Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-10-25
PACIFIC QUESTION
NOT ON "AGENDA."

that will not, we venture to surmlse'
be put opon the Agenda of the Con-
ference on Limitation of Armament :
and for the discussion Of Fac Gic
Questions as a by-product.
One Pacific Question that looms
so immense, that is writ so large on
and across the Agenda as to dwarf,
as in sinister gloom, all other Pa
cifc Questions, is Japan in China.
OF England in China, of France in
China, of Belgium in China, we eX-
pect to hear but little. We may hear
some rattle of discussion about little
Portugal in her gambling den and
opium Joint at Macao. But of the
Japanese in Shantung we shall hear
much.
The only question that is terri
fically Pacific" terrifically univer-
sal, terrifcally I"American" even,
and that will not, in all probability,
get itself written into the Agenda,
is the debauching of the Chinese and
the Malays by civilized nations of
the West.
Some little time back we had a
few words to say about the British
debauching the natives of their part
of Borneo, as the situation was de-
scribed by an American correspon-
dent with the Wood-Forbes expedi-
tionary forces in the Far East. "Why
sPick on England Now" we asked,
lie being on the eve of the conference
On discussing disarmament, when we
have need of the good Offices of the
British Empire. Mr.. Kinsley, cores
pendent of the Chicago Tribune, de-
scribed the horrible conditions in the
British exploitation of native labor
the open encouragement of prostitu-
ton and all manner of debauchery
and the profitable open traffic In
opium. This was at the important
port of Sandakan, Boorneo, one OF
the most interesting and essential
crossroads of the Pacific.
Since then, E. Alexander Powell
well known in magazine writings Of
the dial, has had an article in the
Century for October, under the Kip
ling title, "Where there amt no Ter
Commandments" which is devoted t.
thc British exploitation of North Bor
me-. Enormous profits are made by
the chartered company that England
permits to exploit the natives as The
company pleases. These pritits are
referred to, at directors meetings il
London, as ''the golden rain"
The golden rain" is shed from
black enough clouds. The profits are
derived, says Mr.. Powell, from tive
principal sources of revenue of The
British North Borneo company
opium and gambling. To any one whit
has been in the Far East, it is neces
sary to explain what gambling reaIl!
is, and to those who are not familia
with it in the Treaty Ports and port
of call in the Far East, or in its les
ser but still horrible forms in China
towns of New York and San Fran
cisco, it is impossible to describe tn
maggots of broken and degraded hu
mainly.
There are also, of course, the house
of prostitution, portion of the ad
ministration, or one of its sources o
profit.
But we refer here to the debauch
ing of Chinese and Malays throug
deliberate traffic in the worst 0
drug poisons-opium, and by tn
power that boasts itself most civil
lied and humane on earth-Englanc
This deliberate debauching is car
ried on, not only in such remote cor
ners of the Pacific as Sandakan, bu
nj Singapore, throughout the Mala
states, up and down the coasts of tn
China Seas, and in the British colo
ny of Hongkongb China. Not 70
nothing did the English wage tw
wars with China to force the sal
of opium in the Chinese market.
We, also, are ouium-sellers, thong
we sneak the poison through Japar
and then denounce the Japanese 70
handling it! We are not openly, o
on a very large scale, debauching tn
Chinese. The business is too danger
GUS
VIII this question, which is, W
think, somewhat higher in the seal
of Importance to humanity in the Fa
East, be put upon the Agenda of tn
Conference that is devoting itself t
Pacific Questions?
China needs to be saved physical