The Washington herald., 1907-04-14

Z 30' srs and English unite IN South Africa
lin Y, sapathy with the Californian view Of
yellof immigration. and the very first
act Of the newly constituted Transvsal
Parliament has been the passage OF a bin
through both Houses. destined to exclude
Asiatcs. including the japanese, who are
allies of Great Britain. and the Hindoos.
who are fellow-subjects of King Edward.
Gen. Botha, the prime minister Of the
Transvaal, viii champion this policy at
the forthcoming conference in London Of
plentipotentiaries from the various col
ouies OF Great Britain. lie viii be cor
daily supported in the matter by the
delegates from Australasia. and also,
IL is believed. from Canada. Sir John
Ward. the prime minister of New Zea-
land. who bids fair To prove one OF the
most interesting and important figures
at the convention, has recently been
cOnferring with the leading statesmen
of Australia, and in an interview. pub
Hshed since his arrival I'm England the
other day, has announced that New Zea-
land and Australia are thoroughly de-
termined 10 prevent at all costs the
immigration of the Asiatic races. "The
japanese and the Chinese are our natural
enemies, against whom we shall have to
struggle in the future" he declares. "and
we cannot allow them to come In and
settle IN our country as they please. At
the conference We shall seek a definite
understanding from the imperial govern
ment as 20 the position OF the colonies
in regard to treaty obligations. We do
not want the imperial government to
enter into treaties with foreign ma
tfons that would give them the right TO
claim an entry into the colonies against
our wishes and to the injury Of our in
terests. Our position on this vitality i'm
portant matter is not properly appreciated
in England"
In Australia the legislation excluding
all immigration but that Of the white
races has recently become so far-reach-
ing and stringent as to have led TO the
wholesale expulsion Of Kanaka and Malay
laborers imported ten and fifteen years
ago for plantation work. and who have
ever since been living in Australia.
Forced to abandon their homes and the
friends among whom they have married
and brought up their children. they are
the victims Of laws made not so much
against themselves as against the Jap
anese. Even Chinese were tolerated until
Japan began TO come into prominence as
"A powerful and aggressive empire. pos
seSsed OF inOrdinate territorial ambitions
II is a mistake to imagine that the intense
anlmosity which now prevails in Aus
tralia against yellow immigration origi-
mated with the labor element and is
the result of the inability of the white
working classes to compete in the labor
market with the Mongolian In fact, for
merly the white and the Chinese IaboTing
classes lived together on terms of friend
ship ami good will in Australia, where
there were twenty-five years ago more
cases Of marriages between white women
and Cinnamon than in any other country
that I have ever known. 1t is doubtful
whether there are to-day, all told, more
than 10000 Cinnamon in Australia. while
the japanese number less than 4600; not
enough of them, therefore. to affect
the labor market and industrial con
ditiOns In any sense injuriously 10 the
white races. But II Is the apprehension
of the future which has led the Austria
Hans to raise an impassable barrier pri-
marily against the japanese, secondarily
against the Chinese. and finally against
the HindOos and the Malays, not because
these last two categorics Of immigrants
inspire any fear, but solely because the
Australians realize the invidiousness of
restricting their laws of exclusion en-
tirely TO the japanese and Chinese.
II is not, therefore, the selhshness of
trades unions. nor a pharisaieal plea Of
regard for public morality. that the
Australian government IS obeying in keep
ing out the yellow man from its terri
tory II is the fear. nay, even the con
viction. entertained not only in Australia
but also in New Zealand. that sooner or
later the Japanese, either alone or in
conjunction with the Chinese, viii al
tempt TO secure possession Of England's
dependencies under the Southern Cross
In fact, the yellow peril. which people
IN America, as in Europe. are accustomed
to discuss as a subject OF more or less
remote and academic interest, is regarded
by Australians as an spreading ana
growing shadow over the future of their
country. Both Japan and China are over
populated, and stand in urgent need of am
outlet for their overlooking millions. On
the other hand. a vast portion Of Aus
tralia is virtually empty. The extent to
which this is the case viii be appreciated
when it is explained that the ratio of
white population in Northern Australia Is
about one 10 every 7t0 square miles. and
Australian statesmen are fond in this
connection, OF citing warning which