Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-17
LITTLE BROWN
MEN AND OPIUM.
4 VexatiOuS Problem for Uncle
Sam to Settle in the Phil.
ipinc Archipelago.
EFFECT OF AWFUL DRUG HABIT
Responsibility of Retaining Victims
Who Find Both SOlacc and Mis-.
cry from Poppy Plant.
SpecIal Correspondence.

Speciol Correspondence.
Manila. july gl.-New times, new
ways Up to now, except az a tariff
question, the United States government
has. not had to deal with The opium
trathc. But now the problem OF pro-
tecting It's native wards In the Philip
pines from the drug that alternately
soOthes man into heavenly dreams
and plunges him into deepest sheol has
come before 1t as a serious matter
The Chinese in the Philippines. so IL
is said induce the all too willing Malay
into oplpm smoking TO the great detr-
ment OF the Malay IN all ways, There
fore the United Suites government
must protect the little Tagoa from
himself Well, II Is a benevolent ana
humane idea. But people who have to
be protected from themselves are not
goood Tor much II Is right though that
the government should do all IN It's
power TO save the rapidly decaylng
Malay race from determination so long
as possible,
At best this Is only a question Of a
longer or shorter time. The Malay picks
up vices wherever he can and enjoys
them, and he Ia not particular whether
they are the vices OF white, black or
yellow men. Ais one TO him. In the
island of Cehu, one of the Visayan lsl'
ands the middle group Of the Philip
pines, there Is a not large colony of
Chinese. considerable proportion Of
the natives Of Cebu have caught from
the Chinese the opium habit, although
the Nlsayan race Is superior TO the lit
tie Tagalos Of Luaon,
In Manila conditions are peculiar
owing TO the presence Of Americans
there Ia more hustle here than else
whore In the Islands but the hustle, 80
far a = work is concerned il confined 10
the Chinese. How any labor could be
performed without the presence OF
these yellow creatures, who can con
gume opium and work, too, II would be
interesting TO know. With or without
the opium the Fagolo Will not work
steadily 4 writer who knows The race
we'll has said with the average Ia
gallo there is no yesterday and no to-
morrow His aim In life Is 10 work as
little as possible and take life as easy as
possible" His idea Of good time
On earth is cocknghting He and his
fellows would rather squat upon the
ground and match pair OF intniteslmal
Philippine ROSTERS than 10 be gov
ernor and owner o! all l.uZon.
These are the people whom the Unit
ed States government is endeavorng
to protect from having their destruc.
tion FASTENED by opium There was
the proposition to exclude opium Inn
portatlon altogether But there was a
rub and hard one. The ChInese In
the Islands do the work No opium, no
Chinese. Gov Taft was told by the
Chinese contul that his people had been
using opium s6 many Centuries that It
was as the breath OF life TO them, and
they could not do without II.
In the British Straits Settlements the
authorities sell the right TO deal IN
opium TO the highest bidder and then
dismiss the matter. They cannot break
the natives or the Chinese or using Il
so get all they can from the dlreftil
trafflc After due elaboration n law
framed on q like basis wes adopted for
the Philippines, Those who import the
drug into The islands are almost
without exception Chinese merchants.
OF these certain ones who have given
proper bond and make besides the
highest bid for the privilege receive the
concession TO import opium. II must,
however. be sold only TO fun blood Chi
pese over q Years old, so runs the law,
ana not at all TO natives Here there
will undoubtedly be something OF a
hitch Chinese have been coming 10 the
Philippines and intermarrying with
natives for probably thousand years
II viii require a search light and a mi
croscope TO determine exactly who Is
full blood Chinese and who isn't among
this extremely mixed up people
Smoking opium in public places Is Sc
verely suppressed, which Is an excellent
feature Of the new law. Even a
Chinese may only indulge at home. Il
Is expected that an annual revenue ~
several hundred thousand dollars win
be derived from this source. The reve-
nue. from the license 90 sell opium is 10
be devoted to the municipal expenses
OF the place where the concessIonnairr
dols business The income from the
opium tarlff charges is 10 90 TO the
education OF Filipino natives.
The government will thus be freed
from the necessity OF trying TO detect
smuggers This will devolye on the
concesssionnarc who knows his own
people and knows how TO keep sharp
lookout for smugglers. set a thief TO
catch q thief as the saying Il,
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