Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26
CHINA MAY SELL OPIUM,
BITTERLY FOUGHT In u. S.
Government Monopoly Proposed to
Yield Huge Revenue and Act as
Curb on Traffic i'm Drug.

/ spicuously into their calculations It
| has been estimated that it might enrich
| the Marking exchequer to the amount
of $4,000, 900 or Sl00, 100000 a year.
! II their people will Smoke opium and
despite the campaign Of education waged
! for decades to wean them from the
habit, it is feared they will, the Chinese
authorities consider it would be better
to divert the fat profits from foreigners
and native bootleggers into the impov-
! erished strong box Of the Nationalist
! government.
| United States Protest Unlikely.
Although Americans have been in the
| forefront Of the movement to stamp out
the opium evil in China, there IS little
probability that the United States would
oficially protest against a monopoly II
the Marking government decided to Gre
ate one. We would be, under interna-
tional practice, as little justified in OPP
! posing it as we would. tor instance. in
! Directing to liquor monopoly in Can
ada or Great Britain.
! China has a neighpor, the kingdom
Of Siam, which has long operated a gov
eminent monopoly in opium. Borneo,
! in the Dutch East Indies, also regulates
trafhc in the drug. Various forms of
| government monopolies exist elsewhere
| in the East. Advocates OF monopoly
! contend that so long as commerce in
narcotics is left TO private concerns
| wholly interested in profits, there will
| be little decrease in the Illicit traffic.
Efforts will continue to be concentrated
on developing the volume OF business.
On the other hand, under a monopoly
system, effort will be made. presumably,
to do as little business as is compatible
With legitimate needs. Opponents Of
monopoly are against " chiefly because
they fear 1t would sustain a bootleg in
dustry in drugs.
! The forthcoming international opium
conference at Geneva will have before
1t a draft convention providing for
facilitating the limitation Of the man
ufacture OF narcotic drugs to the worlds
legitimate requirements for medical and
scientific purposes and regulating their
distribution"
Protest to Leaders.
Americas foremost anti-opium cru
sader now in Washington and who is
| just back from China, addressed vigor-
Gus protest to Chinese leaders when the
monopoly proposition recently came to
public notice In the East. rs China
weakening at last in her fight against
!
exactly what her enemies have been
trying to bring to pass for the last two
centuries. America led the battle at
The Hague in 1912 and was mainly in
strumental in forcing the reluctant
European powers to sign the convention
providing for controlling the produe-
ton and distribution of raw opium
Have the Chinese forgotten what Bishop
Brent and Representative Stephen G..
Porter did to save them from the de-
structive effects Of the opium traff1c?
Does China no longer remember the
British attempt tos get opium legalized
after Britain's first opium war with
your country, and your Emperor's firm
reply: Nothing will induce me to derive
revenue from the vice and misery of
my people Let that be China's reply
today"
What effect such fervent appeals will
have upon the Marking government
remains to be seen. Evidently China
is looking upon the project as an eco
nomic problem, rather than a moral
issue. though it seems to be hoped that
moral benefits might flow from a
monopoly, as we'll as revenue. If the
monopoly established real regulation,