COLONEL BRETT ON THE CHINESE QUESTION.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3131, 11 July 1881, Page 4

COLONEL BRETT ON THE CHINESE QUESTION.

The Hon, Colonel Brett's utterances in the Legislative C::. "1 on the Chinese Bill are reported in Zealand Times as follows : —O'olonel Brett said the Bill was reversing the great law " Do as you would be done by," and was opposed to all justice, equity, or Christian benevolence. Why should we make a poor Chinese pay his own passage urn] pay £10 on landing, when we brought others here at our own cost, most of whom had not half-a-crown on landing ? Where were Chinese to pet the money ? Itwas most cruel, and a direct violation of the law of nature and of the treaty we had forced on them at the cannon's mouth and the bayonet's point. Two thousand year.--ago China was the most civilised country in the world, and now it educated every child b. ru, while not a third of our children W-c. xx Fy:o Chinese any dirtier than •'•cotchm t, or Irishmen or other barbarour- ti'iis—i"ur' i !it l'UiL'hter] —many of whom : v.'-r -v .-: ■• ■' the;n a elv»'s from year's end to fcr. '■. whin t'hinese washed thems~l,.--, ... .-.!•:-n :.... Dl) ~ ible ? He had live- 1 :••'<■■■ .;, i f i ~ inn \ears, and therefore 'n- , .-- r M -iMio and do we not plunder h>,. Mii'is-is, and are not ashamed of it ? [luupfhter.] Then why should not the Chinese plunder us, as we have plundered the Maoris of their gold ? No doubt the Maoris would be ashamed cf us if we passed the Bill. His friend opposite (Mr Ngatata) would blush for us, and no doubt was blushing, only they could not see it. [Great laughter 1 " The earth wa3 the Lord's and the fulness thereof. The Bill should not only be thrown ant, but with indignity. [Hear, hear.] It was due to party feeling, to a want of backbone, and to fear of the general election. It was merely to curry favor with their constituents by those who should be ashrr.sd of themselves. [Mr Wood rose to order.] Well, he would drop that part of the subject. [(3-reat laughter.] Any'>:""g he could say would not change Hie minds of those alluded to or make them ashamed. There were parts of this town aa fdthy as any Chinese quarter. They should show backbone, and throw out thie trashy and abominable Bill, which stank in his nostril 3.