Poppy Talk

Dissentior, altercation, prevarication, ire and other manifestations of temper uncontrolled were the order of several days' poppy talk in the halls of the League of Nations at Geneva, where some Nations of the world continued their long conference on the opium question (TIME, Dec. 22).

The nations that were most interested in the opium subject were the U. S., Britain, France, the Netherlands. The reason for this is not remote; the U. S. has the Philippines, Britain has India, France has large interests in the Orient, the Netherlands administer an empire in the East Indies. In all these countries, the opium evil is felt to a great extent, and a sincere desire is felt in common for a satisfactory eradication of one of the world's greatest scourges; but differences of opinion arose on the means by which a scotching of opium production is to be realized. These differences were capitalized by the U. S. delegation (headed by Representative Ctephen G. Porter) and the British delegation (generaled by Lord Cecil of Chelwood, who recently received the Wilson plaque for his good work in promoting peace). France and the Netherlands, both being confronted by common difficulties, ranged themselves behind Britain, Mr. Porter, joined by the Irish Free State, conducted a desperate fight.

The U. S. proposal for ending the opium trade is contained in two seemingly simple proposals:

1) To control production of opium by forbidding the cultivation of the deadly poppy, except for medicinal and scientific usage.

2) To suppress progressively within ten years the opium-smoking habit by decreasing proportionately the importations of the drug. After the tenth year, importation and production, except for medicinal and scientific needs, are to be entirely prohibited.

Lord Cecil's comment (subsequently indorsed by France-- and the Netherlands) on the U. S. plan was, in effect, "Impossible! The time's much too short." Briefly, the noble lord wanted 15 years in which to suppress opium smoking, but he did not want that period to begin "until a date on which the effective execution of measures taken 'by China to suppress the growth of the opium poppy has reached such a stage as to remove the danger of opium smuggling from China into those territories."

He further suggested that a commission appointed by the League should decide when the danger of opium smuggling in China is passed; for, in his lordships opinion, it was useless to deal in half measures-all production in the drug was to cease immediately. It would then be possible for a 15-year period of gradual suppression of opium production to begin.

So far, so good; but his lordship allowed his irritation to rule his Salisbury head. He accused the U. S. of using more opium and narcotic drugs than the people of India, whose sacred rights he was also representing.-- Such absurd charges all but broke up the conference. Mr. Porter took the earliest opportunity of rising to confront Lord Cecil with his black slander on the U. S. A situation had undoubtedly been created that called for diplomatic handling. Mr. Porter was anything but suave, he fell in Lord Cecil's error, replied angrily that the charge was a false and vile slander. Once Lord Cecil arose to withdraw his statement, but Mr. Porter would not yield the floor. Said he: "You can reply later." He went on to defend the U. S., quoted figure after figure, and ended with a transposition of James Russell Lowell's famed phrase: "Let us put Right on the throne and Wrong on the scaffold!"

Lord Cecil rose immediately, apologized : "I accept absolutely Mr. Porter's figures and regret I have been misled." But inwardly he was furious, was constrained from departing then and there to England.

Mr. Porter arose once more, made a concession; said that the U. S. would agree to a 15-year period for the elimination of the opium scourge, would permit individual Governments to carry out the terms of the proposal; but he would not agree to wait until China had suppressed her opium production to an extent that would remove the smuggling danger. Upon that rock, the conference bumped its battered bows.

After two more days of storm and stress it was agreed to refer the U. S. plan to a committee of eight (suggested by Finland's representative), composed of the U. S., Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, Italy, Persia, Poland.

Lord Cecil calmly commented: "At Geneva there is a spirit of agreement without victory."

*France's proposal differed in that she was willing to permit China two years in which to grapple effectively with the opium problem before the 15-year period was put into effect. *In India, opium is not smoked but eaten. A proposal that was still in committee is to deal with the eatirig of the drug. Undoubtedly, Lord Cecil had this in mind.

/-"Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne."--The Present Crisis.