The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-13
IT rs oN THrM NOW.

HI IN ON THEM NOW.
 Of surety Uncle sam has the laugh on John Bull now. The way the Eng fish journals trapped us a few months ago on account of the i'll treatment of Chinese and Japanese in San Fran cisco Is still fresh in the memory of all who read the newspapers of that period. Some of the criticisms were mercilessly bitter. and most of them were severe comments on our people, country and government.
 Now we may say let tu. Brute" for all of us have read of what took place in Vancouver, in the Dominion of Can ada, on last Saturday and Monday. On Saturday night a mob attacked the Chinese quarters. pillaged their homes and drove two thousand or more of them out of the city. They were final ly checked by the police, but on Mon- day the mob broke loose again and this time it was the Japanese who suf- fered.
 This Is a brief account of what oc- cured, but as we all know there is never an effect without cause and in this case the cause lies in race prej- ted directly on the Pacific coast Van couver is the great distributing point for Oriental immigrants. Located on the eastern extremity of the strait of Georgia, at the terminus of the prin- cipal railroad of Canada. it is a con- venient point for immigrants to land, and equally convenient for their dis tribution over the British-American possessions.
 Race prejudice has been shoulder ing and growing for quite while in British Columbia, and Vancouver seems to be headquarters for the sentiment. Japanese are admitted inso that coun- try, or any portion of Canada, with out any restrictions whatever, and as a consequence large numbers of them, as we'll as of Chinese, have landed there and scattered in all directions. As is the case wherever the Orientals obtain a footing in America the cry of cheap foreign labor" at once Is heard. This has caused the trouble. AS Chinese and Japanese can come to British American countries at will, and as they can obtain much better wages there than at home and still underwork the native American work ing men it naturally follows that the home workers bitterly resent all this, and their resentment found vent in the violence and disorder a few days ago. That outbreak was merely the culmina- tion of a cause that has existed long time and which finally reached the boil- ing over point. .s--
 Now. to use a familiar expression, we might ask John Bull, ''what are you going to do about it?" The Canadian government may apologize to Japan and China, and may compensate the Orientals for all the damage that has been done, but will that end the trou- bic? If Chinese and Japanese con- tinue to come over to Canada with out restriction or limitation, it is but fair to assume that the trouble will be repeated. and probably in mag nified form. The sentiment against cheap foreign labor will not down, but will grow in extent and bitterness if free immigration continues and in- creases. Unless the Canadian govern ment bars or materially restricts im- migration from the East it is only reasonable to assume that the trouble will break out again. and perhaps in worse form. It is serious matter and may lead to unpleasant compli- cations before it is over. In the mean time, 1t occurs to us that our English cousins owe us some apologies for their criticisms on the San Francisco trou- bles.