PASSING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10179, 13 October 1894, Page 2

PASSING NOTES.

(From the Otago Witness.)

fl*HE*eiiDnile3 of tho Government—andeven pis perfect Government has enemies—may Jreckonthemselves in luck. NoGovemnient Wer did bo much to delight its enemies as ;fche Seddon Government. Look at John ll'Kenzie'shill to muzzle the press; look at Sho same sagacious statsoman's endeavour to jjall or cripple high school- and the univerteity. Consider the fascinating Undesirable ilmmigiantß Bill of Mr Reeves; and in succession to that perpend the magnificent' abdication of the functions of a chief magistrate in the Premier's contribution to tha Middleton correspondence. To the enemies kif the Seddon Government these things, Jtaken one by one—still more, taken all in Sail- are a joy unmixed. I repeat that no Government ever did so much to exhilarate its foes as the Seddon Government—or to *naii3eate-its friends. For example.:

(Scenes The Dunedin wharf.) Erst Lemper: "I say, 'Any, what's this "fero Undesirable Immigrants Bill ?," Second Lumper: "Why, its to keep tho "bloomin' country for tbem us is in it." First Lumper; '• What, no more-passengers ? J_b. more towerists ?*-* Second Lumper: " No, norno-moro-ships, gteamer's'll hrev" to lay up !"' First Lumper,: "'risen there'll be no more Ivmipin". An' what's goin'tocomo o'rme-an' Srou?" Second-Lumper*: "Me on' you'll hev'to go Jabbitin*; or else- jine the unemployed. But Its-only a put on. They don't want to pass it." First Lumper: "Oh, they don't, don't they! Small praise to'em! What do they mean by Jthrcatenin' to take the bread out of a poreman's month? I'm fell up on this Gover'ment. •They're playin" ifr.too low down altogether.' It makes me sickl Next election I votes for •EishJ"

Adjectives emitted,tbis-is-a.-airabstract •and Bummary of wharf opinion, and I darepay that similar sentiments exist elsewhere. In their desire to ofier a sop to Cerberus "Hessre Seddon and Co. of late have outdone all their former outdoings. Bnt what is the jnse cf offering Cerberus a sop-so rank that jjr*tnrns iris stomach 1

The rationale of the Undesirable Immigrants Bill is thus e_poun.:ed, poetry-wise, by a correspondent; W.P.R^sotos)'3_y Undesirable Immigrants Bill, In our stoiy of degradation • Adughly respectable place will fill, .1 venture to think, for it proves us still .Erepan-d to do oar masters' will Tothe last.humiliation. T&nvas Labour-pipes must we-dance aibout, Or do our best endeavour. . , Chorus 'oi* Laiooii 'Meubkhs-*. Of tfta* there is no manner of doubt— ' J"o probable, possible shadow, of doubts -.7 _to.possibledoubt'whatever! • : W.R.R.(resumes): "■""-.." So this Undesirable Immigrants Bin Is evidence neat and knavey ■ .' . Of-our highly respectable wish to fill Our highly respectable places still, . 'Or we never had .'.wallowed so bitter a pill; Of-that youmay take your'daveyl: ."Jfer-if we didn't they'd kick us-buJ*, . ; ' And back we should get never. ; CHOBUS OE I_U!OU_ Mkmbebs 1 lOftfart therejs no manner of doubt— 7 3io probable, possible shadow bldoubfrf-Uopossible-doubt whatever"!

43ea_ly there, must have been; the other Say ■something seriously wrong in„therela.Sonsof England and France. "Ebe momentary tension is not yet explained, though St has been carefully esplainerl, away.. JEhereiras nothing whatever in the met that trained meetings of Cabinet were heldsiimil-1 jtraneonsly in the two capitals, that at jjhe same moment the -"reach Ambassador and that the press of both'l ■countries suddenly grew electria It jwas accidental coincidence , merely, aHTthis,—Etotbing -whatever ' was the matter; ', The ! Effect of these official assayera_ions,jof whi<*h nobody believes a word,.ia to start a _ialtiStnjde of wild guesses as to what really "was ■thematter. Thus it.is _ai*_-that Frenck-ÜB-ffleptib-ities had been' wounded by the that our naval __$toeuvres men a rehearsal of an attack on ■certain French ports.. We could have teeant no harm, of course^ but it was an Impudent,, procedure, .and .John Bull, if keally guilty, ought to apologise. The case Would be mttch the' same if one's friend and peighbonr, having takeri.lessons in fisticiifi s; jreheaised his '.* lone,"'-."twft*,, : ..'*:t_J^iß:^. i ia feints at one's,<>wa! nose. ■ '•; Deoidedly..rone jwonldn't likeifc. Bnt asbetween France and "England there are more serious questions Sn dispute than-the Jiot very briUiaxi- sham hostilities of the Ohannel fleet. France fiesires to grab Madagascar, a piracy not to ie tolerated by England, herself accused of grabbing Egypt, which English piracy is gqnally intolerable-to France. There are the Jnaklngs here ofcaTrery pretty quarreL Theni p£ course, there is the old score against i"""Bglandte wipe off—and along score it-is Bow, fronrGrecy to Waterloo! Let us hope that this old score may be permitted to ptand a littteJonger. Personally I have no jambifcton tosseedfc *vriped oi_._- my'time.

_"hoHmesare long past ia-wMcbr we-could stMnk of the Far East as the world., of the ,-willpwpattem.plate and a "___diri which it 'always seamea-a-ternoon:"" The Mongol is Capable-of-energy"; our Australasian expsripttce.of -dm has convinced-us>of that, not to HJnin ca onr two-Opium Wars-and the hand'pome licking we had to accept at the Peihc "Forts. All the same we were not prepared fat the*. vigour, and rigour which Mongols seem to hsve^ai-comraand when belabouring teach other. In celerity o£ slaughter the Chinese-Japanese war offers lessons notnmBrorthy of study by the more enlightened west. The despised yeUowskins have teamed from us many .-things, and in some &aye bettered .the. instruction. Captain tang, late of the Chinese naval service; an jrufc-ority-acsepted by the Spectator as'comtaetent and trustworthy, asserts that in the Chinese navy "the gun practice is exceljient,andthe ships are accustomed to perform the most complicated manoeuvres. The gridiron evolution in which the Victoria was Jost was performed by them with the greatest accuracy and precision." As this excellent "Chinese navy, or most of it, has been sent to She bottom, it seems a fair inference that the {Japanese navy is more excellent still. There ,fa anotherparticular in which my own complacent British ignorance has received a Shock. Says the Spectator;—

The. Japanese Ministry is just facing a general "flection—the second within the last 12 months £-_nd is very anxious to rally the nation to its bide. Had it not done so, it would ih all pro-" •ba.bi_.ty have been overthrown by a combinaMon of groups. "Such an issue,*' says Mr Curzon, in The Times, " would have dealt a serious blow at the new constitution and would jbe a genuine calamity to the country. Possessed of these ideas, it is intelligible that the Japanese Skinistry should'look elsewhere for* a support denied to them in the popular Chamber, and phould find ofi the field of foreign and military. JEdventure, and in aa appeal to the national patriotism of a people as courageous as they are vain, a convenient ond familiar astriDgent to "tempers exacerbated by internal dissension." ,"_hat Japan has Ministers and general ■elections, a "popular Chamber,** and by inference a Chamber that is unpopular— exactly as in Wellington, possibly even a Seddon, a Beeves, and a John M'Kenzie— Shis is-a-revelation indeed.

S&farthe war seems to have gone -alto-, gather in favour of Japan. But European experts bid u_ bide a wee. The end is not yet. According to Captain Lang, Japan in the end is to be utterly crushed. Her early accesses count for little. **-__ China liked she could keep a war going for a century, ghe is a 3e"_-cupport__g country, and is quite content- to w*sit fora desired result." It may tbe so, but Belrin jnst now shows more evident® of a panic than of endurance and patient waiting. When Pekin is demoralised China has little advantage in her hngo bulk. With the vanishing of central control, the provinces, a3 likely as not, may fell to fighting each other. But anyhavt, Japan has to reckon with the outer barbarians, some of whom are anxious fco get a finger in fche pie—Eussia for one. Warships of all nations are converging upon ihe Yellow Sea. It is like the rush of dogs to a do<* fight. Was there ever a dog fight Sbat didn't attract afl the doga withm hearing % It is not merely to kesp a ring and see *_-Jr play that the Western nations are hurryin? up thoir ships—not merely that!—nor evln to protect any subjects or property thoy may have in those seas. Perhaps there are ? ofag to be "pickings," and to get a share sou mast be on tbe spot. Or if you don't "•Want a share for yourself you may want to Iteeo somebody else from a share. It would -hardly suit England that Russia shonld be ■allowed to pick up an all-the-year-round port in Coxea. Nor would it suit Australia. I Bhould be sorry to see our Australasian navy cent up to the Yellow Sea, bnt rather that than that Kussia should not ba frozen in for salf ths year at Vladivoatocb.

Labour Day with its motley procession, thongh of mushroom recency in New Zealand, is really a. reversion to the wisdoltn of tha ancients. In aU the great cities of Europe, during thia middle ages, trade guilds and craft guilds on their annual feast days or other fit occasions paraded the streets, carrying fantastic insignia, and making genuine sport both for themselves and tho re_t of the citizens. The New Zealander in a procession has the feeling that he is walking at a funeral, wears a hang-dog look, and seems thoroughly ashamed of himself. I did not observe this for myself, to-day because, as it chanced, my journalistic labours kept mo severely occupied elsewhere, but I have observed it on other occasions. One-reason for onr customary processional gloom in this country is that Labour Day is an attempt to set up a class distinction; another is, I suspect, the sourness of our prohibitionist! principles. It was not thus in the old days., Masters and men, not yet taught to think 'themselves natural .enemies, combined to uphold' in public procession tho honour of their craft. Sound malt liquor was their, drink, and they throve better on it than, their successors do on flatulent gingerbeer and dyspeptic tea, and developed better political principles, I*or example I- too, am a labourer, and have wrought a greater number of hours this day than'the regulation eight of a mechanic. Yet nobody invites me, or the likes of me, torfralk ih a Labour procession. I am-made the victim' of a very abominable class distinction—about the only class distinction stall surviving—and I accuse the Labour bosses of keeping it up: Democracy might bo not a bad thing if we could only get enough of it. Civis. ;