Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-04-26
eNoLANb's SHAME.
Responsi BILE for the Use of Opium Amoua
6so,ooo. 900 People.

Responsibis Tor the Use of Opium An1ouA
6so,ooO. 900 People.
Americans do not realize the ex
tent OF the terrible curse of the opium
vice in Asia. In China alone I25,-
| 900, 600 out of a population OF be-
tween 300, 900, 900 and 400, 600, 900 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 forfeiti 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, O00,
900 of population. 1t is also permitted
In the French possessions of S,0O0,-
900 or 10, 900, 000 The vice is also
carried by the Chinese immigrants
into Siam and all the islands Of the
Eastern Archipelago. If the popula-
tions of the various countries in
Asia, in which free sale of opium is
permitted, are added together the ag-
gregate number Is more than 6O0,-
900, 900! In Europe and America the
q c OF ri nt cd Tn adi hu ha
direction Of physicians. and the yials
and boxes containing it, when thus
given out by druggists, are carefully
labeled, "Poisonn
The laws of China once prohibited
the sale and use of opium, the viola
tion ofwhich 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 costly war with England
about it, at the close Of which a
treaty was made, in which England
recognized China's right to prohibit
the introduction of opium, but left it
with China to seize the vessels that
smuggled 1t in and confiscate the
vessel and cargo! But as the snug
glers were Englishmen and the ships
English ships the Chinese were afraid
to execute the law. and so opium
was brought in English bottoms from
India to China from 1912 to 1860.
The Chinese Government finding it
could not stop the smuggling Of
opium into the country by British
ships finally determined TO legalize
the horrible traffic it could not de-
stroy. Shops were opened in every
village and town in the country and
the cultivation of the poppy was be-
gun. To such an extent has the use
of opium been extended that mis-
siOnaries have said that seventy out
Of every 100 people are more or less
opium eaters.
To sum up: The population of
India and Burmah, according to the
census taken last year, is 285, 900, 900;
that of China is $50, 900. 900, some
make it 400, 900, 900. The Island Of
Java counts its 20, 600, 900, to which
the French possessions in Southeast
ern Asia add at least 10, 600, 900 more.
Ihe Eastern Archipelago has
say 5000, 900, making altogether a
total of go, 900, 000l The curse OF
Asia has been saddled upon that con-
tinent by Christian Europe. For
this terrible blight cast upon the
greatest Of the four-quarters of the
globe, the British government is
chiefly responsible A hundred years
ago the East India Company COM
menced to monopolize the production
Of opium for sale in China, and the
government at home gave to the COM
pany the protection OF the British
flag. Since 1858 the British Govern
ment has had monopoly of the pro-
duction and sale Of opium. Great
Britain is thus directly responsible
for the prevalence of the opium plague
among the go, 900, 900 people in Asia!