The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-08-04
THE OPIUM SCANDAL.

When the ''party of moral ideas"
succeeded in prohibiting the importa-
ton of opium-that is, in making it
illegal to import it-they inaugu-
rated shrewd business policy which
has put large sums of money into the
purses of a great many persons who
should, by their position and sur
roundings, be above engaging in this
dirty business. Perhaps the great
moral idealists acted from pure mo-
tives, and really and truly imagined
that a statutory enactment would
suffice to exclude the "devil's drug''
from this Kingdom. We give them
the benefit of the doubt, and presume
conscientious in their action; but
now that they see how the law works
to the degradation of the miserable
tools of an organized gang of opium
smugglers, and to the enrichment of
the principals, of whom no one
speaks aloud, it is about time they
should look the facts squarely in the
face, and acknowledge that evil and
not good has resulted from their ac-
ton. When they do so they will
join with US in demanding the re-
peal of the opium prohibition law
first, upon moral grounds; second,
upon grounds of public policy.
We think no one can pretend to
COW tbot tho ,0rooont 10 w, +or5c o4l,ou
wise than to demoralize the entire
population. 1t is a temptation to
men with capital to embark in con-
traband trade, but as they cannot
appear in the business themselves,
they employ tools who. for a money
consideration, undertake the risk and
if caught suffer the punishment.
Could anything be more demoraliz-
ing than this? The case of the man
RemOnd, sentenced in the Police
Court yesterday, is an illustration in
point. The remarks of the French
Commissioner were to the point, but
of course they did not excuse Re
mond, as the Judge very sensibly
sioner could induce Remond to tell
all he knows about the business the
guilty ones would not escape. Of
course, everyone knows the Chinese
are in this business, but everyone
also knows that they are very far
from having a monopoly of it. Upon
moral grounds, therefore, and to put
a stop to this national scandal, we
hold that the opium prohibition law
should be repealed.
It's repeal upon grounds of public
policy has become an absolute ne
cessity. The Government cannot |
a preventive service ade-
quate to the suppression of the opium
trade, and the magnitude of this trade
in defiance of the law, is a reproach
to the country. Repeal this law; let
opium be imported freely, and, as in
former years, dispose of the right of |
sale within the Kingdom to the |
highest bidder, first fixing a mini |
mum sum at which the monopoly |
would be sold. By so doing the Gov
eminent would sweep out of exist |
ence the demoralizing opium snug |
Cling business, secure large increase |
Of revenue for public purposes, and |
make the licensee the active agent in |
illegal domestic traffic in
the drug. This policy has become
in view of recent devel- |
Opments in opium smuggling; and |
men who oppose it upon "morar" or
grounds will find great
difficulty in persuading an unbiased
public that they are not actuated by
very different motives. At all events,
hey will leave themselves open to
very grave suspicion of a sympathy
With the contraband opium trade.