The debate was resumed on Wednesday, when the majority of
speakers spoke in favour of the amendment. Mr. C. Seely made a strong point when he claimed that, in view of the fact that the Chinese Minister had suggested certain alterations in the Ordinance—and he bade the House remember that the Minister was a heathen and they were Christians—in order to prevent the immigrants being made" mere chattels or articles of commerce," more time should be given for the discussion of the regulations before an irrevocable decision was arrived at. Sir Henry Fowler in an excellent speech reminded the House of Burke's dictum that whatever was morally wrong could never be politically right, and uttered a spirited protest against Sir J. Rolleston's sneer at the Episcopal and Non- conformist conscience. Mr. Burns and Mr. Crooks gave no uncertain expression to the hostility with which the British working classes regard the measure ; while Mr. Brodrick, in a laboured defence of the Ordinance, excited general in- dignation by drawing an amazingly clumsy parallel between the conditions of British military service and of Chinese indentured labour. Major Seely scored one more point when he asked the Secretary for India whether it was within his knowledge that the Indian Government had refused to permit British Indian subjects to submit to the degrading conditions of the Ordinance.
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