The Hawaiian gazette., 1881-08-10

time during the last three weeks. 1t Is
this: Why did the Hesper5a come herei
At whose request did she come? We have
been unable to get any satisfactory reply
to this question As far as we can see,
the Hespe7Ia belongs to that class of vessels
so strongly objected to in New South
Wales. as being chartered by Chinese
spectators. who make their gain by
Transporting their countTynen to foreign
lands IN ship loads, on credit, and then
trusting to make good thing out of it
by draining their earnings from them for
some time after they reach their destina-
ton. This Is not healthy immigration.
This Is a very different kind of thing from
assisted passages, given at the wish OF the
State or Colony to which the immigrants
are being attracted. When we give as
sisted passages, we can at least regulate,
somewhat, the proportion of the sexes; we
have little control over what we get; but
this kind of immigration We have no con-
troll over; we can be flooded with males;
we can be overwhelmed with men of any
character. Under regularly organized
system. the agents who recruit will take
little pains about the people they get, in
order that they may give satisfaction to
their principals and retain their agency.
No such restraining influence is upon the
Chinese firms who ship their countrymen
on speculation
Something ought, certainly, to be done
to prevent the recurrence of the arrival of
irresponsible vessels like the HesperId. We
imagine that until the Legislature meets,
stringent quarantine regulations may
have the desired effect; but this can only
be as long as our health authorities can
regard Chinese ports as infected. When
the spectators find that importing Chi
nese does not pay. we may be sure they
viii drop the scheme. But when the Leg
islature meets viii be the time to put this
question upon proper footing. All that
Is done now can be but, as It were, tinker
ing at former Legislation or non-leglslatlon-
What we shall have to have next Legisla-
ture. VIII be q thoroughly well-considered
measure, which VIII definitely regulate
the importation of Chinese.
We pointed out last week what was
being done in the Australian Colonies IN
this direction. In opening the debate
upon the second reading OF the Influx of
Chinese Restriction Bill" Sir Henry
Parkes brought forward some strong
arguments in favor Of the Government
measure: and 1t Is curious to find the
members of the Opposition fighting. not
the bill. which most of them agree with,
but the Government who bring 1t forward.
Apparently it is not measures. but men
and Office that are commended against
Sir Henry objected to the Chinese as peo-
pie who did not take part in the per-
manent settlement of the country, who
did not and could not have sympathy
with British progress" For British we
may. in the Hawaiian Islands, read
American and European. He further OBJ
jected to them as being in the proportion
of one in ten with the male adults carry
ing on similar pursuits. What would he
have said If he had found that the Chinese
population almost egualed the adult voting
population: and vet that is the present
condition Of affairs here. The speaker
then went on to point out that the Chinese
came without their wives and families,
that they had introduced smallpox and
leprosy into the colony; finally he con
cluded by saying that the colony wanted
none to form an inferior class-a class Of
hewers of wood and drawers of water.
Unless they could be admitted TO the full
rights Of citizenship with all their priv
ileges, they had far better be kept away J,
Almost every argument used by Sir Henry
Parkes In New South Wales has been used
in the Hawaiian Islands, but the last has
not. to our knowledge. been brought for
ward; or If It has, not very prominently:
yet this Is the very heart of the matter.
What the Hawaiian Government should
be aiming at Is the building up of a
national life. Now. the Chinese viii never
build up national life They may give
material prosperity to q minority; they
may cultivate lands which would other
wise lie waste; but they do not give
political strength to country
By these remarks we do not wish 1t to
be thought that we advocate the total
abrogation Of Chinese immigration. All
we wish for Is to have it brought within
manageable compass. We are well aware
that It is vital matter for plantations to
be supplied with labor: and It is a vital
matter for the country to have Its planta-
tions prosperous; but as we have main
tanned on several occasions, China Is not
the only field from which labor is to be
obtained. and we should not lean too
much upon if. Chinese immigration might
even be made to do good in a certain way.
A capitation tax on every Chinaman enter
ing the country might be devoted to
bringing IN a more desirable class OF in
migrants Such q capita6On tax ought
not 10 be so large as to be prOhlbltlve, but
it ought to be sufficiently large to check
an invasion which threatens the national
independence.
THr condition of affairs among the Uncivilized
Islands Of the South Pacific seems to be eainently