Extracted from the Dictionary of
PAPAVER
Attitude of Indian Government
somniferum.
HISTORY.
Attitude of
Indian
Government.
THE ATTITUDE OF THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT IN THE CHINESE OPIUM
QUESTION.
It would be foreign to the purpose of the present article to enter fully
on the arguments that have been advanced in support of, or against, the
attitude taken up by the Indian Government in the opium question. The
controversy may be said to have assumed a voluminous form with the details
of which the public are already conversant. The despatch (alluded to
above) which issued from the Marquis of Ripon's Government and was
presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty,
sets forth the chief difficulties that exist. In that despatch the following
succinct passages occur : "The economic objections to the manner in which
the opium revenue is raised, whether in Bengal or Bombay, may be ad-
mitted to be considerable. In the former case, the Government i tself en-
gages in private trade, a course which is open to obvious objections. In
the second case, a very heavy export duty is imposed. In both cases the
course adopted interferes with and restricts the free production of and
trade in opium. It cannot be doubted that it would be highly profitable to
any private trader to pay for crude opium a very much higher sum than is
now paid by the Government to the cultivators of Bengal. If, therefore,
supposing such a thing to be possible, no restriction were placed upon the
cultivation of the poppy, and if, at the same time, the export duty were
taken off, it is certain that an immense stimulus would be given to the
production of opium, and that China would be flooded with the Indian
drug. Thus, in the direct proportion to the removal of the economic
objections, the moral objections would be intensified in degree. So long,
therefore, as the plea of the Anti-Opium Society is confined to the con-
tention that the Indian Government should cease its direct connection
with the opium trade, it may be said, with perfect truth, that their policy
is based purely on theory. Not only can it effect no practical good, but
it almost certainly would do a great deal of harm. It would increase the
consumption of opium in China. It would, by cheapening the price of
the Indian drug, cause the poorer classes of Chinamen, who now smoke
native opium, to substitute Indian opium in its place. It would, moreover,
encourage the use of opium amongst the native population of India, some
of whom, notably the Sikhs, are already addicted to the practice ; and
it would result in a diminution of the food-supply of India by reason of
the cultivation of the poppy over tracts where cereals are now grown. If,
therefore, the policy is to be not merely theoretical, but is to be productive
of some practical good, it must aim, not only at the disconnection of the
Indian Government with the opium trade, but at the total suppression of
the trade itself.
" As to whether it be more immoral for the Government to be directly
connected with the manufacture and sale of opium than merely to derive
a revenue from the manufacture and sale of the drug by others, that is a
point on which, without doubt, much difference of opinion may exist. Vie
do not think that any useful object would be gained by a discussion of
this point, or of the cognate question of whether, in Mr. Fawcett's words
(Times, 5th June IS to), there is ' much difference between raising revenue
from opium and raising 26 millions as we do in this country (England) to
a great extent out of the intemperance, improvidence, and vice of the
people.'
" We turn to the second point, in respect to which the position of the
Government of India is especially open to attack, namely, the policy pur-
sued towards the Chinese Government in relation to the opium trade.
This branch of the question requires ample treatment. It is stated that
the treaty under which opium is admitted into China was extorted from