The Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 1582, 18 March 1882, Page 17

The Otago Witness.

WITH WHICH 18 IKOOBPOBATBD THI 'SOUTHIHBI MEBOPHY.'

, SATURDAY,' 18th MARCH, 1882.

It is a remarkable and interesting coin* cidence that the very, time when the American Government are remonstrate ing with the Russian Government on their harsh treatment of -the Jews, and when the American ,peop}e are cordially and hospitably welcoming the fugitives from ' Kussian enmity, the American Legislature have passed a law excluding Chinese from the United States. There is not really a pin to choose between the two instances of narrow-minded prejudice. The grounds of objection are precisely the same in both. The Russians hate the Jews because they work harder and drink less than they do, and make money where they cannot, and push their way by sheer cleverness and patience and unceasing attention to business; while those around them are idle and dissipated, and stupid and ignorant. The Americans hate the Chinese for exactly the same reasons'. The Chinese are always at work, and they do without whisky, and live well on the simplest fare, and stick to business instead of wasting their, time in political agita* to > and they get on and save money

in spite of low w r ages and dear commodities, and failures and frauds, and a great deal of brutal ill-usage besides. The •Jews go to Russia because .their especial qualities are rare there, and are consequently in demand. The Chinese go to the United States for tho same reason. And in, both -countries the native people, who do not possess the good .qualities of. the aliens, are jealous of. them, prejudiced against them, and determined to be rid of. them. Nothing

could be more ludicrous than for the

Americans to set themselves up as the champions of the persecuted Jews at the very moment when they are instituting % wholesale persecution of the Chinese. There are said to be two sides to the • Jewish' 1 question in

Russia. Ifc is said that the Jews take

advantage of the simplicity of the • people around them' and cheat them out of their earnings, and lend them money "at 'ruinous rates only to, cheat them again in the process, and— having thus at length become the bondmasters'of a great part i of the . population and. the country— : tyrannise ' frightfully- rhovdr tnei* dependants. The ..difference of „.' reJigion»-ioQ».iS' ft'-po^t -cause ..of 411feeiing, uitacbigoted country where the people „are taught., frpm childhood to abominate the ancient enemies of their faith. Th^ bjtter prejudice against the Jews in Russia, , therefore, nas some excuse; fr^m, the, Russians' point of view at all events.!" ; But the equally bitter prejudice, <ithe, Chinese. in America has no 1 excuse whatever, from any point ~st<-. view. No one pretends that the Chinese bheat: the Americans, or get them under their heel by usury. Why, a Yankee ,woulc( cheat, a Chinaman out of his eye-teeth without John knowing 5 it ; and.aSjtd usury> the Chinese nave no dealings of -the sort., . Neither, we' hope and trust, -will it be maintained- that the Chinese religion offends" the pious souls of the Americans.' The Chinese are ,~ only found, on the Pacific Slope, and : religion Has not got as far West as that yet. All the 11 religion there is to be •'Bhockedin San Francisco is not worth troubling about. , Besides, the Chine se J ' religion'is'of the most inoffensive and j unobtrusive type^ It consists merely •/•of a-' lofty co#e,, of mprial philosophy, j . symbolised in private by practices' . ., .elbsely' rese&bling those of the Anglican Ritualists, except that they are simple • "and . economical , Instead of bei>?g elaborate 1 and 1 extravagant. a It is iut--terly«put -of .-the question that any such sentiment of and detestation csn be, .^rpused. ftmpngrltl^e, Americans by this difference of creed, as i^.felt by the* ' 'Greek Catholics for the Jewish, religion. ' ! B r is a well-khdWii fact, indebtjt, thut the most religiouspeople in the Unitld Sfates are tie" yejjy „ .lip for- .the [Chinese^and have hitherto su^cessfu^lysprptec^djtliem from persei cutibn. V.-The -special enemies of the , Chinese! are the, godless, reckless people ■ whd {ill the Western cities with "cusBadness/' and.' keep' the country popjilat^6n ;in" .tei^pij by th,eir excesses atid their violence.' .' In short, whilst in Russia there is a. good deal of just t'e„.sentment and honest bigotry of crejd 1 arid 1 race, mixed up with the popular : jealousy of the Jews' superior industry and thrift, in ' America that jealousy respecting the Chinese is unrelieved by any, element of worthier motives. The effect of persecution will be the sa:pe mi both countries. The Jews will leave

Russia,, and, carry their quick wits and untiring perseverance with them to enrich other countries. The Chinese

wjli, leave America, and take with thejtn tn'e "instruments of ' much of her proff- . perifcy. The law just passed merely purports to exclude further arrivalsjof Chinese, .and not to, interfere with those already in the country. But that inakesT little 'difference.' There are,! :f: f we mistake I not, Wy abo\it 200,000 Chinese in 'the United States, and tncy die at the rate of say '20' per 1000 per '.' annum. Th' 6 death-rate, is accelera 1 ,«\d by the habits of; life whicli' they ire ' compelled to adopt in consequence of the prejudice existing against tliejtn'j ""Not a few of them die from downright ' ill-usage.' >v Compound fracture 1 of the skull, apparently superinduced by, a ' pickaxe," was the verdict of a Nevada ,r, r jury oh the body of a Chinese miner ' found dead in his claim. , On the other ■ hand there are very few births among them^ owing to the rarity of female* Chinese immigrants/ Thus, in the ' natural coutse of things, there would hot be a Chinaman left at the end of fifty years. But there is no chance of their waiting to die out in that manner. Exclusion will assuredly be followed by direct persecution, and if they do nofc take themselves off, as they will ' he

quite ready to do, as soon as they have "made a little money, they will find '\. themselves subjected to treatment little 'leas abominable than that which tha ' ''"u&toppjr M* have recently suffered

in Russia. Then, we suppose, the Russian Minister at Washington will be instructed to remonstrate with the Republican Government on their 1 atrocious cruelty to an innocent and deserving people, and the Czar will intimate to the American Chinese his willingness to take them under his Imperial protection. It is not a little curious, indeed, that while the Russians are persecuting a people who are well thought of in the United States, the Americans are persecuting a people who contribute a considerable number to the Czar's subjects in Asia, and are closely allied in race to a large section of the Russians themselves. But 'the day will come, we venture to think, if the Americans continue to travel on the road ,sey now, are going upon, when the Jews will meet with just the same treatment at their .hands as the Chinese, are meeting with n now. j