Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-03-06

countries, where it had been known
for a hundred years prior to the Chris
tian era. And at first it was used only
for medicinal purposes. Then, as now,
many Chinese were afflicted with
fevers, and opium helped them.
Meantime the Turks had introduced
opium into India, where the natives
soon engaged in it's cultivation on a
large scale. The Chinese, after form
ing the opium habit, then bought their
supplies in India. At that time there
was considerable export trade from
China to India, and the junks that car
ried other merchandise from the Celes-
tial empire brought back the raw ma.
terial from which opium is made.
In 1868 the habit had become so
widespread that the emperor, noting
it's ill effects, issued an imperial de-
cree against the use of and the traffic
in opium. In the original decree he
prescribed only moderate penalties for
it's violation, but as his subjects did
not obey him, he increased the sever
ity of the penalties until death or trans
portation became the lot of every
one who persisted in the use of the
baneful pipe. And, as the Chinese
had then been smoking opium less
Iu1H oU years, lASy DTOh0 OIL lie HAUL
just as an American youth who has
smoked tobacco only a year or two
can give up the use of tobacco.
But, like the American boy who
'sswears off" and then in two months
goes back to his tobacco, the Chinese
in a few years resumed the use of
opium and again a stern emperor
stopped it. Nor was opium again
Wit A. l1ft ~
of the eighteenth century.
British rule having been imposed
upon India, the government in 1857
granted to the East India Company
monopoly of the trade in opium. The
East India Company at once cast its
eyes Chinaward. There it saw an en-
peror who had forbidden the importa-
ton or use of opium; there it also saw
laws fixing the opium smokers penalty
at death. But there it also saw Chi
nese gold, and plans were at once laid
to provide the Chinese with opium
whether their emperor would have it
or not.
The scheme devised was for Brit,
ish ships to lie off Chinese. ports and
deliver opium to such Chinese mer-
chants as might come out to buy. And
100000 pounds of the forbidden pro-
duct were sold in China.
Of course the Chinese government
did not sit idly by. 1t cut off a few
heads and sent many persons out of
the country for the country's good;
but the smoking of opium went on.
What's the threat of death to a man
who wants to do something Around
he. world in of "a
ment men were stealing five-shilling
purses and being hanged for it. And
the Chinese continued to smoke their
opium. In 1880 the East India Com
pany sold to them and they smoked
100000 pounds. The East India
Company was becoming rich and the
British government took toll from it's
trade.
History records the fact mat in the
! year 1887 the Chinese emperor screwed
up his courage and talked fight. The
| sale of opium to his subjects must
stop. The supply ships that were lying
outside his harbors must clear out If
they didn't there would be trouble. So
he said in his proclamation.
The British East India Company
| treated him as if he were a chattering
| SAAio- 4~OI snip HOWELL NOC
Chinaman came after opium who did
not get it Everything went on as be-
| fore.
But the emperor was no chattering
| child. He was a raging, roaring old
| man. He felt precisely as the Boston
| ers did when the tea-laden British
| ships came in after their tax And
| he did precisely what the citizens of
Boston Elaborated the ships, by
proxy of course, and dumped the
opium into the oceans, 900 900
| pounds of it,
| Of course this act was construed by
| the British to constitute a cause for
war. and hostilities were opened as
soon as the aggrieved persons could
| get their guns into action This was in
1910. The Chinese, even in that day,
were as poor fighters as they are now.
In a little while a British fleet had
| captured Chusan. The next year the
Bogue forts fell, and then Canton,
Annoy, Shanghai, Chapoo, and a lot of
4 other places gave up the ghost By
| 1912 the Chinese emperor was very
glad to buy peace by ceding Hong
kong, paying an indemnity of s21, O00,-
| 900, and throwing open four ports to
| foreign trade. He even Inundated
himself by degrading Commissioner
Lin who had carried ut the emperor's
orders. Nor did he get even the thanks
| of his own subjects for his efforts in
| their behalf. The whole empire was
torn with rebellion Rebel armies
robbed. murdered and pfundered al
most as they pleased If they had had