Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 3, 1906, (In two parts), Part I

Chargé Moore to the Secretary of State.

American Legation,
Peking, December 6, 1906.

No. 469.]

Sir: The regulations for the suppression of opium growing and smoking in China, which have been drawn up and submitted by the council of government reforms, have been approved by imperial rescript dated November 21, and are inclosed herewith.

It is intended to gradually eliminate the cultivation of the poppy, and the viceroys and governors are instructed to see that magistrates investigate and report on the acreage of poppy lands and issue licenses to farmers owning such lands on condition that the quantity of poppy be reduced each year and replaced with whatever crop the nature of the soil may be fitted for.

Already the customs Taot’ai Lang T’un Yen has been instructed by his excellency the Viceroy Yüan Shih-k’ai to consult the consuls of Tientsin regarding the prohibition of the establishment of new opium dens in their concessions. Those in the Chinese city have already been prohibited so that the young men may be freed from the temptation to become habitual smokers of the noxious drug, and all existing houses are to close their doors within a certain period. It is requested that a similar period be fixed by the foreign consuls after consultation with Taot’ai Liang.

The commissioners of the south and north sections of the Tientsin city police have received instructions from the viceroy to order the keepers of all existing opium dens, except shops that sell both raw and prepared opium, in Tientsin and its suburbs, to close their doors and stop business before the end of the current Chinese month (i. e., December 15) or they will be most severely punished without indulgence. In order to put this command into effect, Chinese restaurants, eating houses, and wine shops are prohibited from keeping lamps and pipes for opium smoking by their visitors after the 15th instant and offenses will be punished by severe penalties.

All ships importing raw and prepared opium will be prohibited from carrying on this traffic within a certain time, i. e., after proper regulations have been drawn up between Sir John Jordan and the foreign office for the gradual reduction of the importation of Indian opium into China and of the planting of home-grown opium in the provinces. It is believed that His Excellency Tang Shao-i will open negotiations with the British minister on this subject shortly.

In this connection, the latest revenue statistics available, giving the receipts derived by the Chinese Government from opium, are interesting, and show that the traffic is increasing.

The opium likin (on foreign and native opium) produced a revenue of haikwan taels 1,049,631 for the imperial maritime customs during the third quarter of the present year, compared with haikwan taels 976,953 during the corresponding period of the previous year.

I have, etc.,

Thos. Ewing Moore.

[Inclosure.]

Regulations for the suppression of opium growing and smoking in China.

1. To limit the cultivation of poppy.—The cultivation of the poppy is the greatest iniquity in agriculture, and the provinces of Szechuan, Shensi, Kansu, Yunnan, Kueichow, Shansi, and Kanghuai abound in this product, which is in fact found everywhere. Now that it is decided to abandon opium smoking within ten years, the limiting of this cultivation should be taken as a fundamental step. The viceroys and governors should instruct the magistrates to investigate and report on the number of mou of land in which poppy is grown. Licenses should only be issued to farmers owning such land on the condition that the quantity of poppy be reduced each year and replaced with whatever grain the nature of the soil may be found suitable for. The magistrates are to make inspection trips from time to time, and the license be renewed every year and at the end of the ninth year the cultivation should entirely cease, or the lands be confiscated. Any magistrate who contrives to induce farmers to stop growing poppy and employ the land in useful grain cultivation previous to the expiration of the ten years will be recommended to the throne for reward.

2. The issue of licenses to smokers.—Opium has been in use for so long by the people that nearly three to four tenths of them are smokers; the officials, gentry, and government graduates should first get rid of the habit as an example to the common people. All smokers, irrespective of class, men and women alike, must report themselves to the local officials’ office of the place in which they live. In case the village is distant from any yamen or police office, the gentry should undertake the matter of transmitting names. The local officials will first issue proclamation and forms, on which the name, age, residence, and occupation of smokers and the quantity of opium consumed must be filled in by the smokers, and from these two registers must be compiled, one to be kept in the office and the other sent to the high authorities. At the same time, a duly stamped license must be issued to smokers, which is divided into two classes, viz, Chia and Yi or A and B; the former will be given to persons above 60 and the latter to persons under 60 years of age, but those who are granted the second class will not be allowed to change for the first when they get to be 60. The full particulars as regard to the name, etc., must be stated on the license, without which the buyers and smokers will be fined and dealt with. The license will only be issued once and after that no new smokers will be admitted.

3. Time limit for the habit to be overcome.—After the issue of licenses, persons of 60 whose health is declining will be treated leniently, but those who are under 60 and hold the second-class license must reduce the quantity by two or three-tenths each year, and cease smoking entirely in a few years. When the habit is overcome the fact must be reported to the local official yamen with a written guarantee countersigned by the smoker’s relatives and neighbors, then his name in the register will be canceled and the license surrendered, and the same reported to the high authorities quarterly. The period fixed is long enough, if the smokers have not given up when the time of grace is expired, officials will be ordered to resign, government graduates be deprived of their degrees, and common people will be registered as “opium smoking class” and their names be posted on the thoroughfares of the city in which they live, and they will be excluded from public meetings and social gatherings.

4. Prohibition of opium dens.—Previous to the expiration of the period, the opium shops can hardly be prohibited, but there are in existence a kind of opium den in which opium apparatus is provided and which are open to young men and wandering people. These are very mischievous places and must be prohibited by the local officials within six months, and after that they must be closed, under warrant. Again, restaurants and similar places are not allowed to provide opium for patrons, neither must they be permitted to make opium there. The shops with opium aparatus must also be closed within six months and any breach of the above regulation will be punished with a fine. The tax on licensed opium lamps must be stopped within three months.

5. Registration of opium shops.—Although the opium shops can not possibly be prohibited at present, new shops should not be allowed to open. Those in the villages, towns, and cities should all be registered and licenses issued by the local officials, and after the registration no new ones should be added, and opium should only be sold to holders of licenses, but not others. At the end of each year, a return of quantity sold must be made out and submitted to the local officials for record. The total consumption of each district should be reduced in proportion and the business stopped within ten years, otherwise they will be closed by authority, goods confiscated, and owners fined heavily. When a shop is closed, the license should be surrendered or a heavy fine will be imposed.

6. To prepare antiopium pills.—There are in circulation many effective prescriptions for the curing of the opium habit, and the provinces should select skillful doctors to study and consult in the preparation of antiopium pills suitable to smokers of different climate, and the most important point is not to mix opium dross or morphia in the preparation. The magistrate should purchase the pills and place them in the charitable institutions and drug stores for sale at cost price, and the poor smokers should be given them without charge. The gentry and merchants may be allowed to prepare their own pills, the prescription being distributed free. Anyone who can afford to prepare such pills and cure smokers by distributing them freely will be rewarded with honors by the local officials.

7. Encouragement of antiopium societies.—Lately, there are philanthropists who are organizing, with the assistance of sympathizers, antiopium societies, which is really very praiseworthy. The Tartar generals, viceroys, and governors should instruct the local officials to combine with the upright gentry and merchants in organizing extensively such societies in the hope of effecting a speedy change of the habit. But they should only be allowed to discuss matters in connection with antiopium, but not government affairs or other things.

8. Responsibility of local officials.—The regulations can only be enforced by the earnest efforts of the gentry under the direction of the local officials. The Tartar generals, viceroys, and governors should look into the matter attentively, compare at the end of each year whether the smokers are reduced, whether antiopium pills are prepared and antiopium societies being organized or not, and same must be reported to the council of government reforms for reference. In Peking, the district police officers, the general commandant of the gendarmerie, and the governor of Shuntien will be held responsible for the enforcement of these regulations. In any district in which there is not a single smoker before the end of ten years, the local officials may be recommended for reward. In all the above occasions the official writers and yamen runners should not be allowed to exercise the slightest extortion, and any offender in this way will be strictly punished as being guilty of fraudulence.

9. To strictly prohibit officials from smoking.—The limit of ten years is for the common people. In regard to officials, who are the examples of the people, if they are indulging in opium smoking, how can they take the lead in reform? Now, for the execution of this order, the officials should first be dealt with, for whom the limit must be short and the punishment severe. In future all officials, metropolitan and provincial, civil and military, high and low, above the age of 60, who can not afford to leave off the practice, will be treated leniently, but princes, dukes, hereditary nobles, presidents of the boards, Tartar generals, viceroys, governors, lieutenant-generals, deputy-generals, and povincial generals, who are all deeply favored by imperial grace and holding high positions, should not be screened, but reported if smoking. During the time allowed for curing the habit officials will be appointed only acting to their posts, and will be permitted to resume their offices when their relinquishment of the vice is proved to be true. They should in no case continue the practice under pretext of sickness or other excuse, which will bring disgrace upon themselves. All other official smokers must quit smoking within six months under supervision of superiors, and when cured they should be examined and guaranteed. If on account of sickness anyone can not leave off the habit, he will be deprived of his hereditary rank which he is holding and it will be given to another member of the family; if an official, he will be ordered to resign. If opium is smoked secretly by any official, when proved or denounced he will be recommended for dismissal as a warning for deception, and his superior will also be punished for negligence of discovery. The instructors, students, and members of the army and navy must all overcome the practice within six months.

10. To negotiate the prohibition of the import of foreign opium.—To prohibit, the cultivation of poppy and the smoking of the drug are steps necessary to be taken as domestic precautions by the Government, while the foreign opium being imported from foreign countries involves international communication. It is requested that the Waiwupu be ordered to negotiate and stipulate for some arrangement with the British minister in the hope that both foreign and native opium may be alike reduced in quantity each year and entirely done away with at the time stipulated. In addition to Indian opium, there is also the Persian, Annam, and that of Dutch colonies imported to China in a considerable quantity. If the country from which the opium is imported has entered into treaty obligation, China may approach its minister for negotiation, and if the country has not entered into treaty China may exercise her sovereignty by strictly prohibiting the import of same. The tartar generals, viceroys, and governors should instruct their subordinates and the commissioners of customs to effect strict inspection along the coast at the frontiers against smuggling of opium into the country. Again, the morphia, and its syringe with which injections are made, is most injurious. China should call attention to the eleventh clause of the commercial treaty with Great Britain and the sixteenth clause of the treaty with the United States of America, and issue instructions to the customs that unless the said articles are intended for medical use their import to China is totally prohibited. The shops in China, irrespective of Chinese or foreigners, should not be allowed to prepare morphia or make syringes, so that China may be free from all such evils.

The people should be thoroughly notified of the above regulations in the form of proclamation posted in the villages, towns, and cities by the local officials under strict supervision of the tartar generals, viceroys, and governors, and who must see that these regulations are actually carried out.