BUMPTIOUS 'BULLETIN':

NZ Truth, 4 January 1908, Page 4

BUMPTIOUS 'BULLETIN':

ITS CACKLE CONCERNING KEIR HARDIE. The blowsy, bumptious, blustering "Bulletin" has, as might have beenexpected, fallen foul of Kcir Hardie, the leader of the British Labor Party—the only visitor from another country m whom the "Bulletin" could see , anything praiseworthy, would be some plutocratic Protectionist from Yankeeland. The "Bulletin" alleges that Keir Hardie declared that Australia should be open to all comers, without distinction of creed or color ; /and this, it declares, shows Keir Hardie to be "truly English," "very silly," "awful," and the prophet of a form of Government based on the existence .of a class of cheap labor serfs. The '''■Bulletin" is an. impudent and ignorant imposter, and grossly misleads, m this, matter, its l biish readers. As to T/hei'her Keir Hardie is, or is not, opposed to our White Australia principle,, it is not yet possible tp say with certainty, because Hardie is not engaged m public lecturing, and we know enough of the methods of the capitalistic press not to take the. wordjipon this matter of any.of thehireling scribes of the' daily newsnapers. Hardie certainly said '• nothing against the White Australia principle at tne meeting at -the Sydney Trades Hall, on the 16t'h instant. • ■ '♦ ■ « ■ ■ What seems auite probable enough with regard to Keir Hardie and our White Australian principle is that he nrbbably does not see the beauty of making a superstition of that principle. Periodicals like the "Bulletin'V seem to assume that our reason for kerp,jng out Asiatics is that they are not of .the same color as ourselves. Such an assumption is asini.ne folly of the most disgusting land ; our chief reason for excluding Asiatics is chiefly is that they have *iot' yet. learned the value of the combinations and' laws for the purpose of maintaining a high standard of life, and ..because there are so many of them 'that their unrestricted admission might break down, all devices adopted for the purpose of maintaining a high standard of life for the wage-earners of this country. economically and politically— and perhaps morally— the peoples of Asia are backward peoples, but intellectually they are not by any means . to be despised, and some of them are even formidable physically. It may, also, somewhat t surprise v the bumptious "Bulletin" scribe to -hear that 'the skin of some tribes of Asiatics is quite white and their eyes blue ; 'they "are probably whiter than the average writer for the "Bulletin," : (lie conductors of which cock-sure periodical might find much informa- • lion upon this subject m Topinard's j "Anthropology." The Manchu Tari turs, for instance, who rule. China, arc— many of them— white and fair. This is, too, incidcntially mentioned by the author of that -ex--1 ceetlingly, interesting work, "Indis-

creet Letters from Peking." The "Bulletin's" oracular bosh that the nation that has "gone Eurasian" is "-damned for all time" is amusing m view of the fact that the great Russian Empire, which is not by any means "damned," is a Eurasian Empire, and that some of its most notable men are of mixed European and Asiatic blood. Not the least influential of the members of the second Duma were some Asiatics who were also Mahommedans. Dr. Dillon amusingly commented m a recent issue of the "Contemporary Review" upon one aspect of the pregnant fact. X » M As to the "Bulletin's" bunkum to the effect that Asiatics are unfit for anything but despotic Government, this was said about Europeans upon the European Continent until the French Revolution convinced some people of their mistake m this respect. At present, there actually are representative institutions m Japan and Persia, and the day of China and India may not be far distant. — "Sydney Truth."