The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1888. The Chinese Difficulty

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 125, 22 May 1888, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1888. The Chinese Difficulty

The Chinese question which has ciopped up from time to time for many years has now, unfortunately, assumed sensational dimensions. At a time like the preseut when Europe is threatened with war, if England is drawn into the conflict, it may be of natioual importance for ber to have Chiua as a friend, because her wealth aud population are enormous, while her navy, in equipment and armament, is superior to that of Russia. These are not considerations to be ignored anymore than is the fact that very large English interests are at stake in the commerce with China. We are hardly prepared to go as far as Cardiual Mokan who is reported to have said " That a great deal of the agitation is fictitious and got up by loafers who would not work, and did not want work," The Cardiual has, however, hit upon one element in the matter, aud if that be eliminated tbe magnitude of the others is left an open question. One great argument, as to the Chinese affecting the purity of the Anglo-Saxon race, we consider great bosh, experieuce showing tbat the results of mixed races where the extremes are great, geuerally die out. For years past there have been instances in New Zealand of Chinese having white wiyes and families, but we have yet to learn that their progeny have produced more than infinitesimal isolated effects. As regards their work it is pretty notorious that the Chinese miner almost invariably contents himself with attacking abandoned ground which tbe white miners could not work to pay, aud those who have lived on the goldfields well know that the practical miner evinces no dislike to the neighborhood of the Chinese except when worked up and excited to it by prejudiced sensation -mongers who have more jaw than work aud who to get a living must always be on the outlook for a peg on which to hang a political grievance. There is no tyranny like mob tyranny it being selfish, unreasonable and violent, and we trust before any hasty legislation takes place in obedieace to its mandates, the subject will be calmly viewed from a broader standpoint than the narrow instincts of a Sydney mob. We may add that on the West Coast (Middle Island) where the Chinese most do congregate and are best known, least is said.