Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-20
TRAFFIC IN OPIUM.
Cause Of Hostile Criticism of
English People.
TRADE WITH CHIN A
VARIOUS OUTBREAKS OF TEMPER
ON PART OF CRITICS.
Effort to Have Secretary Hay Take
Hand-W. L. Beard Talks of
Effects Of Drug.
TRADE WITH CHINA

The opium traffic of Great Britain with
| the Chinese empire has perhaps caused
| more hostile criticism of the English peo-
| pie than any one act that has had the
stamp of British diplomacy and CONNER
cialism. 1t has caused various outbreaks of
bad temper on the part Of critics of the
English people, who have charged philan-
| thropists of that nation with hypocrisy. al
though they, too, condemned the sale Of
opium to the artless Chinaman as sincerely
as men of other nations. To the English
diplomats the opium traffic simply meant
freedom of trade without regard to the
moral question that might arise to the
effect of opium on those who are addicted
to its use.
During the Boxer outbreak Of 1900 in
China two ex-missionaries that when
the instruction should be suppressed by
the united action of the great powers, all
international questions as to China would
naturally be reopened, and so strategic
opportunity would be afforded to bring IN
ternational pressure to bear upon Great
Britain to withdraw the treaty by which
the opium traffic has been forced upon
China since the opium war of 1910. THESE
missionaries therefore prepared, circulated
and presented petition for that purpose
They sought to have Secretary Hay inter-
cede for the purpose of bringing the opium
traffic to an end, while the matter was also
brought to the attention of the British
government.
Effects of Opium.
Speaking of the effect of opium on the
Chinese, Rev. w. l.. Beard, for eight years
a missionary in China, recently declared
that the 10000. 900 Chinese people of Fukien
province spend more money for opium than
for rice which is the food of the people.
'In spite Of sentiment against it, he said,
IAN increasing acreage is used yearly Tor
the growing of the drug. 1t is conceded on
all sides that this use of the land not only
Withdraws it from the production or food,
but also that the raising of peoples impov-
erishes the land much more than the rails
ing of food. The feeling is however. that
so long as opium Is forced on China there
is little in trying to stop the raising Of
1t by Chinese themselves.
1.-The effect of the. drug on the individual
is to ruin him morally mentally, physically
and financially. 1t first incapacitates him
for business, then begins to eat up his cap.
ital, and does not halt until 1t robs him OF
all his property. He sells his house piece
by piece, until only enough Is left to shelter
his family. Then the daughters are sold,
next the sons, and last of all the wife, ana
then the man himself goes into his coffin.
1t is impossible to walk for half day, even
in the country districts, without meeting
men whose faces and dress bear evidence OF
the blasting effect Of opium. l have never
met with any form of dissipation that so
fastens itself with such deadly grip upon
men of all ages and classes. When the
habit Is once fixed nothing but superhuman
power can dislodge it. This is one Of the
greatest obstacles Of the missionary.
Its Commercial Aspect.
"One of the most striking evidences OF
the coming Of the new China Is the pres
ence of articles of household use purchased
from other countries that one sees every
where. Kerosene oil is in every small village
This Is always imported. and it means In most
Instances that the lamp in which 1t is
burned is also imported. But the man who
is spending his money for opium uses the
native candle or the native oil. he Buys
neither oil nor lamp.
Soap Is always imported, but the opium
smoker uses none. Various articles of
wearing apparel are now imported, and go
into the smaller and more remote villages
But the opium smoker uses the cheapest
native clothing: American wheat flour was
on sale In a city 300 miles back from the
coast in North Fukien for the first time
in December 1901. American missionaries
had resided in this county seat for twenty
five years, and were the advance agents
who introduced this product. But 1t Is sold
to people who do not use opium, because
they are the people who have the money
with which to buy the better articles of
food made from the American flour. The
same might be said of cotton cloth, clocks
watches and of every imported article.
The man who uses opium buys only one
article of import, and that is opium. Many
of the district magistrates and the ma
iority of the petty officials of North Fukien
use opium. 1t is scarcely necessary to say
that such men do not take the initiative as
promoters of the importation of foreign
goods"