THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1892. THREATENED REBELLION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2366, 7 June 1892, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1892. THREATENED REBELLION.

Tirii loyal Unionists of Ulster are evidently only loyal because it suits them. If a Parliament is granted to Ireland they will, so they declare, refuse to acknowledge its authority, disregard it?? laws, treat the judges of the laud with contumely, and offer a passive resistance until they can, by the force of arms, free themselves from its control. Before the Irish Church was disestablished. some twenty years ago, the same people threatened that }f the Queen signed the measure they would kick her crown into the Boyne. Her Most Gracious Majesty was not, it would appear, verj much disconcerted by the threat. She signed the Act which disestablished the Irish Church, but not a man in

Ulster lias ever since attempted to kick off' her crown. On the contrary, they have ever since constantly boasted of their loyalty ; they claim to hold a monopoly of it, and never tire of picturing others as disloyal. It was not a very loyal thing to threaten to kick the Queen’s crown

into the Boyne; nor is there much evidence of loyalty in their present attitude. Under Home Buie the Queen will still be the Queen of Ireland, as she is the Queen of these colonies, and it is not a very loyal thing to threaten to resist her laws, her judges, her police, and her parliament. But what, after all, does this threat amount to ? Sound and fury, signifying nothing. It is a mistake to think that all Ulster is Protestant; nothing of the kind. Protestants are in the minority in Ulster, as they are in all Ireland, and it would not be very difficult to suppress any rebellious attempt on their} part. All the Ulster noise is mere stage thunder, intended for electioneering purposes, and this is not the first occasion on which the same string has been played upon. Sir Stafford Northcote a few years ago went over to Belfast and made a violent speech there, ■with the result that a riot Ensued, and lives were lost. Lord Randolph Churchill a year or two afterwards delivered a passsionate harangue in the same city, which was the cause of a terrible riot, which lasted some weeks. Lord Salisbury is just now harping on the same string. He has not gone to Ireland, but he has delivered speeches in England which are calculated, and no doubt designed, to create further trouble in the Xorth of Ireland. The object is to keep up the old feuds and foment discord and illwill, so that such disturbances may serve as an example of the unfitness of Ireland for self-government. Lord Salisbury’s conduct is a disgrace to the British nation, and Mr Gladstone was perfectly justified in calling him a political incendiary. This is an age in which all reasonable and sensible men agree that it is undesirable to arouse religious prejudices, and thus create dissensions between the people. The Premier of England in descending to such a level has outraged decency and disgraced his position, and if the people do not resent it at the coming election we are much mistaken. But be that as it may, there is absolutely nothing to be apprehended from the threat of the Orangemen of the Xorth of Ireland, and if nothing stands in the way of the success of an Irish Parliament except that, we are perfectly satisfied that.no difficulty will ever arise.

THE BLACK LABOR QUESTION. The great question of the Australian colonies at the present time is the reintroduction of Kanaka labor into Northern Queensland. In that colony there are large sugar plantations, which were worked some . years ago very successfully with Kanaka labor. Agents from the planters used to visit the South Sea Islands, and bring there frqm black or Kanaka laborers to work the sugar industry, but missionaries and others directed attention to the way in which the poor savages were treated, and the system was abolished. There are terrible stories told of the cruelties practised on the poor blacks; they were treated in the most unhuman manner, and very frequently shot down with as little compunction as if they had been rabbits. So at least we are told, and we are inclined to believe it, because we believe man is capable of apy cruelty, so long as he feels lie can escape punishment, There was very little to protect the poor blacks in the back country of Queensland from the inhuman treatment of their masters, and we have very little doubt that their masters took advantage of their helplessness. The Government of Queensland have now received to reintroduce hi afk labor into the colony, but they are meeting with strenuous opposition on all sides, and it is still doubtful whether they will sncceeed. Apart altogether from the question qf whether the Kanakas have been ill-treated ip the past, or will be welMreated ip the future, it appears to us very UUdesjrable that such an element should be introduced into the colonies under any clrcumstap.ee. The planters of South America in almost a similar way introduced blacks into the United States to work their plantations. We all know the result, it led to a terrible war, and now the are beginning to become a cprse to America, When the system was first begun no one anticipated that they would ever become so numerous, or threaten to crowd out the white man as they are doingat the present time. It may he so with the Australian colonies if they introduce such an element Into their social system, but we have great hopes they will not. The labor organisations are unanimous in their opposition to the movement, and it is more than probable that they will succeed.

But how would it do to settle General Booth's •• submerged tenth ”

there ? There are large numbers of poor wretches in the slums of London to whom a home and enough to eat would be an earthly paradise, and if they were placed iit charge of Salvation Army officers on these plantations, we sec no reason why they would not do there. Tim presence of the Salvation Army officers would have the dual effect of looking after their moral and spiritual welfare, and of protecting them from any harshness on the part

of their employers. It appears to us, too, that bad as they may be, they would work as well as the black laborers, while of course the pay they would expect to get for a time, at least, would not be great. General Booth no doubt has higher ideas in his head, but at the same time we think if he adopted our suggestion it would result in immense good to the submerged tenth,” and prove profitable to Queensland.