INDIAN OPIUM AND CHINA

Evening Star, Issue 12874, 25 July 1906, Page 8

INDIAN OPIUM AND CHINA

The moral wrong inflicted on China by the enforced opium trade with India was the burden of the speeches at the Christian Union breakfast at the Hotel Cecil (London). Lord lunnaird was in the chair, and he was supported by a large number of members of the House of Commons and well-known London workers. The Chairman expressed his convection that the majority of the present House of Commons were in opposition to . a continuance of the policy of forcing the trade upon China, ffiid it was for them to find a way of bringing it to a termination. Dr Horton, who has not yet shed the tint of bronze which he brought Home from the East, recalled with gladness the fact that he. moved a resolution at the Oxford Union to the effect;that the contmuanee of this traffic was a slain upon the British Empire, b resolution which was ciuv ned by a large majority. But, He continued during the last thirty years there has been a serious deterioration of morals in this country. We are only just emerging from that period of darkness. There is' a new spirit in the land, a new breath in the air. The new Parliament is fired with an intense desire to carry out the best idea’.s of the national life. and if we appeal to the new House on religious grounds to put an end to this iniquitous traffic the House will respond to the appeal.” He combated the argument support of the- traffic on the grounds of the loss of revenue to the Indian Government ,by declaring that the revenue is precarious, that it has already dropped from seven millions to three millions, and shows signs of further shrinking. But even if the revenue was stationary, he thought the time had come when England should moralise its revenue and that of its dependencies and obtain money by righteous means. ’ Prebendary Webb-Peploe also dealt withthe subject from the revenue point of view and called the testimony of Mr John Morley’ the Secretary for India, to his support. As to the moral side of the question, he produced the combined testimony of 1,100 Indian missionaries, over 5,000 doctors, and 15 missionaries arid two bishops in China, each of whom condemned its use as leading to moral and physical degradation. He called attention to the revolt against the use of the drug by natives of high position in China, and to the agitation now proceeding against men who occupy administrative and educational positions in the Chinese Empire being allowed to nse opium. This moral revolt on the part of the better-class Chinese would, in the near future, involve us in international complications.

The Rev. F. B. Meyer hoped for great things from the debate on the question in the House of Commons. He thought it was only necessary for the people of Great Britain to 1 become acquainted with the facts to arouse a feeling of moral indignation throughout the country The debate in Parliament ■would be a groat educative lesson for the people. The discussion of the question had been left too long with the parson. It must now be undertaken bv the politician. From the racial point of view he regarded with dread the possibility of alienation of the

sympathy, and friendlm€ss ; of. jibe; 400,000,000 of Chinese because of 6iir. immoral. policy of thrusting upon them this traffic, and anticipated the action of China in following* the lead of Japan in refusing the importation of the drug. Dr Maxwell referred to the isolation of Great Britain on this question. New Zea< land, Australia, the Transvaal, the Philippine Islands have vetoed the importation of opium, and the time has come for England to retire from the untenable position of forcing this drug into China. The first thing to be dona is to ask Parliament to condemn the trade ?s'immoral. When- that has been done. Parliament must find out the best way of bringing it to an end. If we did not do so, China, aided by : Japan, would.