COLOUR ISSUE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 12

COLOUR ISSUE.

ALIENS ON THE PACIFIC COAST. Our American correspondent,„ rates:—Th* auti-Japanoso Bills introduocd la the California • Legislature have come to nought. Intervention by tho Federal Government ptwerted the passage of the Bills for this session. It was pointed out that the main issne' was tie emigration question, and • that this was quietly being solved by .the American and Japanese Governments aoting in ooncert, By their agroomont the immigration of coolies was limi-,' tod and lias now almost ceased. But this, of course, is not tho whole question. It is significant that threo Western States, California, Nevada, and Idaho, have been considering antiJapanese legislation at thoir present sessions. When Grock Meets Hindu. : ":'['.; Besides Japanese and Chinese tho coast' States have now to contend with another foreign element, the Hindus. At Marysville (California), whoro lam now writing, which is.on the main lino of connection between Portland and Seattle and Sacramento, the Hindus exceed in nnmbcrs all other: nationalities. You will see their turbaned heads on every, street and their black faces meet you. at ovory corner. There are two hundred doing contract work on a nearby railroad, tho places of the Irish in such work having boon usurped by tho Italians, tho Greeks, and tho Hindus successively. I witnessed recently a goneral souffle between bands of Greeks and Hindus working near caoh other on a railroad grade. Tho battle was started by somo trifling theft, and in tho melee orowbars and hammers', were used' with tolling effect. One Hjndu died from wounds received, woro injured. Noithor group could epeak Englieh, and tho trial, that followed was conduptod through interpreters. On some suoh. ocoasion as this we native Americans become awaro of the presence among us of these oompanies of aliens. The Irish, the Italians, and Greeks we have rather weloonwd, asooming from Europe and belonging to the desirable olass; But,the Hindus I Who are these tawny-skinned,-blaok-be&rdod, turbaned AsiaticsP Do wo want them? Have they come to stay P A*« they desirable immigrants P Should :we wel. eomo thorn or opposo their oomingP ' i ; Aryanj All.' Wq knowi of course, tiatthe Hindus aw ta a sonse our own kinsmen. In the Veda, that' nsost anoiont of classics, we read: "I gave the earth to Arya"—that is to thoso who now epeak tho English tongue, as also the Teutons; the Slavonians, the Colts, the Italians and Greoks, • and then tho Iranians and tho Hindus. When' wo lived together in our early home in Western ■ Asia we spoko a common lanjraage and had common customs,and habits of thought. Forty . contjiries ago soma of us turned our faces west- . ward and settled over Europe. ■Wβ left'the Hindus athonio to care for the ancestral lands. Separated for so many conturics we seem no*r to bo. in no sense akin. When .the Hindus .sot their faces towards the western lands thoy ■■-. come as aliens. Tho stroam'is relatively smaft ■< —but it may enkrgo till it floods the oountry

and menaces our • ; v -~ ' .As British subjects they enter' British Colnmbin without hindrance.'- We in the States have' no discretion in the mutter of their admission. For fivo years now they have been drifting down tho ooast from Canada. In Southern Call-.■ ;ornia and in Arizona 1 they find a country to their liking. . Whether California and Arizona will lito them, as Wv ! l ie , another matter. ( . How the Hindu Invtuion Started. .' ■';',■ .About five years ago six Sikhs, having heard Of • a scarcity of labour in , British , Columbia, came to Vancouver. With their swarthy skin, erect bearing, and picturesque garb, they* attracted considerable attention,'and wore made welcome They wore given .work at what to , them WR9 fabulous wages—a dollar and a half a dayr Of course they wrote, home oe,to their , discovery of such a land'of gold. Bv twos and throes, nnd then by hundreds, tho Hindus boBon to arrive in Vancouver. In four years there were fifteen hundred in and about Vancouver and Victoria, The Empross of Japan come with seven hundred on board. ; Another steamer ornved with.a oargo of four hundred. The oitdzens of Vancouver thought H high time to d> something about, it. Telegrams wcreeont to the Colonial Secretaries at London and HongKong, and to Sir Wilfrid Laurior, the Canadian Premicriii'A mass mooting was hold at the, City Hall.-atiwhichld'rcsolution.was passed to' the offeot that thp; Jmniigrtttorillof-ilndianstlni such numbers was against the beet interest* of the country. , ■~ ' >'"..'.. • ■' The pifferr+ig Standpointi. ..,;' , - l\ r ~.;Vi The 'working, man looked at, the. matter in this, way: "British- Columbia is a white man's oounhy. • A white man Oannot ■• live ■by th« Asiatics standards. Ho would starve at Fagos whioh moan wealth to tho Hindus. Wβ do not ' believe in the "importation of labourers whe, will not make citizens." • ■'■ ~ '. .'■ On tho other hand,'tho employing clafesuecd this argument:. "Our- resources ftjo practically xintouohed.: Wo> must, have labo.ur. Railroads are to be, oonstruotcd, forests levelled,' cities built,' mines; opened. Every., seotion is oalling for men arid calling in vain.,, If wo lay off onr Asiatic tobourere our indusltrjes,' -swill be ' paralysed." ,■ ; " " " ■' ...■■». .-,.■,. ''The Hindtis themselves'.savi "No work at homo;; Too many people. High" wages here." They have heard of this country as a place wlKye'ono can got oßough'to eat; andsother pome..'ln;a ehort time they : acquire what is' to'them a_ fortune,.," .■, ■ .>• •.■•'■'•■'■■; ' ■' Tho police giv«;a good report of ter of tho newcomers. And it is trnethat many of th«;.lndians, especially the Sikhs,■ aro of very lueh.eastern tlteir o\fu country. ,: •."...-•:■■ Dr. MuhroL, the; Canadian . immigration inspeotor at-Vancouver, in, speaking of the Hindus nnd Sikhs, said! "I believe , , that muoh of the dissatisfaction as to the , work of the : Sikhs has arisen from, the fact that they are unfamiliar with our,took,, Though,they havo never used an axe in their lives, they are given one and told to work in the timber. Another handicap is that whon hired in a camp thw ' aro expected to cat what the Chineso ■ cook' nrepares for the crew—pork, and beans, oorn- / ' beef: and onbbago. To them pork is an abomination, and they would rather die than eat it."

Uncle Sam's Piebald Population. ■■• Well, they are here—down hero in Marr*. villo.nnd in every town in California. ■■>,. Some twenty or more lire in ft tumble-down house near-nie. One of thorn' speaks English very well; They live peaceably, and havo never been known to ongagft in petty thievery as the Groeks and Italians do. .This group hae been at work clearing a traot of scrub.- Just now they' are working on the grade o£ the Northern" Eleetno Railroad. So far us I know their work hafe been satisfactory. At the same time thoj nro aliens—as muoh as the. Japs, and; Chinese. _ South you meet tho negro from the jungles of Africa; in the East thojinpovorished classes from every (juartcr of Europe;.in the Wostern States' tho coolie classes from evorv oountry.in Asia. It is not certain that Unole Sam is rich enough to give them all a home. It is to be hoped that these broad acres can bo preserved for the white man's nset-not merely because ho is white, but because'the country is his and ho made it, '