New-York tribune., 1908-05-20
THE ANTT-OPITM CAHPAIGN.

A highly creditable development of Amer
lean interest and influence i'll the Far East
is denoted in the movement for an lnterna-
tiOnal campaign against the opium habit. IN
vi ich our government has taken the Initiative
Ii has proposed TO all powers concerned that
an intern8ti tionaI conference shall be held at
Shanghai at the beginning of next year TO
arrange plars for checking the opium trafnc
within their territories and thus for assisting
tie Chinese government and people in the
effort which tbey are now making for the sup
nression of the evil The United States is
able to take this benevolent step with unques-
tionable propriety. because of lis sovereignty
over the Philippines, with their large Chinese
population and their considerable participation
ia the opium traffic, and it is agreeable TO see
that the French government has accepted its
proposal rs il is To be assumed all the other
powers Will DO.
The most important, though not necessarily
the most difficult part of the campaign will
doubtless be that in China. where more people
are addicted to the opium habit than in any
other country in the world. Although the poppy
and its seductive drug were introduced there
bv the Arabs China has for generations been
conspicuously the opium using country, and
oDium intoxication has been its chief national
vice i will be TO the everlasting credit Of
the yenera bic Empress Dowager that she has
determined, SO far as autocratlc power can
do if 10 extirpate that vice. There is no doubt
that she and her ministers and yiceroys are in
earnest III the matter, and indeed, they have
already made gratifying progress The strin-
gent law for the gradual suppression of poppy
,.gJtura end of the manufacture and sale of
opium is being generally enforced There IS
reason to expect that. with proper support
from other powers. at the end of the ten years
period prescribed by the law China will he
sul,stantially cured of the opium habit.
Support from other powers, however, is
urgently needed. 1t would avail little for
China 10 suppress the domestic production OF
opiun If other countries continued to ship the
drug to Chinese ports and 10 insist upon Its
reception or were to permit it 10 be manu-
factured and handled In such way as TO
facilitate the smuggling Of it into China by
land or sea Many years ago, percelYlng that
China producing and consuming opium IN
large quantities, Great Britain insisted that
opium Produced in her Indian empire should
be admitted to Chinese ports the same as other
articles of merchandise. That was not the
beginning of opium using i'll China, nor did it
cause any perceptible increase of the practice
but il brought odium upon the British
government of that day, and ii is gratifying
10 sfa thar the present British government has
made full amends 10y undertaking 10 suppress
the sending OF Indian opium into China com
inensurately with Chinas suppression OF her
own domestic production of the drug.
Complete support will be given to China
however, onIr when all the powers concerned
Great Britain, France, Holland, Portugal, Ger
mary. Japan. Russia and America-unite to
protect her from imported opium, as our own
government now proposes that they shall do.
In will be worth while for them all TO do this
for their own individual sakes, as well as for
fhe sa kp of the great nation upon which they
have SO often imposed their selfish wills For