Page:What I Know Of The Labour Traffic.djvu/27

24 Under the same organised interference, many thousands of Islanders have, by a legal figment, been enthralled in Queensland after having been illegally beguiled from their homes by the very men whom Government had selected to represent it; and whose duty it was to hinder the doing of these things.

Under the organised interference of Government, the Government submitted complacently to insult and outrage in the persons of some of its representatives, which only a Government conscious of its own corruption, could have so submitted itself

Under the organised interference of Government, other things have been done, which I will, for the present, refrain from revealing; but if need be, I will make known with sufficient clearness of speech in my own time. Lest, however, it should be supposed by some, that this is mere rhetorical nourish, 1 will ask you to try to imagine how much infanticide has been committed in these Islands since Government began its ineffectual interference?

You will never guess.

I think that another thing for which Government is specifically responsible ought not to be passed over. I allude to the pernicious evil of deluding- the public by means of the non-effective interference of Government. The people have been deluded by the way the Government have carried out its none effective interference. This is what I have called an effectual snare. Had the interference of Government been real, earnest, or what it pretended to be, instead of being an organised hypocricy [sic], the people would not have been deceived, the traffic might have been loyally conducted, and unreported outrages, and outrages, that have been too much reported, would not have been begun and systematically continued.

But now let us get into the fresh air and resume our experience at the Islands.

We brought no natives from New Ireland because we had no attractions to offer them. They wanted rifles, if you please, and gunpowder, and we had nothing but prints that would not wash, pipes that would not draw, knives and tomahawks too soft to sharpen, looking glasses, mouth organs, fish hooks, jews harps and small glass beads.

An incident occurred at New Ireland which is worth telling: The captain who had given up all hope of seducing New Irelanders to sell themselves made all sail for Cape St. Mary. We had not been two hours before the wind when we came on a large fleet of canoes, containing not less than three hundred islanders, They carried no arms, they brought no provisions to market; thereupon the master reversed sails and came to a stand, for surely here were people anxious for a free passage to Queensland, to enlist in the industrial army. The canoes came close to the ship, but there was no sign that a single soul meant to sell himself. The captain then opened up his cheap jackery, he filled both hands with gauds—the mate and recruiter held up knives and tomahawks. "All this" shouted the skipper, "for one boy!"