The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1906. A CLOUD ON THE HORIZON.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12898, 8 February 1906, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1906. A CLOUD ON THE HORIZON.

A telegraphed •ranuriaij of a speech fcj the Premier at Palmerst-on North last Modi* day contains lie folio-wing passage:—< " There wa« one tiling above all others ilhat he wanted to see New Zealand remain firm and true l/>, y»d that was purirtj of race. Under tie alterad oonditkniß thai now eilfi?d there -wan a, cloud ofl tie horizon. 11 migiit }>?- do a man n luibcL 1»o1 ilicre wab a clond, a!ni tP be wished to draw attention to" it, snrfl he would Kke Parliament and tbe people with no tic certain sound to say, * We'll have no interference. We will «inV polj« tical difficulties and show a bold front £Q maintain the parity of the race which been a. blessing to mankind, and •wMcHjr if kept iatacfc, would conitinae to be iw. 1 ® Readers of nert morning's papers may well have wondered what this .cryptic uneraiisOß meant. Those who took tbe trouble i<K cast about for a meaning mar, -equally •well bare been puzzled to find. <n»e. A 6 bevt there ooald arise an ibe mind t>f thg average reader a rague idea. that "it must have sfumething to do -with Japan.'" And «oae of those who reached thus far woaTdl peihaps go a little farther, sod mentally rematk: "Just what I thought all along about that treaty." The "New Zealand! Tim**/' a journal well informed .concerning Ministerial and Departmental business and attitudes, has a leading article on this passage which shows that our supposed reader# picked np tbe clue to the solution «f lie Pwbuers-enigma.. "We have good' reason for believing," says ottr contemporatr, "that both thp New Zealand Ooverament and that-of the Commonwealth are in possession V»f despatches from, lb* Imperial Kirthoritaes which involve « vwy serious menace both i-o, the racial parity of tbew* colonies and. Ho their legislative independence.' 'lf «ar infarm&tkwj in eorjrect, these despatches emanated net from the present Liberal Cabinet in tbe Old Country, bal from its predecessor; -awJ tbe natural inference is that this action is the result from tbe great .Eat Eastern Power with which Great Britain ban recently renewed and tightened! her old alliance." The aentences just 'qooted and the Premier's remarks au« sufficient evidence of tbe bigb probability that «arh despatches do exist, afcd now that their existence has been so clearly indicated it would be only fair to the people! of the colony that the Premier s'nould speak • a little mfcre plainly: .about the' nature of Ibeir contents. Until be dosfe fo. the pablic will be compelled to be content with their own surmises, and these may be moje disconcerting than the despatches tht-niftlves. One surmise -of a: general land can scarcely avoid being made by every intelligent colonist; and that in thai Japan will not jemain content with a- position of social inferiority in the national partnership.' It would be absurd to expect it. Htraran nature is very maeh, ih* same all the world over. The Britisher would j«sent as a gross affront any atteaipt by aa aily' to hold him at arm's length socially: and the Japanese muet be given credit f:.r possessing at least an equal amount «f self-respect. If Japan dt-Kwnds frc m the Imperial G»vemmeot the right of free entry into all parts of tbe Uiilisb dominions, ns a natural cawseqtience the treaty of .alliance between the two "nations; it is difficult to see how the demand can be reasonably : refused. The ImpeiiAl lilt verawent m.'ty be imagined to be unable to see ■any' very great objection I to such a Th<- memiberß of tbe I Imperial Cabir.et are bat men, and their point of view. l»eing humanly limited, brings in sight lio risks of injaiy within '.their iicriwm. Australasian statesmen and publicists have an entirely different -point lof view, and Mr Seddon ' may be taken to have voiced their , fears. The contemporary whom we bare quoted abcrre likens: the danger that Iwoms *head for New Zealand to the ** -outrage *" of the iof the .Transvaal with Chinese.. Tbe ne«s is iscancely a .good one. . The in the Transvaal are not an inundation; they -are -cribbed, cabined and confined in; "a. manner they df» not like. If the Japanese come id. New Zealand .in .any numbers, it will .be with ibe .freedom M an inandanicn ; and tbe Premier's remarks •suggest that he fears that the influx will iave the magnitude of -an inandatioti. Tlie "New Zealand Times" barely restrain* itself from mring«tir®g language, bat af.ltr applying the curb, contents Itself with saying that Great Britain may_ "tighten it* hold upon India."by the alliance wi£h Japan; bat *' is not going to tighten the Empire'* hold upon tbe colonies if its first-fraifc* are to be such as we have reason to dread. Mr Seddon need have no fear bat that- New Zealand will stand by him. in the most vigorous protest be can make." That sounds very veil, but we onahl -lo have hi- le definite information before indulging :n veiled tlneals against tiic integrity of the Empire.