The Daily Texarkanian., 1900-07-09
Other Side of the Chinese Question.

other Side of the Chinese Question.
The present all-absobing Chinese
question, like most questions, has
two sides, though the diverse may
have been concealed. In religion,
morals ana political practice, the
Chinese differ wioely from Euro
peans and Americans. For many
years we have been trying to re-
concile these differences, by intro
ducing our religion, our morals and
our commercial and political prac-
tices. We send them our Bibles,
our liquors, our gambling devices,
our opium and we are now intro
ducing our cocaine, and with these
we have brought to their notice and
commended to their consideration
our commercial morals. The ignor-
ance of these heather Asiatics was
truly pathetic. During all the ages
of their national existence-for
they we're civilized, had a religion,
literature and a moral philosophy
when our Saxon and Teutonic and
ancestors were savages but little
above the beasts in intelligence
the Chinese had never learned to
beat creditors, evade taxes, or get
something for nothing.
The Chinese claim that they have
received from Europeans and
Americans nothing but harm, and
they now desire to sever inter
course with us. We exclude them
from our shores and they reasona-
bly, conclude that to exclude us
from their country would effectual-
ly close the mouth of our complaint
But we claim the right to exclude
them from our shores, and also the
right to enter their country, do
business with them, teach them
our religion and our morals, and
force them to swap their honest
teas and silk for our adulterated
drugs, fraudulent foods and shoddy
textiles. We have not only taught
these people our religion and our
rascality, by precept, but by exam
pie. Is it any wonder that they re-
clprocate by discriminating against
us. Have they not enough provoca-
tion to justify their hatred of the
foreign devils? Has not ther expe-
rience in this line been continuous
since Great Britain forced them to
take British opium when they did
not want it2
I If we would leave these people to
manage their own affairs in their
own way there would be no trouble
with them; but they object to our
religion, our whisky, our opium and
the sharp practices of our CONNER
cial pirates, and hance the present
trouble. The entire episode is one
of criminal aggression" in the in
terest of commercial greed, of
which our missionaries seem to be
the forerunners. Archdeacon Gray,
of Hong Kong, in bitter attack
upon the Chinese for refusing our
religion, say: Notwithstanding
conditions so unfavorable to civil
and social virtues, the Chinese are
a courteous, orderly, honest, in
dustrious, sober and patriotic peo-
pie" Mr.. Seward, the American
consel at Shanghai, charges the
Chinese with ''unquestioned hon
esty," IAN enduring sense of right
and wrong" 1t is notorious aud
unquestioned that these national
traits prevail everywhere in China,
except where our missionaries, gam
blers and merchants have taught
them Western civilization" For
all these thing it seems China is
doomed. Europe has looked upon
her wealth and coveted it, and their
heathenism becomes a pretext for
as unholy crusade as ever dis
graced the earth. Texas Farm and
Ranch.