THE JUBILANT JAP.

NZ Truth, Issue 141, 29 February 1908, Page 1

THE JUBILANT JAP.

OTTAWA, February 20, The Canadian Premier, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, has ordered the release of two v Japanese sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment' under the Act recently passed by British Columbia, and from which the Roy-, al assent was withheld. VANCOUVER, February 22. The anti-Asiatic party at Vancouver is becoming growingly excited, and threatens a huge . parade of the stireets. It is feared that rioting will take place. Sir Wilfrid Laurier,, the DomunPrime Minister, is.' awaiting the decision of the Court, which is generally expected , to declare the Natal Act unconstitutional. • If the decision is otherwise, it is supposed the British Cdlumbi&n Act will be disallowed, owing to it conflicting with the Anglo- Japanese Treaty. / ■/■■'■> OTTAWA, February 26. The Full Court of Brijtish Columbia has upheld 'the 'decision ghen by Chief /Justice Hunter that the , Act recently passed by f h© Afsem>bly to restrict immigration m a manner similar to the Natal law was inoperative as regards Japanese, since it was contrary to the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty. It is probable the question will •now be referred to the Privy Council; meanwhile the Act cannot be enforced. The cables have "been very busy of late m transmitting to this\side of the globe an account of the extraordinary state of affairs which exist just now m British Columbia and which ferment, if it can be so called, is due to the determination of the I Assembly of the State of British Columbia to stem, if possible, the immigration . into that State of hordes of '< Japanese. The antt- Japanese riots at Vancouver are now almost ancient trtstory, nevertheless, the protest lnade by, .the. British- Columbians, whioh ended m bloodshed, was an emphatic show of the deep; and undying hostility that, the white race hold towards the Jap, and we have lately bad the assurance that had not Jap- i an been an ally of the great British Empire, the difficulty created by the Vancouver riots would probably -have feeen adjusted under the threatening shadows of a Japanese armed fleet, When the outbreaks occurred, the Premier of Canada, the lickspittle Launier, hastened with fervid assurances to allay- the resentment of the Japanese Government and promised the prompt punishment,, of the rioters. The whites were gaoled, and, singular to relate, none of the bloodthirsty apes were even as much as asked for an explanation. The altogether Jingoistic Imperial attitude of Xiaurier se^ms. to have justly aroused the indignation of; the patriots of British Columbia, because, as this paper painted out at the time, "For the past few months Japanese coolies have been dumped into British Columbia m a most reckless way. For years the Japs have been quietly coming m, but only recently has public indignation been aroused, for no fewer than 12G0 of the yellow men were brought over from Honolulu m one shipload and let loose on the streets of Vancouver. A fe^r years ago the trouble was with Chinese, but a head tax of 500dol. was imposed upon the Celestials, and this was found to be very ■ satisfactory m checking the influx 1 , .but that they still come, and can afford to come is shown by the fact that on the last trip of the, Canadian; Pacific liner Empress of; India 37,000d01. waz paid m head taxes to the Canadian Government. the time it was wished by the people of the province to put the same restruction on the Japanese, but the agitation was turned down and the people waited. Since that time Vancouver and Victoria have been gradually growing Asiatic colonies, anfi the people nf the Paci- ! fie Coast have now aroused to their ! danger. Meetings have been held, i and the Provincial Legislature passed a Natal Act,, W;bioh would effectively stop the rush', of those nndesired vellor? people if put into force, but a peculiar and unheard-of condition of things; exists, for LieutenantGovernor Dunsmuir has refused to sisrn the Act, although passed by the Provincial GoverrimDnt." • '■•■"• .• Japan, with a population of 45,---4 ft* A '*oo, is within two* weeks' jour-

ney of the Pacific coast of Canada. To-day Canada has a population ot 10,000 colored apes, while at the rate the Mikado's monkeys are pouring m, the Jap m two or three years' time will increase to about 30,000. Canada to-day has a Chinese population of 20,000, and 2000 Hindoos. Six thousand or 7000 Japanese have practically commandeered the Fraser River Fisheries. To-day not five per cent, of •■•■ whitemen ' are employed on the saw-mills. The white -has been ousted Jby black, brown and brindle. The prospect, therefore, for , the white became alarming. The Canadian Government,; perhaps, practically helpless, dominated 'by Downibg-street, refused, indeed it could not help refusing, because any act of expulsion would be a violation of the treaty with Japan, to raise a finger. The Provincial Legislature, however, took the bull by the hornsr It passed an Immigration Act, but the Lieutenant-<3-ov-ernor refused to sign it because he had his instructions from Ottawa, and Ottawa had, m its turn, orders from Downing-street. Though the Japanese Government pretended to be greately concerned at the agitation of the .British Columbians, though measures were adopted .to check the influx of the ape from Honolulu, the fact, however, remains that the alien simply continued to inundate the patriotic province and the Provincial Legislature adopted the means "Truth" pointed out it probably would adopt. In November ,of last year this paper quoted the authority of Mr H. R. Kenwn. who m *J6hn Bull Over Seas," very lucidly, dealt with the crisis. He suggested then that "The British Columbians will wait until the Dominion Government prorogues, and immediately it does so a special sitting of the^ Legislature will he called, and the' Natal Act again passed and put into force. It cannot be, 'repealed until the Dominion Government meets again, and so the men of the Pacific Slope will be able to defend their rights for the best part of a year. And so the game. will go on, Ottawa repealing and Victoria re-passing until the British Columbians get what they want, ; and what their cousins m Australia have already obtained— a white man's country/ The Act was passed, and what is still more interesting, was signed, by the Lieutetiant :j Gov-ernor, Japanese were prosecuted and gaoled as being undesirables, and as the - cable informs us, Sir Wilfrid Laurier ordered their release. , He furthermore! declared the Natal Act unconstitutional, promising that if the British Columbian Full Court held the Act to be otherwise, it would be disallowed owing to it -conflicting' with the Anglo-Japanese Treaty. Subsequently we learn that the Full Court has held that the law is inoperative against Japanese, and it looks futile <to pursue tie matter to the Privy Council. All this shows tfiat. the British Columbians m their fight for a white man's country have adopted and exhausted every constitutional method to check Japanese immigration. Opposed by the Canadiafr Government, over-awed by the Lieuten-ant-Go vernor, demoralised by the decision of its Court of .Justice, British Columbia's plight is an objectlesson for the people of Australasia. Legislation against Chinese might be effective, <but by treaty rights the immoral, cunning Jap is placed on terms of equality with the white race£ of the Empire. It must ever be remembered that the white is m a hopeless minority. Slowly dawning is a new era. White with white must combine to combat the yellow menace. The white, nationality is threatened with an overwhelming avalanche of yellow hybrids. The futility, under present^ . conditions of British Government, of \ successfully j chepking these vast hordes is too plainly apparent by tho crest-fallen state of the British' Columbian patriots. New 2/ealp • will do weAl to closely study position. Posterity will pay Nothing but a universa' federation of. the white peoples uf the world can ever assure for the generations to come 'the purity and non-extinction of its nationality. .

The Crisis m British Columbia.