Evening Post WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1904.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 22, 27 January 1904, Page 4

Evening Post WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1904.

THE APPEAL TO C^SSAIt. Tbo Times was pleased to axpicss the opinion a few days ago that with the leply of the Tr.ins>vaal Government io the protests forwarded by the Govoinmenta of the Australian Commonwealth and Now Zouland against the pioposed importation of Chinese labour, Ihe incident might be regarded as closed. This colony certainly does not so legarcl it, and will expect the Cabinet to make every legitimate effort to back up the protest already made. ' The announcement, therefore, which the Premier made (o a repreKontativo of the Chri&tchurch Press on Saluidiiy will bo leceived with general satisfaction. He lias arrived at the proper determination not to heat the incident as closed until a fuitjior protest has been made on the colony."* behalf. Mr. Seddon now speaks of urging a leferondum. on the question, and this in the only mothod under piesent conditions of ascertaining with uccuracy the opinion of the people, and rodeoining the pledgegiven by Mr. Chamberlain as Colonial Secretory, to which wo -referied yesterduy. lv Pretoria tho pievailiug view appears to bo that tho question should lie deferred until the new colony ha« been endowed with lepresentalivo institutions, .md, according to Keillor's agent in that (own, a crowded public mooting declaicd for that policy op the 17th ult. by an overwhelming majority. In asking the Transvaal (Government; 1o withhold its consent to the proposed importation, Mr. Dcukin and Mr. Seddon were practically taking the name- view, since any veto by tho present nominated Executive could only operate till tho colony took full charge of its own affairs. In Johannesburg itself the more modest demand was formulated that tho Executive »<hould tuko no action until a referendum had been taken on the question, but Johannesburg was not privileged like Pretoria io disciiM) the matter in public meeting, for the meeting called for tho purpose- was broken Tip before a resolution could be put or even a speech made. The rowdies responsible for this result wero well organised, and, it is leportod, well paid, and probably not even Lord Milner him«*olf is iiinocwnt enough to believe that tho special trains which brought many of them into town from the mines that evening wero paid for out of their own pockets. According to the South African CJuiudiiin, from which we gave an interesting cxtiact on Monday, the heroes of this exploit received fifteen shillings a head for the work, nnd about two Hundred of them were openly paid in an oJlice fronting one of tho principal thoroughfares in tho city, two constables standing by to prevent overcrowding, and a largo number of interested spectators watching the proceedings with eager curiosity. In (v free country these tactics would bo hold to mark a demoralised minority, which was afraid of open warfare ; but in a country to which freedom is iv stranger they nppaiently represent to Lord Milner and his advisers tho free voice of a united people. Such a viow may have currency in official ciiclos ivt Pretoria,, but throughout the Empiro generally thore will be loathing and disgust at tho thought of a capitulation to tho employers of these roughs which will bo tantamount to a confession that it wnsxjn their account wo went to war. Tho hnast viuiient sneers of the "Bulletin," the most gloomy predictions of tho pro-Boers, will bo justified if the sunender takes place. "We aro fighting, " wroto Mr. J. A. ilubson. one of the ablest of the English oppononta of. the wur. "in order to place a small international oligurchy of miue-owtieiu aijd speculator in power at Pretoria, tfiijjlishinen will suioly do well to recognise that tho economic and uolitical destinies of South Africa aro. and seem likely lo fomnin, in the hands of mon, most of whom aro loreinnwv by origin, "huso trade is finance, and whos>o trade interests are not chiellv British." While tho nation was spending its money and its men in tho subjugation of tho country it hcoutcd such an idea with indignation ; but Lord Milnor's heurt seems set on the realisation of tho prophecy. As our strong man he championed tho Uitlauders against the oppression exercised by Mr. Jvrager, and his strength is now directed to the championship of the most dangerous cluss of iJillanUer against tho liberties of tho newly libi'iated Transvaal and the highest interests of tho British Empiro. Tho RuyorsbacliN, tho Schumachers, the Hanaus, tho Ecksteins, tho Shukosches, theFriedlanders, tho Beits, tho Doltalbacjis, tho Neumanns, tho Michaelises, tho Mosenthuls, tho Zooppritxes, the Breitmoyers, and tho Brauustoins aro with him to a man ; and ho will need very strong evidence to convince him that their voico is not tho voice of the people. These purebred British patriots, whose very names uro redolent of tho proudest glories of our nationul history, wero singing "Rulo Britannia" before the war ; but tho refrain of the omissaries ' whom some of them hired to break up the referendum meeting at Johannesburg was something inoro specifically appropriate :•— "Who aro Aye, who aro we? Wo aro the men who want Chinee." It should be a gratifying ieJh;ction for Lord Milner that after his frieudrf have bocured the half-million Chinese labourers necessary lo s>ave them from tho workhouso and the Empire from ruin, it will bo possiblo for thum to urrange for ihe howling down of their opponents at a much cheaper rato than fifteen shillings a head. Fragrant, sanitary, and bracing as tho physical and moral atmospheies of tho Chinese compounds aro bound to bo, the occupants will doubtless bo glad to roliuvo the monotony by an occasional tiip to town to break up a. British meeting ; and if the mere presence of a- thousand such Chinamen was not enough of itself to stampede any meeting of Britishuis, the ju'dgin English of the choius is bo admirably adapted for their learning that they woula soon make as good a job of it as Iho moro expensive class of laboureis whom tho syndicates have hithetlo had to employ. Dividends would go up in consequence, the free voice of an enlightened people would bo more audible than over to Lord- Milner and Kir Arthur Law ley, and the salvation of the Empire would bo definitely us^uied. This, at least, would be the oiliciul viow, though this colony at any uitcwould probably continuo to cling to its

heiuticul prejudice in favour of Iho iJiil i^hor. The change in Mr. Seddon's tone with rcL'aul to the Boei,-> is a, luuaikahlu indication of Jio 1 " colonial geulhm.-iiL is winking. One weakness of bis ouiloiy dining the war was his inability to hiiy .t genuious word for llu 1 giillunt foo wt had to tight, but uiiilcr the blrehs of this nov peiil ho has hcconin a pio Boer too. IJo is quite content to übidu by the decision of tho people of the Tnihbvaal at the b.illot-hox, and Jio pivis as one of his icusoiis that "I am quite sure tho Boers won't tolerate Clmuunen, and 1 am ceitam that Kiugcr would never huve permit ted the intioduetion of Asiatics under any eiicumstances." Yea, wo may till tuiii pro-Boer now when Britishers are luimug pio-Chinose, und if that is tho feeling here, wo may foim from it home notion of what ft dungeious reinforcement Dutch sentiment will receive in all tho .South African colonies if Lord Miltier's scheme is not knocked' on the heud. Inspired lelegiams from Johannesburg have uMsuml us that tho Boeis aie indiiTciciil and far fiom unanimous on the question.' At heart they are probably all nguitiht it, though some may lie low at ptesent in the hope that the .scheme if carried out v ill give them v powerful lever of which they would In* deprived by its defeat; and the vigorous anti-Chinese campaign organised by the Bond in Capo Colony shows that the loaders there are fully alive to tho tactical advantugo which the disastious proposal is giving them. The Premier, we uio glad to Win, is contemplating a further protest, and we trust thut ho will losfc no. time It is evident from the conespondenco which we published yesterday thai the original idea wtis to communicate directly wit 11,I 1 , tht Imperial Government, but that Mr. Deakin's bomcwh.it comical dvead of retaliation leaulted in an appeal being made to the Transvaal authorities instead. Mr. Scddou should now follow his own counsel, and ask for the veto of tho Imperial authorities. What tighi havo they to allow the official oligarchy at Pretoria in conceit with tho magnates of tho. Rand to mortgage, perhaps beyond redemption, the future of a country which is shortly to have representative government ¥ Let the question btand till then, or in the alternative let nothing bo done till n special referendum has been taken. That should now be the attitude of this colony, and its protest phould be »narle not at Pretoria, but in Downing-street, where the ultimate responsibility lies. Since Iho previous part of this article was in type, we have- been favoured by the- courtesy of the Premier with a copy of a despatch from the Secretary of StaU) for the Colonies, which appears in another column. Beserving fuller comment for tomorrow's i.s.vue, wo must say at once that we cannot congratulate- tho flon. A. Lyttt'Uon upon what is his iir&t administrative act of the highe.it importance since he took oflico Evading the responsibility of expressing any opinion on the policy of the proposed importation, he- takes the extraordinary ground that it is the policy of the Imperial Government "to treat tha Transvaal as though it wiub a .self-govern-ing colony, unload a- distinct Imperial interest is concerned, and to interfere as little us possible with local opinion and local \vi»nvs." This is moat astonislung logic. Tho Transvaal is treated like a «e.f-governing colony except that it is not allowed to govern itmlf, and the autocracy of Lord Milner and his colleagues is .substituted for freo government. To fepeak of "interfering us little at, possiblo with local opinion und local wishes" is to beg the- whole question. This colony, at any rate, only asks thai that opinion and tho.«o wishes shall be ascertained in some more convincing mnnner than by accepting tho dictum of a benevolent despot nnd the resolution of his council; but tho Imperial Uovi'rnment needs no further evidence, and buses a plea, for inaction upon a (supposed regard for local (sentiment which it seems just as anxious «» Lord Milner to exclude from the opportunity of definite and binding expression. \Ve quite believe that in the Transvaal, an in the other South African colonies, "Iho vnst majority of tho people" Ls, n» stated by the telegram of tho Anti-Chinese League to our Premier, "strenuously opposed" to the Chinese invasion. The mine-owners must shure- this opinion, or they would not shrink from the to*t. The Imperial Government is sanctioning the betrayal of the peoplo to their interests, and saddening tho hearts of all truo friends of the Empire.