Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-09-15
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER IS, 1885


1t has been the settled policy OF
Hawaii for some years past to encour-
age immigration to these Islands. 1t
is not party measure, nor ought it to
become one A subject which enters
so largely into the present develop
ment Of her resources, and which has
vital connection with the future well
fare of the state, ought to be deliber-
ated upon free from party bias. Most
men act for the present; few contem-
plate the future. In the modern race
for wealth, many, nay the vast major
ity of mankind look no further than to
the full development Of an industrial
system that accomplishes cheap pro-
duction, and, therefore, necessitates
cheap labor. Moral and physical we'll
being, they say, belong not to their
province. Yet a little forethought
might enable us to view matters differ
emily Our children are the direct
legatees of the present. Any mistakes
on our part are the legacy bequeathed
to our descendants.
No one will deny that the character
of the state depends upon the character
Of the individual units which make up
the state. Hence 1t follows as corol-
larry that the state should guard with
care the kind of immigrants which
it encourages to come within its shores.
Even into those countries that offer no
direct inducements in the way of free
passage money and remunerative
wages, large element OF undesirable
people come. How, then. will it be
when free passage and good wages are
offered? We may expect to find, and
we positively do find that, while, per-
haps, large portion of the immigrants
are desirable, very great per cent. are
unquestlonably not ofthe kind which
constitutes state Go to any coun-
try in the world and offer free pas
sage to another, besides guarantee of
wages, and who will likely be among
the most eager to accept the offer :
Certainly, many of those that have
nothing to lose by the change The
idle, the vicious, the physical and
moral incompetent will form large
proportion; while the Industrious and
the prudent will hesitate to 60 to con-
ditions they know not Of
There was an element in the South
crn United States, which still exists,
known TO northern people as "poor
white trash," and locally known as
crackers" dirt-eaters and "red-
necks," which was a constant reproach,
it being thought that slavery caused
and fostered it The fact is that the
ancestors of these peculiar people were
imported from the slums Of England
and Europe in the seventeenth cen
tury, by large land company, free,
and we're settled on the waters of Pam
lico and Albermarle Sounds and their
descendants are unmistakeable to the
practiced eye, from the Carolina coast,
through Northern Georgia, Central
Arkansas and Southern Missouri They
are by far the most worthless class that
ever emigrated to the United States,
and had it been left entirely to them
selves, they would not have emigrated.
Would it not, in the face of all these
facts, be well to call halt in our immi-
grafton business, and consider the
future1
1t is pretty well understood that Mr..
]. NJ. Kapena will start to-day for Japan
aTa San Francisco, on some important
mission, not yet made public, for the
Hawaiian Government Until the facts
are known little can be said but if the
mission relates to the japanese immi-
grafton question, out of which there are
likely to spring diplomatic troubles and
unfriendly complications at any time,
then it would be wise in the Govern
ment to send person who is diplo-
matist of the highest order and not one
who has been tried in lesser things and
found deficient at least in ability, If it
turns out that such mission has been
Is. -