The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-02-16
TRYING ENGLAND
FOR OPIUM CRIME
(By Associated Press.)

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-
shutting the International Opium
Commission, which is in session in
this city, England, the mother of
the atrocious opium traffic, is stand
ing trial, charged with one of the
most heinous crimes ever perpetrated
against humanity.
Cabinets Are Watching
Eliminating the great moral equa-
tion involved in this world movement
to free millions of slaves of the drug
habit, through the prohibition of the
expectation or importation of opium
except for medicinal purposes, po-
litical possibilities attend the findings
of the commission, which are holding
the attention of the cabinets of those
powers with Far Eastern interests.
England Must Answer.
The responsibility for the introduc
tion of the drug to China and the
extension of it's vicious influence over
the subject peoples of the East, is
chargeable to England and the de-
termined members of the world
court now in session, have indicated
their intention of demanding an ex-
PLANTATION of the offense, though, it
threatens the dismemberment of
Britain's eastern empire.
Crisis i'm India Sure.
That the surrender of England to
the demand of opium prohibition I'M
der pressure from the other powers
which are practically committed to
giving official aid in carrying out
the recommendations of the commits
sion, will develop an immediate
crisis in turbulent India is acknowl-
edged 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.
How Opium War Began.
In 1884, Commissioner Lin of the
Chinese government, destroyed an
enormous quantity of opium stored
in Canton and an imperial edict was
issued concurrently prohibiting the
importation of the drug.
The destroyed opium had been i'm
ported from India. England, real
izing that the heavy export tax col
lected 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 citizens, and dispatched a
military and naval force against the
helpless empire.
China Forced to Pay.
At the conclusion of the war thus
inaugurated, China was forced to pay
an indemnity of $27,000,000 and to
give official sanction to the importa-
ton of opium from India and finally
to cede Hongkong to the English.
At this time there was not poppy
plant in China, not until England
had made drug fienjs of millions of
the Chinese, was the cultivation of
the plant undertaken in China.
In 1879, the export tax collected
on opium in India amounted to $780,
100000 annually and today over
$5O,O00,000 is pouring into the col
onial treasury from the same source.
Pays British Soldiers.
This stupendous sum pays the en-
tire expense of maintaining the Brit
ish garrisons in India, and a large
part of the administrative expenses
of the colony.
The prohibition of the opium traf-
fic would wipe out practically this
entire revenue with no other source
of revenue available.
Any attempt to levy taxes on the
restless millions of India. already
facing starvation, it is admitted by
the colonial officials, would result
in immediate insurrection.
The present condition of England's
finances prohibits the garrisons and
administrative expenses being met
by the home government. The same
condition obtains in Hongkong,
where practically all the government
expense is met from the revenues de-
rived from the unholy opium farms
leased to Chinese by the British gov
eminent.
Fulfills Gladstone's Prophecy.
The present session of the opium