Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-08-08
CHINA'S OPIUM REFORM.
An Interesting Chapter in story
Which In n Disgrace 10 The English

States has assented to the Joint investi-
CATION by the powers including China,
of the whole question of the opium trade.
brings the history OF a famous century
of dshonor'' down to date. An English
missionary. speaking this summer through
the great interior cities Of China (part-
cuarly in the province Sz-chuan, which
produces more opium than any other dis
trict Of China and must he handled with
special deicacy in the proposed suppress
sion of the whole busncss), is telling his
Chinese mass-meetings lat one OF which
not less than ten thousand people attend
ed, four thousand within sight and hear
ing Of the speaker, that England is try
ing to do something in the war of repen-
lance for the specially wicked way In
which the opium trade was forced on
China. 1t seems that the main impelling
motive of the Chinese government, at
least the motive which Is az present held
up to the patriotism of the country to So
cure popularity for the crusade against
the national vice. Is that the Chinese can
never be q strong nation, whom the mill
tary powers of the West will respect un-
til they get rid of a habit which saps
the energy of the officers and men and
is fatal to the efficiency NJ an army. This
IS an argument rather unpala table to an
emissary of the Prince of Peace, hut II Is
the most effective one that has ever been
brought to bear on the problem, as one of
national morality for the Chinese.
The magnitude Of the pronunciation de-
manded Of the Chinese people in the aboli-
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is heine taken unon the completion of
which the government will decide how
much the acreage In II shall he progress
sivolv reduced An official circular pre-
uared for nonulor education. on the sub
p"''" W. t'P"''i '"> 't'o''' va ',ie
fetal nowspapers recapitulates the evils
of opiun1 under three heads, those af-
| fertinp money those Affecting health
those wasting time. il informs the nubli~
that the nolice will nrapare lists Of ALL
the ooiun,- smokers women swellasmen
| names will he posted m outside their
! that their houses and that they will be
debarred from all public employment
and posts of honor.
| II was in 1896 n little more than a CEN
| fury. ago that tho Chinese government
made the oniu,, traffic illegal and il Is
| truly pa1hetic to think of all that the
| Chinese have been made to suffer by the
| alleged Christian Powers because of this
| v'rtuous undertaking. For long time
| thirty or forty wears the British mer-
! chants got along after a fashion by cor
| rtpting the Chinese officials and feeding
the Chinese market with the Hindoo-
/ grown opium illicitlv. 1t was in 1887 that
the chinese government resolved to have
its law excluding the DESTROYING drug
rietllv enforced Tho british srnerinten-
| dent Of trade though tho british govern
ment refused TO suppress its "hong" ,ner-
| chants r,ada nrofessed surrender 70