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portrayed the deaths of Aborigines as proof that this race was con-
demned to disappear as a consequence of “natural law.” In the 20th
century, however, it was realized that these alleged proofs were in-
valid. The Aborigines had died not because of any laws of nature, but
from the maltreatment they'd received. Also, of course, when the
numbers of dark skinned people were observed to be increasing, it
was realized that these Darwinist claims were untrue.
The replies given by a police officer to an investigation carried
out by the Royal Commission in 1861 help clarify how racist basis and
the maltreatment of the Aborigines were regarded as perfectly nat-
ural at the time. The officer was asked:
“And if we did not punish the blacks, they would look upon it as a
confession of weakness?”
“Yes, that is exactly my opinion.”
“It is a question as to which is the strongest race—if we submit to
them they would despise us for it?”
“Yes.” 7
According to Stone's account, a news report from 1880 said:
Nothing that we can do will alter the inscrutable and withal im-
mutable laws which direct our progress on this globe. By these laws
the native races of Australia were doomed on the advent of the
white man, and the only thing left for us to do is to assist in carrying
them out with as little cruelty as possible. We must rule the blacks
by fear. 8
These lines again reveal the ruthlessness at the heart of the
Social Darwinist perspective. These people were regarded as a
species of animal, but were treated in a way nobody would treat an
animal, simply because their skin was of a darker color and because
they possessed certain different physical characteristics—yet another
proof of the cruelty of Social Darwinists. A letter to a newspaper also
dated 1880 described the oppression of the Aborigines:

This, in plain language, is how we deal with the aborigines: On oc-
cupying new territory the aboriginal inhabitants are treated exactly
in the same way as the wild beasts or birds the settlers may find

The Social Weapon: Darwinism