Brown Brother: "We don't care any more for our coolies than you do. We
don't in fact, care a hoot what becomes of the spawn and dregs of
no-goods in our population. We are not individualists, as you white
men are! We don't aim to keep the unfit cumbering the earth! We don't
care a hoot for these coolies; but what we do care for is this--we
Orientals refuse to be branded any longer as an inferior race. We'll
restrain the emigration of these coolies by a passport system; but
don't you forget it, just as soon as we are strong enough, in the
friendliest, kindest, suavest, politest, most diplomatic way in the
world, we intend not to be branded any longer as an inferior race. We
intend to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the management of the
world's affairs. If we don't stand up to the job, throw us down! If
we stand up to the job--and we stood up moderately in China and Russia
and Belgium--we don't intend to ask you for the sop of that Christian
brotherhood preached by white men. We intend to force recognition of
what we are by what we do. We ask no favors, but we now serve you
notice we are in to play the game."
Neither is this conversation a free translation. Shorn of diplomatic
kotowing and compliments and circumlocutions, it is exactly what the
Mikado's representative served to the representatives of three great
governments--Uncle Sam's, John Bull's, Miss Canada's. If you ask how I
know, I answer--direct from one of the three men sent to Japan.
Can you see the white men's eyes pop out of their heads with
astonishment? They thought they were up against a case of labor union
jealousy, and they found themselves involved in a complex race problem,
dealing with three aggressive applicants for places at the councils of
rulers governing the world. California was ordered to turn on the soft
pedal and do it quick, and officially, at least, she did for a time.
Canada was ordered to lay both hands across her mouth and never to
speak above a whisper of the whole Brown Brother problem; and
England--well--England openly took the Jappy-Chappy at his
word--recognized him as a world brother and entered into the famous
alliance. And the coming of coolies suddenly stopped to the United
States and Canada. It didn't stop to South America and Mexico, but
that is another play of the game with facts for chessmen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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