The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-12-01
LONDON AGITATED
OVER RACE ISSUE
(By VIM. True Hawthorne.)


lem in the United States has always
been viewed by Englishmen with
good-natured supe%rciliousness. They
didn t take it seriously at all, putting
down the ons;derable agitation over
it to an American habit of exaggera-
tion. But now that Britain has a race
problem of her own, she talks about it
all day and dreams about it at night.
The most pessimistic American never
predicted that the race problem would
wreck the American republic. The
prediction is heard every day over here
that the future of the empire lie en-
dangered by the British race problem;
or, rather, race problems, for there is
not one but several. There is one race
problem in India, another in South
Africa and still a third in Australia
and New Zealand. The Indian prob
lem IS the worst, because it is just now
most acute. It's ramiications extend
to the most exclusive London drawing
rooms. East Indian students of rank
who have come to England to complete
their educations complain that they
are not shown social consideration, are
not treated as equals by persons in
England whose rank is no higher than
their own. The government recognizes
that this is true, but realizes its heir
l~essness. Several of the "high- brow
newspapers have taken the matter up
and are urging British gentlefolks to
avoid social discrimination. There -
inferior, they declare, merely because
his skin is several degrees darker thaG
yours.
But fret as the government NAV
and preach as may the editors the age
old fact of racial antagonism Is there
and it is not going to be effaced by any
such thing as political considerations.
And the Indian student in England
IS setting about to force social equal
ity in very much the same way thu
American negro, who demands social
equality has done-by showing his
unworthiness for it. At a recent me-
ing at which Indian students were
specially invited guests they booted aad
Kissed the kings name, and 81 sta sees
rave not been lacking of late in which
they nave made themselves otfens We to
nglish ladies.
Australia has been lectured and
South Africa scolded because they are
not willing to admit East Indians an
3ther Oriontals on terms of equality
with the white man. And the very
great folks who have been doing the
lecturing and the scolding have been
arousing undying hatred in the breasts
of the Indian students by treating them
as social interiors. 1t is the ignorant
coolie whom Australia and South At
RIGA insists upon barring. 1t is the
best culture and refinement of India
thdt INT Sohtch o-4os toNA hto DhNAAtts
many of them capable of tracing their
ancestry back to the days when En-
gland was d vassal of Rome. The gov
erning class of England is amazed that
the colonists should insist on keeping
out the rifraff of India, but hold back
their skirts for fear of communicating
contact with the best India has to offer
IN the way of culture and refinement.
They are very willing to send the 'tthin
red line to the outposts of the empire
to bear the white man s burden, bat
they don t want the burden packed
home to their London drawing rooms.
The British press showed q great deal
of interest in the recent presidential
election in the United States and gave
almost as much space to it as they did
TO the woman's suffrage movement,
though, of course, the American cam
paign could not be allowed TO crowu
out the essays or ''letters to thu
EDITOR After the cable told that Mr..
Taft had been elected the subject was
allowed to drop, while the editors
mulled the matter over in their minds.
Just lately they have been coming forth
with their serious editorial
On the whole there is evident appro
citation of the result, but through the
"leaders' there runs a minor note OF
surprise that the Americans themselves
were capable of selecting 50
excellent a man as their
chief magistrate. Try as they
may, British editors are not quit
.u..n1 - nAnannI.n. -.