Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-03-30
ENGLAND'S SHAME,
Essponsi Ul- for the Use OF Opium Among
10000, 900 People.

Americans do not realize the ex-
cent of the terrible curse of the opium
vice in Asia. In China alone 1885,
TO, 900 out of population of be-
tw,ea 300, 600, 600 and 400, 900, 600 Use
it,
And now the British Government
In India, to increase its revenue, has
authorized the licensing of shops
throughout India and Burmah for the
free sale of opium. These licenses are
issued in very unusual form. Those
who take the license come under obli-
Cation to sell stipulated amount, or
TO pay a Forfeit Thus the Govern
ment almost compels the holders Of
the license to stimulate its subjects
TO consume a deadly poison! The
door is thrown wide open for all the
Inhabitants of India to take that
which destroys at once the body and
the soul.
The unrestricted sale of opium is
permitted in Java, with its 20, 600, =
300 of population. 1t is also permitted
IN the French possessions of S,O0O,-
boo or 10, 900, OOO The vice is also
carried by the Chinese immigrants
Into Siam and all the islands of the
Eastern Archipelago. II the popula-
lions of the various countries in
Asia, in which free sale of opium is
permitted, are added together the ag-
gregate number is more than 600,-
BOO, 900! In Europe and America the
sale is restricted to medical use, by the
direction of physicians, and the vials
and boxes containing it, when thus
given out by druggists, are carefully
labeled, "Poisonw
The laws of China once prohibited
the sale and use Of opium, the viola
tion (which was punished by death.
SO earnest were the Chinese to pre-
vent its introduction into the coun.
! try that the Government became in
yolved in a costly war with England
about il, at the close of which a
| treaty was made, In which England
| recognized China's right to prohibit
the introduction of opium, but left II
with China to seize the vessels that
Smuggled 1t in and conflscate the
vessel and cargo! But as the SNUG.
glers were Englishmen and the ships
| English ships the Chinese were afraid
70 execute the law, and so opium
was brought in English bottoms from
! India to China from 1912 to 1860.
| The Chinese Government finding il
eOuld not stop the smuggling OF
opium into the country by British
ships finally determined TO legaliZt
' H. l. Ia.
stroy. Shops were opened in every
village and town in the country anG
the cultivation Of the poppy was be
gun. To such an extent has the uSt
Of opium been extended that mis-
slonaries have said that seventy out
Of every 100 people are more or les,
opium eaters.
india and Burmah, according to The
census taken last year, is 2S5, 900, 900
that OF China is $50, 900, 600, som,
make it 400, 600, 900. The Island o
Java counts its 20, 900, 900, to whicl
the French possessions in Southeast
ern Asia add at least 10, 900, 600 more
Ihe Eastern Archipelago ha
say 5000, 900, making altogether
total of $40, 900, 900! The curse o
Asia has been saddled upon that con
tinent by Christian Europe. Fo
this terrible blight cast upon tn
greatest of the four-quarters Of tn
globe, the British government i
chiefly responsible A hundred year
ago the East India Company com
menced to monopolize the production
of opium for sale in China, and tn
government at home gave to the com
pany the protection of the BritisI
flag. Since 1858 the British Govern
ment has had monopoly of the pre-
duction and sale of opium. Grea
Britain is thus directly responsible
for the prevalence OF the opium plagu
among the go, 900, 900 people in Asia