El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-07-26
CHINESE FIGHT
TO RETAIN OPIUM
rom page /, this sectlon)

CONTINUED from page 1, this sechon.)
Pekin from time to time of some dras-
tic measure which the government IS
able to enforce in spite OF the olsor-
ganiZatiOn it is experiencing as a re-
suit of the revolution reports ten
frequently of fighting between farm
ers who have formed bands and armed
themselves with the object of success
fully harvesting crop or opium
Sometimes the reports tell or Cnrls-
tians being made special objects of at
tack and even murder because they
oppose the growing of the poppy, Inc
rule Of keeping hands off the mission
airy and his property, however, is sun
generally observed, as II was through
out the revolution.
Death for Third Offence.
Other reports tell of proclamations
threatening death for a third offence
in selling or smoking opium Still
others tell of great stocks of the drug
being burned amidst festival cele-
bratiOns- Some $4,000 worth OF con-
fiscated opium went up in smoke in
Tentsin a few weeks ago, while bands
played and people drank tea and lis
tened to speeches telling of the harm
opium had done the Chinese. 1t Is be-
lieved by foreigners and Chinese alike
that such drastic measures would not
be possible at this period of recon
structiOn if the feeling of the nation
were not in favor of the reform
The restriction of the importation
=
opium in China to be enormously en-
HANGED. Those who persist in using it
must now do so not only in secret but
at prices which only the rich can af-
ford 1t is now said to be beyond the
reach of the poor man, selling as it
does for many times what 1t cost be-
fore the suppression began In conSe-
quence there are great inducements to
carry on the grade illicitly, and much
smuggling and growing in remote hill
countries is attempted
The cIeyerness of the Chinese police |
in discovering smuggled shipments IS
shown by the instance given above OF
the big burning at Tientsin.. But in
the country they are not always so |
clever, and many reports of fields of
growing poppy come to government |
notice directly or Indirectly through |
foreign missionaries and their con- |
verts.
American Aids Movement.
An American missionary, E W.
Thwing, representing the International !
Reform bureau, which has it headquar-
terS at Washington has been devOt- !
ing practically all his time for a num-
Der Of years to the suppression of the
opium habit. He has been leading the
campaign for the Chinese where it
came in conflict with foreigners, and, |
as result, he has acquired many enc
mics among those foreigners inter-
ested in the continuance of the trade
ThWing has shown the Chinese how
to organize anti-Opium societies and
how to deal legally and to the best ad-
vantage with the white men in the
business, who are subject to no Chinese
laws, but only to the jurisdiction Of
their own consular courts.
Thwing recently stated in a public
speech in Shanghai that, while Chinese
officials and people have suppressed
the greater part of the traffic through
out the country, and stamped it out
altogether in some provinces, the for
eign quarter of Shanghai was licensing
more opium shops each year. The sup
preston in what is known as the ma
tive city, had forced the opium traders
and the smokers into the foreign set
Elements controlled by the foreign con-
suls subject to the orders of their gov
ernments- This, Thwing contends, is
contrary to the Hague opium cOnyen-
ton, where all the interested powers
agreed TO reduce the number OF opium
shops in the Chinese territories con-
trOlled by them in proportion to the
reduction made by the Chinese govern
ment
American interests Conflict.
Comment is frequently made on the
fact that two OF the foremost American
interests in China, the sale of cigarets
and the propagation of Christianity,
seriously conflict. Agents of Ameri-
can and British missionary societies
distribute bibles, and agents of the
Br1t1sh-Amer1can Tobacco company,
which controls the sale of cigarets in
China, both penetrate to the far
interior. In some remote little towns
in the provinces bordering Mongolia,
Thibet or Turkestan the only white
men will be two small hostile groups
of Americans, of two or three men
each, one trying to induce the Chinese
to give up their little water pipes for
the cigaret, the other arguing that all
things American are not good to adopt
Generally these two little groups OF
men are not on speaking terms.
AN UNCOMMON WOMAN