The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-14

ment to take a friendly tipple together. That Is what is going on here am told that no less than 2500 officials, more or less prominent, connected with the gov erment service in Pekin either have broken or are endeavoring to break off the use of opium. Some of these are habitual smokers, who have tried so hard to quit that they have died in the at- tempt, Take, for instance, Wen Hail He was one of the highest scholars of the empire, and was connected with the grand secretariat. To hold his job he signed a declaration that he was not an opium smoker, and then stopped using the drug. He died a few months ago. Tsai Chang, another noted official, was cashiered for smoking. He Is i'll in consequence, and it is said will not recover. Chi Chang, the acting governor of the province of Anh- wal, died the other day for the same reason, and there are many other old smokers who are said to be ill.
 According to the new laws, which are more or less evaded, the smoking of op- ium means immediate dismissal. Govern ment detectives or censors have been in- structed to shadow the officials, and those who claim to have broken off the habit are rigidly watched. Just the other day a private secretary of one of the cabinet ministers was found to have several ounces of opium on his person, and request for his dismissal was promptly sent forth. In one of the papers this morning l see & dispatch stating that Prince Chung, one of the imperial opium commissioners, has just denounced 20 high officials who have lied as to their use of the drug, and that he de- mands their dismissal Last October two of the imperial princes were ordered to resign their posts that they might give their entire time to the eradication of their craving for the drug. and at the same time, as act of mercy, three months of extension were allowed to cer- tain civil and military officials who had not obeyed the imperial edicts.
 The crusade Is being extended even to the ladies of the palace. They have been warned that they must stop smok- ing, and certain of these noble dames who have been secretly selling opium to their friends have been told that if they continue they will be imprisoned.
 Among the vioeroys.
 The work of stopping the evil among the clerks outside Pekn has been dele gated to the viceroys and governors. There are p provinces in China, and the work in each of these is going on rapidly. or the reverse, according to the energy of the governor In Szechwan, state of the far west bordering on Tibet, one of the new district officials in- v1ted all of his Subordinates to a din- ner. He feasted them well, but, as they
 were about to leave, he closed the door, saying that he intended to keep all with him under lock and key for the next three days to learn whether they were free from the opium habit.> He knew those who were not would show nervous ness; and in this way he could learn how to enforce the new laws.
 It Is believed that many of the viceroys are still secretly smoking; and the anti opium commissioners have asked the prince regent to call meeting at the capital of all the viceroys, governors and generals of the army who have reported that they have broken off the habit. When they appear they will be subjected ] to test to show whether or not they have lied. Since this one viceroy has asked for time for some of his officials, and others have established opium hos pitals and cures.
 Closing the Dens.
 In nearly every province of China there has been a general closing of the opium dens In some cities back-door bust ness Is still going on, but the public smoking has become unpopular and dam gerous, and the chief opium used is now behind closed doors. In Shanghai all the ! dens in the native town have been shut, and fully half of those in the foreign con I sessions wiped out The foreigners pro-
 pose to clean out the evil in their part
 of the city by 1910. Tn Wuchang the shutting up of the dens has consider ably diminished the arrests for crime, and one of the policemen says this Is largely because he does not know where ! to go to look for criminals.
 I In Foochow there were S2O dens at the