t opium is that the
Oriental peoples are "different"--that opium does them no harm. Every
writer on the subject of opium in China, produces evidence to show the
shocking results upon that country, during the hey-day of the deluge.
The complete moral degradation, and economic ruin of thousands of
helpless individuals. Nor do we think the medical profession would
agree with this assumption that opium is harmless to Orientals, because
they are "different." Their only real difference lies in their
helplessness to protect themselves from foreign aggression.

Another argument advanced by the upholders of the Monopoly is that the
Orientals have always been users of opium, that they like it, it suits
them, it would be unfair to deprive them of it. We have seen to what
extent the Chinese liked it, and how it was forced upon them by two
wars. Not until they were completely crushed, and had to accept the
terms of the conquerer, did they submit. It can hardly, therefore, be
called a vice indigenous to the Chinese. Japan is another Oriental
nation that disproves this argument. As we have said before, there are
no opium shops in Japan, and the sale of opium is not conducted by the
Japanese Government. On the contrary, the Japanese have the same fear
of this drug that a European nation has, and exercises the same
precautions to protect its people. But, as we have said before, Japan
is the only Oriental nation that has not been subjugated by a European
nation, and therefore has never had opium thrust upon her. She is the
only country in the Far East that has managed to preserve her
sovereignty, and has never been subject to certain blighting influences
of European culture.

Another exception to this assumption that the Orientals cannot do
without opium lies in the Philippines. When America acquired those
islands some twenty years ago, our first act was to eliminate the opium
traffic, which had been established there by our predecessors. It had
been in existence for decades, but we immediately set about to abolish
it. Root and branch we did away with it, and shed no crocodile tears as
to the "hardship" this would be to the people who had come under our
protection. We wished no revenue coming from such a source as this. Yet
we might have cut in half the cost of our Philippine budget had we
followed the example set by other nations. We have seen that certain
British colonies, Hongkong and the Straits Settlements, for example,
derive fro