposes and the provisions as to li ii license cense cease shall apply only to the ChInese and only those of the Chinese who are arenow arenow now habitual users of the drug it penalizes any use of opium unless pre prescrIbed prescribed scrIbed by a physician by any except registered habitual users among the Chinese who are required to pay a li II license cense of five fhe pesos and who must use the drug in their own residences au authorizes authorizes use by hospitals and physicians clans and sale b by pharmacist on physIcians clans prescription penalizes posses possessIon possession sIon except by authorized persons pro provides provides vides machInery regulating wholesale and retail dealers regulates sales als and records sUbstantially as with liquors in internal revenue law requires license and bond for wholesale dealers and Imposes a high license on w and retail dealers The bill provides that revenues re received received from this source are to be used In disseminating information concern concerning concern lug ing the evils of opium using payment of hospital expenses of habitual users desIring cure payment of the expense of Filipino students in the United States salaries of Filipino teachers in inthe i the islands and the construction of school buildings |