OCR Text |
Show OPIUM TRADE IN CHINA. Word comes from the International Reform Bureau at Peking, China, to the effect that tho proposed reduction in the opium traffic in China has been a complete failure, bo far as Shanghai is concerned. Instead of a reduction, there has been at Shanghai an unrestrained unre-strained increase in the sale of opium. At a meeting of missionaries in the Union Church at Shanghai, a Mr. W. E. Leveson was quoted as saying that there has been a large increase in the number of opium shops in that Settlement. Settle-ment. There has been more importation, importa-tion, he said, more sale of opium than ever before, and there was no truth in the statement that shops would be reduced re-duced and no further licenses granted. On the contrary, any one could secure a license in the Settlement for selling opium who wished to do so. Mr. Love-son Love-son stated that the. representations made at the International Opium Convention Con-vention at The Hague were simply "bosh." The treaty article which enjoins en-joins the reduction of tho number of shops in the foreign concessions iu the same ratio as tho reduction in China proper, "was Eimply a sop to fool the anti-opium party." It was averred at that meeting that there was no intention of carrying out tho agreement to reduce the sale of opium. There had 'been no observance of the treaty in this respect, and there would not be as long as importations continue. It was flatly affirmed that thoso who lenow the British representatives represent-atives at The Hague knew no real action ac-tion was intended. If the importation continues, the sale would continue, and it -was "all bosh to talk about abolishing abolish-ing the sale of opium." It -was openly stated that things havo been getting worse in the Settlement at Shanghai the past year. The only attompt to reduce tho opium sales was by requiring that thoso who sell should pay licenso for the privilege, and any ono can get a license who is willing to pay for it. Tho condition of affairs seems, therefore, liko this: Tn China proper there is an undoubted and genuine effort ef-fort to suppress tho opium traffic, but in the foreign settlements, and more particularly in the Sottlemcnt at Shanghai, Shang-hai, quite the reverse is the case. The native officials in China have no jurisdiction juris-diction in tho foreign settlements. 'Accordingly, 'Ac-cordingly, the Anti-Opium League in China calls upon the respective Christian Chris-tian governments which havo control of their colonies in tho foreign settlements, settle-ments, to take immediate action toward to-ward tho suppression of the opium traffic traf-fic -within thoso settlements. Unless this is done, tho foreign settlements in opium trado, and it will bo impossible for tho Chinese authorities to suppress that trado. It is now simply a ques- ' tion, therefore, whether tho Christian nations of tho world will go as far in China toward the suppression of this ovil as tho pagan Chineso thomsolvos are willing to go. Tho outlook doos not soern to bo exceedingly cheerful, inasmuch inas-much as the British officials and the j British Commissioners at Tho Hague aro oponly charged with-insincerity, duplicity, du-plicity, and troachory in this case. |