Vi 
THE INDIAN POPULATION 
63 
of Indian trader. His manners and morals may be nil 
and his customs beastly, he may and nearly always does 
cheat and debase the native, but for his enterprise I 
have nothing but praise. There is many an outlying 
station in which the presence of an Indian store is 
almost invaluable. The money obtained is nearly all 
sent out of the country, usually by a “sure hand ” ; 
which trait is not one to endear the race to those who 
believe in the future of our country. 
The settlers in the Protectorate object to the Indian 
under present conditions for two reasons. The first 
may be selfish, but is extremely natural. It is that they 
object to being undersold in nearly every branch of 
trade. It may be said, and indeed has been said, that 
this underselling is fair trade and fair competition and 
cannot be objected to. But is it fair trade and fair 
competition ? Is the Indian a better trader or better 
worker than his European competitor ? Certainly not; 
it could not be contended that he is by his staunchest 
adherent. Why, then, does he undersell him ? 
Because, as the saying is, he can live on the smell 
of an oil-rag. Because he eats food that the Euro¬ 
pean could not touch. Because he lives in sanitary 
conditions under which no English farmer would 
dream of keeping his pigs. Because he can do 
without what the European considers the ordinary ne¬ 
cessities of life, such as soap or a change of clothes. 
Finally, because he often sells his goods below cost 
price, and makes his profit by some illicit trade. 
The second reason why the settler dislikes the 
Indian as a class is an entirely unselfish one, and I ven¬ 
ture to say that it rouses his resentment to an even 
greater degree than the former. It is because of the 
harm, both moral and physical, that is done through 
