The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-16

| VI lilo OuIl5Llhl nation. lL is
true" said he. shat ! cannot prevent the
introduction Of the flowing poison gain
seeking and corrupt men will, for profit, de-
feat my wishes. But nothing will Induce me
TO derive revenue. from the vice and misery
In 1850 the Emperor, with tears over the
| peril OF MS people. sent a commissioner to
Canton to attempt the closing Of tho trafic.
Among other things. this commissioner
seized all the opium found In the harbor and
destroyed 1t. This was the origin Of the
opium war, Of which Mr.. Gladstone said |:
"A war more unjust In its origin. war
more calculated to cover this country with
permanent disgrace, | do not know. l
made, England compelled China to pay
S6.0O0000 for the contraband opium de-
stroyed. The English plenipotentiaries
| strove to secure clause In the treaty legaliz
Ing the opium trade; but this the Chinese
firmly refused. A second opium war fol-
lowed in 1857, and at length China consented
that opium should be no longer treated as
contrabsnd. The next step In the history
| was the commencement Of opium culture by
1 the Chinese themselves. This Is the culmi-
mating shame Of England's conduct. Insist
| ing on the privilege of destroying the people
| OF China, she compelled, at the cannon's
she has taught them to be destroyers Of
themselves also. And what is the explana-
| tiOn' Of such infamy? Simply this 1t is
financially profitable. There Is absolutely
Il no OtHcT duSWbfs pays TIOb6oLS hu-
| dressed to the East India Company In it,
day; protests and appeals TO the English
Parliament, from 1912 to the present time,
these have not been wanting. Indeed, they
nave been numerous. But they have been
in vain. The money argument has been ir-
resistlble. Does not the Indian Department
of the British government derive princely
revenue yearly from the traffic? 1t Is one Of
the NEST profitable OF pos
h0lU adj a nj the traffic In rho parlta
ment OF 1843 he went home and wrote In his
Journal,"I have hardly any support. Most
people seem to think me fanatic or fool"
Yes. this Is the plain proposition before
which the English Parliament has ever since
bowed In obsequious assent. 1t pays! And
Is not man fanatic or fool who would
cut on so hne revenuer A missionary adj
dressing London audience gave striking
Illustration Of the attitude which Christian
England holds today toward heather China
Going to my hospital" he said. 81 saw a
Chinaman selling figures Of clay, beautifully
painted. One Of them represented an Eng
| iishmen. He was standing with an umbrella
In one hand-for the Englishman generally
carries an umbrella to keep of the snn-and
in the other q ball Of opium. And this was
the typical representation Of the English
man In that crowded Chinese city.
The gambling habit Is one of the devils Of
our time. 1t exists In many forms, and Is al
ways and everywhere destroyer Of men. A
friend Of mine who has paid special attention
Il w hhC ouDJOCt kcpt q uob VI uOIEOT5 dL-
tending it as he found them recorded in the
public journals of this country last year.
These facts are embodied In public report
made to distinguished body in New York
city: Look at the record: ''12S persons shot
or stabbed over the gaming table; "a sui
cides; 2 burglaries; Is forgeries and So en-
bezzlements committed 10 get means for
gambling" Compare with this the
a%1ul Sa tabs frussse Mo,.a Of caIe the saTD-
little Italian principality OF Monaco. noted
the world over for its legalized gambling.
Hither resort multitudes Of every class, to
win or lose. Desire kindles desperation
desperation often leads to despair, and the
gaming tables have often to be cleansed from
the blood OF death. Between 1877 and 1885
there were more than 1900 suicides, involving
an amount of misery, direct and indirect,
that only God can know. One might suppose
that the spirit of the gospel, with its loving
regard for men, might ere this have exercised
this fearful demon. Surely, the local author
tiles will hunt such a monster to death,
while all the world waits In prayerful sym
pathy. On no! On the contrary, this devil
is carefully protected by the government, and
every possible attraction added to the bait
with which he lures his victims. And what
Is the explanation? Money. This monster
loose; and his protection IS on the sole con-
ditiOn of large and faithful payment to the
public revenue. This revenue Of death en-
tlrely supports the government. There Is
country! The population a few years since
was three thousand; IL is now twelve thou
sand. And wealth has correspondingly in
creased. There are scarcely any paupers,
Is marked. The inhabitants themselves
are absolutely forbidden to patronize the |
tables; and this prohibition is strictly /
Itself from sharing the 's woes il infIcts ists |
so terribly upon visitors. Happy |
countryl Is not this the great secret Of |
successful political economy. a pattern
for all the world? What matters the Staying
OF men; are they not strangers and foreign
ers9 And Is not their blood easily wiped
from the tables at which they died? And
the cries Of widows and orphaned children,
and the breaking Of mothers hearts-what
are these that they should interfere with
munifcent public revenue? Who would for
moment balance them against the exemp.
tlon from taxation?
Looking nearer home, we find another in
carnation OF the gambling habit, an Ameri-
can devil; a huge octopus whose arms reach
through the whole land-the Louisiana
lottery. 1t was chartered In 1868; its 10000
shares OF stock are mostly controlled by one
man. The original value was 500 per share; |
quotations OF year ago were from $1,000 TO l
Sl400. Its total receipts are about S2S,OO0.- |
900 year. Its offered prizes are about 50 /
per cent OF its receipts showing a profit of Il
about S10.0O0.0OO annually. Its evil working |
none can estimate. Let the gambling rec /
ords already cited suggest the robbery OF |
rich and poor: the Indictment to crime |
through avarice or desperation; the des- L
truction Of business, the devastation OF /
homes, the ruin OF men and women. With l
It's specious promise Of wealth to be so easily |
won, 1t appeals to a passion innate In us all,
the desire for gain. Under normal condi-
tlons, that passion Is like noble river, fer
tiliziRg its banks and turning the busy wheel
OF enterprise. But when aroused by such
appeals TO freuZy, 1t Is like the river into
which Conemaugh food Is suddenly poured
1t bears to inevitable and fearful destruction
i,b, all HUMAN i.s rs.,, Interests sS ho that lie
Moloch exist in the face Of our Christian civ
illZatiOn? How is it that IL Is suffered to de-
bauch aud destroy; that laws are made for
its protection; that the press over the VIII hole
land has largely served it by spreading its
net; that officials high and low In city, state
and nation have been ready to DO its bidding,
while f0r years scarcely voice Is raised
against It? A single word answers all these
questions. It pays! This is It's. universal
argument, addressed alike to callow youth
whom IL entices TO buy its tickets, to legisla-
tors whose favor it asks, to judges, to edi-
tore, aye, to the entire people Of the city and
the state where 1t dwells. This Is the argu-
ment. and this alone, by which it obtains the
patronage OF its victims and the toleratiou Of |
those who look on. 1t paysl 1t was actual
ly Incorporated, according to the language OF
the legislative act. "for educational ano
charitable purposes."a A charter for 25
years was granted on. condition Of an annual
payment OF $4,000 to the Charity Hospital
at New Orleans. And 1t has never ceased to
commend itself to the dear people as a gen
erous benefactorl During the late floods II
offered 100000 to the state to be used in
strengthening the levees, which sum Gov.
Nichols had the noble courage to refuse. And
when it asked for renewal Of its charter. it
offered to the state an annual gift Of S1,000-
600. 1t sought likewise charter from the
legislature of North Dakota; Offering a sup
ply of seedwheat to all needy farmers and an
annual payment into the state treasury OF
S150000. This has ever been its method and
its defense, the money plea. 1t has
proposed to make itself prof
table 60 its friends, and with what result?
For years 1t has practically controlled
the State of Louisiana. The press
has been silent; the legislature subservient;
and even the church has been recreant to
the duty Of remonstrance and opposition. A
pastor OF New Orleans recently used this
language OF the church In that city: "The
lottery has silenced her. 1t has stuffed her
ears full Of bank bills, so that she cannot
hear. 1t has placed silver dollars on her