The Star. THURSDAY, FEB. 16, 1893. The Hon E. Shrimski's Protest.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4571, 16 February 1893, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, FEB. 16, 1893. The Hon E. Shrimski's Protest.

Every liberal-minded man in the Colony must sympathise with the Hon Mr Shrimski in the spirit of his protest to the Premier, regarding the combined exclusion, of Russian Jews from the Australasian Colonies. No one is better entitled to make the protest, inasmuch as the Hon Mr Shrimski has in his public career afforded a notable example of how his historio raco can, and does, under the beneficent instincts which have guided Australasia into the first rank of self-governing and self-respecting communities, triumph in the never-ending battle for the rights of humanity. Mr Shrimski has received every recognition that a deserving citizen can. receive at the hands of his fellow Colonists. Enjoying, from hio first appearance in the Colonies, the full rights of a citizen — despite of race and foreign extraction — he ba3 won all the prizes of distinction his natural impulses have entered him for. A leading citizen and Mayor of tbe town of his choice, a guiding spirit in the establishment and maintenance of those institutions which are the lest of a self-governing community, he was on more than one occasion elected to represent his town in the Lower House. After valuable service in the representative Chamber, he was, with the approval of all who knew him, appointed to the Legislative Council, in which he still holds a seat. Nor is Mr Shrimski'a career singular in the Colony so far as his race is concerned. Sir Julius Vogel's name at once suggests itself a3 one of the most prominent statesmen in Australasia whom New Zealand has entrusted with its destin- ! ies in several capacities and over a course of j many years. Nearly every New Zealand I community possesses men of Mr Shrimeki's f race and religion, whom all recognise as foremost in every thought and act which go to make an earnest, God-fearing nation. We therefore think Mr Shrimaki should have considered the Colony more and his race leaß in forwarding to the Premier his indignant telegram. The Premier's reply is manly and also indignant, pardonably so ; because in New Zealand we exclude no one from the full rights of citizens, what- 1 ever their origin. Mr Shrimski should have remembered that we delight to promote to honour any of those who prove j themselves worthy of the highest trust. | The Premier is only carrying out the expressed feelings of, the Colony when he combines with the other Australasian Governments to prevent our shoreß from becoming the dumping ground of any unsuitable class of immigrants. Our fir,st dnty in this matter is to ourselves, and the public instinct has not been more alive to the dangers to be inflicted on us by a large importation of Euesian Jews than it was a few months ago, when General Booth waa supposed to be arranging to ship a cargo of the submerged tenth of Great Britain. We have ' only to look up our own records to estimate ' what inconsiderate immigration may do to the detriment of the present and to that of following generations in a progressive ratio. For these very good reasons we do not desire to see a low typed immigration. Mr Shrimeki must give the Colony oredit

for much, and Mr Ballance may be ex jused by every sound-minded man, except i, fanatic, in the prudent and patriotic step be has taken in discouraging immigration of an undesirable sort. The question is felt to be of urgency in England, where, though a Conservative amendment was re- I jected by a large majority, it was followed j by a speech from the Premier indicating ' that the Cabinet were ready to consider '; the question, while they had to admit that it was surrounded with difficulties.