The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-08-17
THE HAWAIIAN TREATY.


plifled than In the scare and panic OF
some Of our planters over that too Oft
discussed bugaboo, the Hawaiian treaty.
This treaty has been talked over and
over again, In Congress. In the streets
and newspapers, until finally 1t has as
sumed the magnitude almost OF q polit-
ical issue. It Is somewhat suspicious
that among the men who have sought
to swell this question into undue i'm
portance are the leading Radicals OF
this State. notably Packard, who, foI
want. probably, of some better issue on
which to stand, has endeavored, in
long agricultural lecture, to make this
plank in his platform, hoping thereby
to coin capital against the Democratic
House by persuading the people OF
Louisiana that, in this treaty. the House
was aiming death-blow at the sugar
and rice industries OF Louisiana, and
not anticipating that the Republican
Senate would follow in its footsteps.
Now about this Hawaiian treaty-how
will it affect US? Ii Hawaii was Il large
and fertile Island, like smiling Cuba; II
it were cursed like that "gem OF the
Antilles" with the cheap labor OF slav-
cry il it had large, growing and indus
trious population; II it were situated In
that zone-the Torrid-where the sugar
plant blooms perennially in sweet blue
blossoms, then might we protest against
this treaty as threatening Us disaster
and ruin.
But Hawaii, poor Hawaii Behold in
stead a dozen rocky volcanic isles, stu
ated to the north, not to the south OF us; ;
five thousand miles from any land eight
thousand miles-a third OF the worlds
circumference from us, peopled
by poor, miserable race OF outcasts,
whom we ought to pity for the wrongs
andinjuries our civilization has brought
upon them.
When Capt. Cook first landed, a CEN
tury ago, upon these isles he found some
half million black savages here, wor-
shipping false gods, it Is true, Keani and
Maui, devouring each other, wearing
the smallest amount OF clothing-but,
withal, savagely happy and contented,
with plenty Of wives and plenty OF food.
What are they now? Some twenty
thousand unhappy wretches are left
burdened and borne down with scurvy,
smallpox, leprosy, and with thousand
other Of the vilest and most loathsome Of
diseases eating away the population SO
fast that most Of us will live to hear of
the death Of the last Kanaka Of Hawaii.
Such people compete with US? No,
never, not even were the land to blossom
Of its own accord and bring forth sugar
and rice unasked and unassisted; the
people are too lazy, too poor, too dis
eased. Coolie labor has been tried :;
there are even now several thousand
Chinese on the islands, but they are
shop keepers, not cultivators. The land
is land for idlers and lotus eaters alone.
As the Kanakas fade away, another
race is slipping into their shoes, a lot OF
adventurous Americans, who are now
virtually the owners, masters and rulers
Of these islands; it is to them that we
owe this treaty They see that the islands
must eventually become a part Of the
Union; this treaty Is only an initiative
step in that direction but even when
Hawaii is in the Union, it will never
affect us Of Louisiana, not one lump OF
our sugar or one grain OF our rice.
The entire exports OF these islands
were in 1875 only So, ,Os9, ,736, as compared
with $1,sOs,257 in 1866. In twenty
years, their trade and production
had diminished rather than in
creased The total value OF all the
rice sent to this country in 1875 was only
$55, ,242, or about five cents worth OF
rice. or rather paddy, to every Califor-
nian; Of sugar 16,125,275 pounds, or
about 20 pounds year to each inhab-
liant of the Pacific slope. AS the total
sugar consumption OF the United States
the same year was 1880, ,7OO, 1872 pounds,
an average of 43 pounds to the inhab-
itant-we like sweetmeats, it seems-it
will be at once seen that these islands
do not supply even the people Of Cali
fornia, Oregon and Nevada with half
enough sugar to sweeten their coffee
with
1t must be apparent to every one how
w lIuPoSSlOiC IL 40 III IulS LIcdGy W
affect Louisiana; 1t was not aimed at
us, as many pretend to believe, but was
intended as special benefit and favor
to the people Of the Pacific Slope. The
Californians complained, and justly,
that they were paying an extortionately
high price for sugar-fifty per cent
higher than the rest of the Union.
They had to get their sugar by long
and costly overland route, or via Pana-
ma or Cape Horn; they asked for this
concession, which would, at the same
time, benefit them, while it threw the
entire Ha vaiian trade into New Eng
land hands. Such a concession as this
on our part to California. which Injuries
us not one cent, is only just and proper,
under the democratic principles of free
trade. and will moreover enable ia.