The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-05
CHINA'S OPIUM TRADE.
Great Britain's Part in a Traffic Condemned by the Civilized World.

Great Britain's Part In a Ifaf1c Condemned
 by the Civilized World.
 San Francisco Chronicle.
 There seems to be end to the number of uneasy and fussy people who have got the idea that nations should not continue wicked and oppressive practices merely be- cause they are profitable. and who even go so far as to insist that nations have some rights which ought to be respected even if their civilizations. customs and ideals differ from our own. and the inhab- itants are unlike us in color. The latest outbreak of these unreasonable and irre- sponsible agitators is the action of the In- ternational Reform Bureau at its recent meeting in Buffalo. proposing that when the close of the war in the Far East re- opens "all Chinese questions" Great Brit ain shall be pressed to release the Chinese, government from its obligation not to inter fere with the opium traffic imposed upon tt by the treaty which ended the war of 1S40-42
 The facts in regard to this are we'll known to most people, but they will always bear repeating. All understand that the curse of the lower classes of the Chinese people is the deadly vice of eating and smoking opium. Up to the year 1S40 traffic in opium was illegal by Chinese law. although 1t was carried on in illicit manner by the usual methods of bribing administrative officials. The principal beneficiaries of this unlawful traffic were British merchants. who bought opium in India at very low prices and sold it in China at very high prices. As the traffic increased there was an increasing disposition on the part of tho higher authorities to put end to it, and some time in 1887 the British commissioner was directed to drive away the British opium ships and traders and direct them to stay away. It was not done and the trade continued. In 1899 the Chinese government appointed a special commissioner with in structions to thoroughly break up the il- licit trade ct Canton, who seized and des- troyed all the opium he could find. The | trade, however, continued. and the contin- ued endeavor to suppress 1t. with the rather natural desire to get rid of all intercourse | with a nation which persisted in ignoring | and violating Chinese domestic legislation. | ended in an aggressive war by Great Brit ain which resulted in compelling China to pay an 'indemSty' of $21,000, 900, of which | $6. 900. 900 was expressly named as compen- | sation for opium seized and destroyed in the | act of being smuggled into China. and to l cease further interference with the opium traffic. That treaty and traffic continue in force today, and by that and various other
 treaties with the powers" China is vir-
 tually forbidden to exclude opium in any | form. when offered for importation. Re- | sponsble high Chinese officials are quoted as saying that the Chinese government | would immediately restore the edict of 1889. if permitted to do so. and this bureau of sentimental persons proposes to exert pressure on Great Britain to obtain her consent. As no other nation will object we are likely to have an opportunity to see just what Great Britain will do when the inter
 ests of civilization and decency conflict
 with the pecuniary interests of British mer- chants.