"He had been across the veldt, he had seen the battlefields, the still open trenches, and it all came to Chinese labour. They were told it was going to release the slaves, the Uitlanders, to open up South Africa to a great flood of white emigrants. They were told it was going to plant the Union Jack upon the land of the free. But the echoes of the muskets had hardly died out on the battlefields, the ink on the treaty was hardly dry, before the men who plotted the war began to plot to bring in Chinese slaves. (Cheers.) They could talk about their gold; their gold is tainted. (Hear, hear.) They could talk about employing white men; it was not true, and even if it were true, was he going to stand and see his white brothers degraded to the position of yellow slave drivers? No, he was not. (Loud and continued cheers.) These patriots! These miserable patriots! If they had had the custodianship of the opinions of the country 75 years ago, slavery in the colonies would have continued. When the north was fighting the south for the liberty of men, these men would have counted their guineas, would have told them how many white men had plied the lash in the southern states, and they would have said that for miserable cash, miserable trash, the great name of the country required to be bought and sold. Thank God there were no twentieth century Unionist imperialists in office then. (Loud cheers.)"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Prime Ministers of the United KingdomAcademics from the United KingdomLabour Party (UK) politiciansPresbyteriansPoliticians from Scotland
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Leicester Daily Mercury (6 January 1906)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ramsay_MacDonald
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald (12 October 1866 – 9 November 1937) was a British statesman who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, leading a Labour Government in 1924, a Labour Government from 1929 to 1931, and a National Government from 1931 to 1935.
122 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Ramsay MacDonald →
Related Quotes
"The Hindu from his traditions and religion regards India not only as a political unit naturally the subject of one so…"
"I cannot refrain from wishing you God-Speed in your election contest... [L]et the consequences be what they may, do n…"
"The Labour party is no class champion. In politics it is frankly democratic, in economics it is co-operative... It wa…"
"There is too much expected of parliament. Localities should manage their own affairs and unions of localities should …"
"Our loss of belief in the Liberal party is therefore owing to the fact that its day of historical fitness has passed …"
"The end we have to strive for is complete democratic liberty in politics and complete freedom in industry from the ty…"
"Mr. Rockefeller not only owns the Standard Oil supplies: he controls the railways, the banks, the shops...upon which …"
"Factory Laws, Fair Wages resolutions, Trade Unionism itself, are...all Protection – not the Protection of Mr. Chaplin…"
"[Trade unions should identify] with something higher and wider than trade union industrial demands. It must set these…"
"[W]e shall begin the exploitation of national resources like mines; or we shall begin the process of industrial recon…"