Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-03

The nassnge bys Congress OF q bill pro
b4biting the importation into the United
States of opium prepared for snlok-
q r1g, will, ii is predicted by those who
have made a study of the subject, throt-
tie a vice that was rapidly becoming
national character and that added
thousands To It's list OF victims every
year.
None hut those who have investi gated
the subject have the renotest idea OF
the extent&of the vice in this country,
The statistics. however, reveal most
4 appalling figures. In recent years more
Z than s4,OCD.000 worth OF opium pre-
pared for smoking has been Imported
annually. Pause, reader, and consider
for moment what this means One
single shipment of opium that arrived
at san Francisco during the last year
was valued at S5SL00e It consisted of
II $40 cases, or 3S2l0 pounds. The gov
eminent collected on the consignment
a duty Of siaa260. The importer was
Z II. q; Playfair OF San Francisco, who
Z is only one of a number regularly en-
Z gagged in the Importation OF the deadly
& drug.
worth of opium was brought INTO this
country annually, and this included not
only opium for smoking, but also every
other form OF the porI3y-eStract. such
as crude medicinal. LIQUID, etc me
i figures quoted heretofore, 1900 900, rep
resenting the annual Importation during
the last few years, cover smoking
opium only.
AN INsIDIous EVIL,
Well indeed may tho nation give
thanks that the vice is to be stamped
out In this country, II has insidionsly5
made friglltful inroads into the vitality
of the natioii---to mention nothing else.
In the Chinese district OF New York,
where within8a radius of a few blocks
fully 1000 Cinnamon and their consorts
smoke opium every day, and have done
so habitnally for years, it Is, said that
perhaps enough opium Cat fancy prices)
will be srnuggled into the country to
serve their requirements when the pro-
y hibition law IS In force.
There is still In the Chinatown shops a
sconsiderab Bile quant!tySnf the drug, which
i may still be bought quite freely by any
one who Will pay the price-now about
S. can. The cans are tin boxes.
about four inches high. two and a half
inches thick. Besides the regular shops.
laundries-of course, snb-rosas
Il Every large city of the United States
has its quota OF Opium joints, = We're
smokers Of the drug gather to indulge
in the Chinese nepenthe. These doubt
less will not be- totally wiped out for
some months to come although their
final Grad tion is absolutely inevita-
BILE.
+ There are Chinese nioints" and there
are Joints devoted exclusively to a
white clientele. or the former If is es-
tiinated that there are approximately
1000 scattered throughout the United
States. There are n lesser number of
the latter. The Chinese opium dens are
generally dark, dingy and squalid. On
each bunk two almond eyed devotees
of the drug may be seen hitting the
pipe, as opium smoking is vulgariy
termed The Joints for white per-
sons are, on the contrary. usually very
luxurious. They are clean and are gen
orally beautifully finished. Oriental
5couches, draperies. divaIis. etc, being
prominent. The smokers men and wo-
men, lie partially disrohed on the 4