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rA Warder of The WestBy HAROLD SANDSCopyright Applied / For by the B.C. Saturday Sun set.J1s-THE debate on tlio address in reply to the speech from the throne was of the usual humdrum order. Each speaker delivered himself of platitudes concerning a white British Columbia. .After the debate had dragged along for ten days and the leader of the Opposition had made a speech of masterly indecision, Premier Boa I'd man arose. The usual compliments to mover and seconder having been disposed of and the Opposition taunted with being unable to raise up courage enough to give its candid opinion, the Premier continued:We have reached a point in the history of British Columbia when it is necessary to deride whether Europeans shall preponderate here or whether the door shall be.'thrown wide open so that whosoever will may come. The open door, as far as immigration is concerned, 1, personally regard as a great evil. This Province is so peculiarly situated that if we throw wide our gates we invite a horde of low class labor from across the Pacific which practically means that we shut out European labor from beyond the Rockies. The open door, therefore, is not in reality a gate ajar. By removing the obstacle on our West we ' automatically close the entrance on the East, or at least. ve make it so difficult of access that the. result is the same. !‘ Boardmun is never.ut a less forfnn'j -argument. whispered Clifford to Buchanan., ‘‘.And, that is quite cleverly put. V ” t •-'“We want to attract here Eastern Canadians and Britishers from beyond the Atlantic, continued the Premier. “But if we fill the workmen's places in our leading industries with Orientals— Chinese, Japanese and Hindus—how can we look for immigrants of the sturdy white races, whom we need to help us in developing . British Columbia? XJp to within a few years we have thought with pride of British Columbia as one of the most English parts of Canada. We have spoken of Vancouver Island as a Western England, the England of the Pacific.' But we can do so no longer. It' is true that the Dominion Government, by increasing the poll tax on Chinese, has shut the door for the time being on any further influx of that race, but, since Canada became a party to the Anglo-Japanesa treaty, the restrictions against the little brown men have been taken off. To make matters worse, hordes of East Indians have invaded our Province. Within the last few weeks the Imperial Government and the administration of India have taken steps which will result, fortunately, in a considerable falling oif of the immigration of Hindus. But 'the Japanese situation is getting worse than ever. To show you what I mean I have but to quote the following Associated Press dispatch which appears in this morning's papers:“ ‘Another steamer sailed from Honolulu today taking one thousand Japanese laborers for British Columbia. The little brown men are mostly plantation laborers who have been induced to go to British Columbia by reports sent from fellow-countrymen thore that they can get from $1,50 to $2.00 per day.CHAPTER X,Let the King hear us when we call.— Psalms.oIT was the merry month of June, the month of weddings, when Messenger and the Premier lunded at Liverpool. ‘‘This is a case 'when it can be pleasure first and business afterwards/' snid the Premier. “AVhile we are arranging the necessary interviews and other details with Downing Street there is no reason why you shouldn't get married. They’re sure to keep us kicking our heels as long as they dafe.”But in that the Premier was mistaken. The Colonial Office received him with magnificent courtesy and within a week of their arrival in London, Boardman and Messenger received a command to dine' and sleep at Windsor. A. special carriage was placed at their disposal at AVaterloo and the king received thorn nt the Castle with as much honor as was accorded any member of the Colonial Conference. But naturally enough, the king, during the few moments in which he conversed with the two representatives of His Majesty’s most Western possession, said net a word on. the subject which brought them across six thousand miles of land and sea. .“Was that a kingly snub?” asked Messenger its they sat in the carriage on their wav hack to London,■ “Oh, no!”, replied Boardman, ‘‘the foot of the throne in our case is not Windsor Castle hut the Colonial Office. That’s where we are to have the big fight.” . .”1 feel now, , Messenger remarked, “Just like Chief Joe Capilano rmist have done after he saw the king at Buckingham Palace. Jfe is indeed the first gentleman of Europe. What could have I we n kinder than the way he received us?”My boy, you were horn in England am1 were brought up almost as a believer in the divine right of kings/’ laughed the Premier. “Now, 1 am a native sou of British Columbia and more democratic than you, hut I can assure you that. 1 shall sing ‘God Save the King' with greater zest, than ever alter this. And now for the Colonial Office.”Britain’s brilliant, young. colonial secretary found in Premier Boardman a man after his own heart. The British Columbia minister knew what he wanted and he had a forcible way of stating it-“British Columbia is menaced by a social problem which it will tax the ingenuity not alone of ourselves and of the Dominion, but. of the Imperial Government to solve.” said he. “Steps have already been taken to curb Chinese immigration and the invasion of Hindus; there remain the Japanese.”“The most importunt of all from our point of view,” softly said the colonial secretary.“And from ours/’ swiftly came back the Premier. “There are several thousand Japanese in our Province and they enter into serious competition with men of our race. In fact, they serve to keep white men out of British Columbia. Things are prosperous in our Province now and the competition is not felt sothe Federal Government,, to bring in and pass a bill on the lines cf the Natal Immigration law, which will be effective in all parts of Canada, I ' do not think the Government of Japan could take exception to it. So long, however, as you make a distinction of race or color, just so long must your laws fail of final ussent.' ... As the two British Columbia .representatives took their leave, Premier Boardman said to Messenger “Well, we get precious little consolation.' British Columbia must fight on.' We must extend the campaign of education beyond our own borders. When the Asiatics overrun Enstern Canada the people there will be sorry they failed to listen to the voice of white British Columbia.”“Then you don’t think the Dominion Government will bring in a bill based on the Natal Act ?” queried Messenger.“You might as well expect it to con-cede us better terms without our fighting for them,” was the reply. “I' n«i afraid that, after all, Chief Joe Capilano hud a better report o -make of his visit in the, king than we shall have. But enough' of yellow perils and problems. The sound I want to hear now is that of the wedding bells-. And then, home again.” 1It was h very quiet marriage that took place in the Church of St. Peter’s at Exeter a few days later. The Premier acted as best man and the wedding present that gave Edith and Messenger the greatest satisfaction was a letter from Mr. Boardman containing'the offer of the portfolio of provincial secretary in (he British Columbia Government. As the Empress of Ireland passed up the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Montreal a fortnight later, Messenger said to his bride:“This time I am outering Canada by the front door, .AY Hat tremendous changes a few years can bring. Canada is glad to receive me now. And I owe it to yen, dear. God has been good toTHE END.Where Millions GoOVER three hundred thousand travelers cross the Atlantic eastward every ./ear and a very easy calculation will give some idea of the vast amount of money that they carry with them and surrender to the greedy hands that are always open for the smallest contributions. Of course, no precise figures are available, but the amount thus annually spent in Europe is certainly net less than $228 000,000.Only a very small part of this vast sum goes in actual and legitimate expenses, that is to say, in steamship and railway fares and hotel bills, savs a magazine writer. The larger amount is spent in fripperies, for Paris still holds in her hands the fashions of the world and is likely to do so until the American woman realizes that she can dress better—that is to say more becomingly and appropriately—in New Y’ork than she can in Europe. But then women are notoriously’deficient in, or indifferent to, the beautiful and the artistic in dress and are- quite content with every ugliness that fashion dictates. Paris, therefore, takes her annual toll from American women to the tune of about $8,000 (100 for costumes and $!,-500,000 for hats which have nothing in particular to' recommend them except the name of the maker.Then again a small fortune is spent in curiosities and antiquities. For genuine works of art the money would per-
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Vancouver BC Saturday Sunset
Vancouver, British Columbia, CA
Sat, Aug 31, 1907
Page 2
Full Page
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Richa B.
CA 12 Dec 2023
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