The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-05-15

M0N/
William Jennings BRYAN.
than five and a half millions. and the
| number Of Chinese at go. 600, winnie
the European population is estimated
at 1900. the Arabs at 5000. ana othef
Asiatics at $4,000. II will be seen from
these figures that the Chinese form
| the chief foreign ingredient in Meth
e~rIandS-lndia aS they do in Borneo
ana Straits settlements. In Java,
where we had a chance to observe
them. We found that the Chinese mo-
ropolized the mercantile business. ex-
ccpt where they We're compelled 70
share it with Arabs n Indians. We
also heard Of them as money loaners,
the rate of interest being generally
usurious. It NAV be said to their
credit. however, that as ShyIocks he
! Arabs can surpass them. The
riority OF the Arab i'm this respect has
| given rise to the saying among the ma
tiVes that the Chinaman leaves a ma
tive with nothing but a sarOng. While
an Arab strips him bare. Many Chi
lnamen have oroWn rich and have per
manently identified themselves With
the country. and of these some have
discarded the queue entirely. while
others have retained it in a diminutive
form. a little Wisp of hair growing
from q spot not much larger than q
dollar and heightened out With silk
thread.
X =
Apropos of the Chinese agitation
against our exclusion act. it is inter
esting to know that the hines born
in Java presented a petition to the
governor general Il few years g ask
ing for the restriction of the further
immigration of Chinese coolies. The
petition was granted. but the lead
er If the movement SO aroused me
wrath of the coolies that they called
upon him in a body and pelted his
house with mud.
In all the Malay States the opium
vice is turned to ccoun by the rulers,
In some places h sale of opium is
a government monopoly. While in 9TH
ers it is farmed ont to the hignest
bidder. In North Barneo there is 4
district called SaraWak owned and
ruled by an Englishman who is known
as Rajah Brooke. When we We're
passing through Singapore, I noticed
in Il morning paper an advertisement
wherein the Sarawak government
asked for bids for a three years lease
of the "Opium farm" "gambling
farm and "arrack farm" (arrack is
the native name for an intoxicating
liquor.) In all of the archipelago the
vices of the people seem to be as re-
IL III ~ IL 7oS - ~ a. ii'II
virtues, and I was reminded of the
Chinese official at Peking who jokingly
informed me hat he had a selfish
reason for opposing the boycott Of
American goods because it would de-
prive him of American cigarettes, of
which he was very fond.
h dutch traders followed the
Portuguese into the East Indies and in
time ~supplanted them. Holland then
chartered the East India Trading COM
pany and Asterdam became the spice
center from which all Europe drew its
supplies. The Dutch Trading COM
pany was manned by a, thrifty crew,
and it was not long before they con-
Ceived OF monopolizing the worlds
spice market. and they accomplished
this by destroying groves and prohib-
iting competition by treaty with the
natives. They are also charged with
destroying spice by the ton in Amster-
dam in order to maintain the price.
One a~pOlogist for this almost uniyer-
sally condemned practice of the Dutch
says:
when the Dutch established their
influence il these seas and relieved
the native princes from their Portr-
guese oppressors they said thai the
easiest way to repay themselves would
be to get this spice trade into their
own hands. For this purpose they
adopted the wise principle of concen-
- oNihAS IL VI hAA&o
products in those spots of which they
could have complete control. To do
his e~ffectually it was necessary to
abolish the culture aud trade in all
other states, which they succeeded in
doing by treaty with the native rulers.
These agreed to have all the spice
trees in their possessions destroyed.
ThaV gave nm Jorge though fluctuating
revenues, but they gained in return a
f'Ted subsidy. freedom from the con
slant attacks and harsh oppression of
the Portuguese. a continuance Of
their regal power and exclusive au-
thOrity over their own subjects. which
is maintained in all the islands exceuI
Ternate to this day. 1t is no doubt
supposed by most Fnglishmen who
nave been accustomed to look upon
his act of the Dutch with vague hor-
or, as something utterly u~nprincipled
and barbarous, that the native popu-
latiOn suffered gr~ievously by his de-
Str1lctiOn of such valuable roper
But it is certain that this is not the
case
He then proceeds to. charge that the
native sultans had a rigid monopo-
ly' of the spice trade before the Dutch
arrived and that the latter, by pro-
hibiting the cultivation of spices, left
the natives more time for the produc-
ton of food and other things and
concluded: Il believe. therefore. that
this abolition of the spice trade in the
Moluccas was actually beneficial to
the inhabitants, and that it was ali
act both wise in itself and morally and
politically j~ustiiable."
1t viii be noticed that in a very
brief space he employs the arguments
mainly relied upon to support monop-
oily wherever it has appeared. ana
also for colOnialism in its worst form,
IN the first place, the Dutch had TO
repay themselves for having "re-
lleVed h native princes from their
portuguese oppressors'-that is they
had to collect pay for their philan-
> lnfOpS, second, as the SultanS were