Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-02-24
ENGLAND HELD nEspoNslDLE.

The famine Ia Indie, which, accord
ing to all reports, threatens to DO the
moot disastrous OBJ record in that
country, furnishes q text for severe
criticisms Of the British government
1t Is charged with having caused 1t by
a syetem Of spoliation comparable only
to that OF Rome in ancient days. or
that OF Turkey IN our own times.
One OF the accusations made lie that
tie opium trade 10 iaOtor In the
anime. China was, as will
DO remembered, forced by British
arms to admit the poisonous drug into
the country. after the Chinese govern
ment had prohibited It's importation,
and large tracts Of land are now used
In India for the cultivation OF the
poppy-,.extremely iertllellRnd In prov.
inCts where rain hardly ever iniis.
The very granaries OF this country on
which the population could depend in
times Of sCaici.y for supply OF bread
stuff have been converted into POPPY
lelds. This government receives an
Tor every chest OF opium, and
the few owners Of the fields make
fortunes, but this ms jIrlty OF the people
VINO are employed la the manufacture
Of the drug are subjected To starvation
whenever the rain falls and there is a
shortage In the grain crop. To this
comes that they nearly all are addicted
to tbs opium habit and become mental
and physical wrecks.
A London paper (quuted by the
Literary DlgcsD, upeaks of the condi.
ton OF the millions Of India in the
following manner:
India is Inhabited by 100000 600. Their
average income is 10 shillngs 1871 per
| year per head. over S70,OO0,OJ0 1850, =
| COZ, O0Ol have been spent during the last
| eighteen years on frontier expeditions
tor which the people OF India have been
made to pny. The famine relief fund OF
| El5,O00,QO0 1916 0J,0OOl, raised by crush
ing additional taxation, has been spent in
the same way. Europeans have been
employed more and more to the exclusion
Of natives rs officials; their salaries,
| saved largely to DO spent in England,
amount to G20,0OO,000 $500, 600 0OOl an
nually; e25,OO0,OOO (Si35, OJOOOOl are
| drawn from India annually to pay inter-
est and the pensions of English officials.
All this has to DO paid in gold, although
| the government has stopped the coinage
OF SILVER, thus reducing one half the ex-
change value of the small savings set
aside by tho people In the shape OF silver
| earnings, bangles, etc., to meet tho pinch
| OF scarcity. II wo ceased to extOrt so
| outrageous a tribute there would DO no
serious famine England herself has
| directly caused and is now daily aggra-
waiting tho famine in India.
Too st. james Gazette docs not take
kindly to the uniavoIable critic sm.
Ina; Journal thinks they all are livery
Inbred persons, wac appear 10 think
there is something heroic In scolding O,
EuglanJ." Well, It is not considered
pleasant to be told Of faults, but uS-
tions as well az iniivldusla need 10
have set tel0re them sumatimes the
results OF wtoug.dolng IL the past as a
guidance To wiser conduct In ,ht
| ,u'urc. Iudig's millions are patient
because conscious OF their weakncss,
tut every tear that falls on The nat We
oil from the tuG rers from irju.ucs
and wrong Is lab @ to turn into a spark
OF lire thai some day may cause a COZ.
Migration. A great empire teadily
extending her borders among s1.calluu
inferior rRces Of The earth cam OF
afford to forget thnt its different parts
will be held together Permanently
only by the bonds q Justice aul
br1therly love.