TO
The Fight Honourable H. H. Asquith, M.P., Prime Minister,
The Memorial of the Religious Society of Priends assembled in their Yearly Meeting in London the 25th day of the 5th month, 1910.
238
Le Ves, Anashome root ezed qle no. **suges
This meeting in considering the present position of the Anglo-Indian opium trade with China has had the advantage of information at first hand from one of its verbers just returned from China who travelled up and down the Yangtse, and sore seven hundred tiles by road beyond, all in the Province of Szchwan, where the poppy was formerly so largely grown, but did not see any land under povby cultivation. The meeting has also received similar testimony from sore of its rexbers residing as rissionaries in the sare Province. These witnesses strongly confirm the staterent in the last White Paper of the British Government that there is "only one opinion as to the activity and fixity of purpose that has parked the Court and the central Government* of China in dealing with this question.
We recur with satisfaction to the debate which inaugurated the new policy between the two countries four years ago, so honourable to the British Governrent and the House of Corrons, when, in answer to an interruption that China wanted "freedor from opier* Mr. John Morley (now Lord Korley) replied, "he hoped it was so. If it were so, the thing was done." Now that the sincerity of the Chinese Government is beyond dispute, we rost earnestly appeal to our own Governtent to make it clear beyond all question to the Rulers of that land and to its great population, that this country is on its part absolutely sincere in its deferrination to put a speedy end to the manufacture and sale of what the Secretary of State for India rightly called "this horrible drug.” Ministers have declared that we rust not fall behind Japan or China in the righty task of the moral regeneration of the East. Te long exceedingly that our sountry right even yet, lead rather than follow, in this great struggle, In any case we beseech the Government that neither the loss of revenue, nor hesitation to arend treaties rade under the shadow of the sword, nor any difficulties in shortening the term now fixed for the suppression of the trade, ray hinder ther fror giving the fullest effect to the new policy of freedor. We respectfully submit that both policy and duty and the bonour of our country's nare require that we should liberate China at once to root out this great evil in her own realrs, as she is entitled to do: thereby freeing Great Britain, in the eyes of East and West alike, from the stain of injuring a friendly race for the sake of gain.
Signed
on behalf and by direction of the Meeting,