The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-02-16
Crisis in Oriental Affairs
If Drug Habit is Controlled

SHANGHAI China, Feb. 16.-Before
the representatives of the world pow
ers of Occident and Orient together
with representatives from the drug
cursed isles of remote Oceania, con-
stituting the International Opium COM
mission. which is in session in this
city. England, the mother of the afro
ciOus opium traffic, is standing trial,
charged with one Of the most heinous
crimes ever perpetrated against hu
manity.
Eliminating the great moral question
involved in this world movement to
free millions of slaves from the drug
habit, through the prohibition of the
expectation or importation of opium
except for medicinal purposes, political
possibilities attend the findings of the
commission, which are holding the at
tention of the cabinets of those powers
with far eastern interests.
The responsibility for the intrOduc-
ton of the drug to China and the ex-
tension of its vicious influence over
the subject peoples of the east, Is
chargeable to England and the deter
mined members of the world court now
in session, have indicated their inten-
ton of demanding expiatiOn of the Of
fense, though it threatens the dismem-
berment of BritainS eastern empire.
That the surrender of England TO
the demand for opium prohibition un-
der pressure from the other powers,
which are practically committed to
giving official aid in carrying out the
recommendations of the commission,
of crisis in
turburlen, India, is acknowledged to
be inevitable.
A brief reference to the history of
the opium traffic, in view of the des-
perate position England occupies to-
day, justifies the belief in the law of
ultimate compensation.
In 1884 Commissioner Lin of the
Chinese government, destroyed an
enormous quantity of opium stored In
Canton and an imperial edict was is
sued concurrently prohibiting the i'm
portation of the drug.
The destroyed opium had been i'm
ported from India. England realizing
hat the heavy import tax collected
in India on the drug would be lost to
her colonial treasury if the edict was
made operative, charged China with
destroying the property of English cit
izens. and dispatched a military and
naval force against the helpless empire.
At the conclusion of the war thus in
augurated, China was forced to pay
an indemnity of s27,O00,000 and to give
official sanction to the importation OF
opium from India and finally to cede
Hongkong to the English.
At this time there was not a poppy
plant in China, not until England had
made drug fiends of HilliOnS OF the
Chinese, was the cultivation of the
plant undertaken in China.
In 1879 the export tax collected on
opium in India amounted to S3O,0OO,-
600 annually and today over 100000 600
is pouring into the colonial treasury
from the same source.
This stupendous sum pays the entire
expense of maintaining the British
garrisons in India, and large part OF
the administrative expenses Of the col
ony
The prohibition of the opium traffic
would wipe out practically this entire
revenue with no other source of rev.
enue available.
Any attempt to levy taxes on the
restless millions of India, already fac
ing starvation. it is admitted by the
colonial officials, would result in i'm
mediate insurrection.