The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1878.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 16, 28 December 1878, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1878.

It is a matter for sincere congratulation to know that the members of the Govern* merit, individually and. collectively, sympathise with the public efforts now being ma.de to grapple with the Chinese difficulty. It 13 tm« that when the matter wixs brought forward during the last Session of Parliamenfc the hon. Mf Stout appeared inclined to treat the matter m a veryoatalier spirit, but we imagine his opinions have undergone a slight change since then. It is very easy to take credit for bravery when there . is no likelihood of courage beingput to the test ; and it is by no means a proof that a man is a coward because lie places kimsel£ m a position of de^ fence. There is; an old spying, which is most appropriate to the matter, under d.iseu,ssion— ■" An ounce of prerentive is better than, a pori.nd of cure," beside which there are* some diseases which. ;£; allowed to reach a certain stage without the applicatibn of proper- remedies will defy even the most skilf ul treatment, and the Chinese evil is dmdedly a case m poiAt, Wo know, that objections will Jtaten to the anti-Chinese xfroveineiit !on the ground that it is contrary to that inlierent freedom which is the B.ri^on's. proudest boast, but very little consider- . atipn will prove such an objection to; whblly untenable. The Chinani^a never has been, nor' never can be, a colonist m the true aenso of tl\e^ word. His in- " sttnett and predilections are totally, at^ variance with every principle of Euro-^ pean" civilisation; for while he is. a yaiu«. pire fastening upon the heart's blood of the country Mpon which h.e ge.ts = ; a-foot-hold,; he cojitri^tes aofc one atom to its psogress<' or- ona pound to its wealth. We are quite willing to. concede that he is.sober^ civil, and industrious, but his industry is thoroughly .selfish and the general- cpxnm uni ty is not benefited, one wh'ifc thereby, for the proceeds ., of , his labor flows into a cliannelj whiclv does not fructify the land from whence it ia gleaned. Those .pseudO';pl»lanthropj.sts : who , dilate m „giowi»^ term.4 up.on the claims' of poor JpHNf are either gu.i.4ed by a spirit of selfishness^ or else $>ey hold forth upon a theme with Vk'hich they ha.ye np a.cquamtan.ce. 'Jfhere can be no. comparison b^tweiek. the Alongolian and. thk European; No, matter whether the latter hail frorii the Russian Steppes or -;thb". vales of sunny Italy x he is greeted by th a 'Colpny with 'words of welcome, received -with open artrn, and this advent looked^upou' as another stone m the fo.u,ndation of a great nation yet to come iii tl\i,s \gritairi of the South. In relum he setshimself to the truo .work of colonisaUpp, his first care is to obtain a permanent stake m tho comitry by «ecu.nng an interest m tl^e land of his a^ofttipn^ andhis ne^t to either send for or chooser a; w ; ifo.-vfith tho object of permanently settling upoji it. Sliould he hire his labor out, his necessities conxpclthat he should receive a fair W£ig.e in';r«turn, bu,t; its proceeds - instead of being ho.yded awaj meate through the district, and contribute, to. its, prosperity-. ; O,h tho other l\a,nd,..the ohinan\an is a. more bird of passage^ •whose aym,pj\thies fti-e all alien to those with w.hpjtn, he makes a temporary stay. Tie certainly wn worj? much" cheaper than I«is European rivals, and m. ihii* Jii*s his sole redeeming; point j but it is still one which has such drawbacks 'on the. . coaverse side, ; ths\t its benefits are .outweighed by its. defects, •The cheapness, of His labor- may certainly benefit the ooe individual most materially coaeorned, .and:that ; is he who employs!? But does this benefit -the body politic:?' We say no;; emphatically and the only two effects are that it enables the greedy, selfish unprincipled man to swell liis account at his bankers, while i,t prolongs tli.&time i of toil of the Celejvtia,! m the land of the<Barbarian,. Ho baa ro fan\ily ties, nor gi.vea no, hosfages to tho land m which ha dwells. He -cares not who is .^inj^ or who, is He is but .weary ''■■dwcHer"ra'lhe/ianclpf..'the':heathen,-ftnd; he loots, forward; with hesirt-yefirnins: l(o|)eftilnes* to tHa time Trhe|) he .-will have scraped together sufficient, to-en-able him to shake the dust frpifn off hi;s. feet and retu rn to the i?lowe|y . Land. Even should the. grinireapet' have cut htm down' before his task vni\ lia^a beeii aceqinplished, _ his last wish is that hi < bones 1 elmll be transferred to the land of his fathers. Tliis ; is the Chixaman under the present pliase—harmtess, inhm^ent^ sobor^ ;\cinl, , incln,s(,Hous Jdiry. This is the. aspect^in which; hoHs generally known to the ; peo]jle ; -oi-' ; N-e;W']Sea-" ■land;\\'Butth>re;-ls_;a^pther--yi'h'icli"-;l'bpms. up m the r future;' arid u;poji the •.-.■mannerin. .^hJch it is now 'dealt^^ with \yill reJy a gfpafc dpal: of thf* future weal. ; .or- woe of; this Colony. ;Wnth th,e anvplfes o|^i: California ,;-:apd Queensland before us,it-would be morethiuv^iilpiabje to shut o."u.r ..eye's, to the cahurtTty-v -with; which \re 'are threatened. We are How in.'--'ai ppstKicm to apfily:, the . preveiative, bnt..s-libuld-:tirD" mutter ftp trvatiit4 with i n difFureni'tt i t may a "sin me ■ mvk \}v'b-. j»ortifins th at' it would bo foutjd 'im t - po.*^ibl«.'to. apjihv'r the curative. Y<V- arc. pk'a<!od to' st s < a; tba| one ]M'omi ii«*!ii ;Kieaibor of tlu> ;Vr!Mistr^the;hpn;;Sl^ I&axob holds very prgnounc?tl opt^tMjs'

unable to take part m the late public proceedings m. Wellington, ho placed upon record his view m the following language :— f< The advocacy of Chinese immigration is of the same kind as that of slavery, m this important respect, that it is found upon the desire to increase the wealth of. the capitalist class by tho subjection of. the laborer." That is the ca3e placed m a nutshell — and a very good reading of the disintereiiledness of those who advocate the unrestricted influx of the Mongolian.