The Hawaiian gazette., 1889-10-28

honolulu.
The results obtained are not sufti'
ciently exact to be taken as perfect
" reliable, but they are sufficiently
certain TO warrant the statement
that there are now in Honolulu
about 700 Hawaiian and foreign
mechanics and skilled laborers,
other than Chinese, and about 6OO
Chinese engaged in the same EN-.
ployments.
In the light of history, with the
experience of what has happened
and is now happening in other coun-
tries, the Ministers feel justified in
saying that unless adequate mea-
sures are adopted, Oriental civiliza-
ton will extinguish, and be sub
stituted for, the Anglo-Saxon civili-
zation of this country.
The second proposition above
stated is that, "The perpetuation of
Anglo-Saxon civilization is essential
to the continuance of free govern
ment and of the political independ-
ence of this Kingdom"
To great extent the commercial
prosperity of the country also de-
pends upon the same condition.
Our present prosperous condition
is due very largely to our existing
treaty relations with the United
States. We are now trying to ex-
tend and strengthen those relations.
With the strong feeling which has
been manifested on the Chinese
question in the United States, and
especially on the Pacific Coast, it is
doubtful whether or not that coun-
try will willingly enlarge or even
continue these treaty relations, if it
is understood that Hawaii is going
to lapse into Chinese colony with
out making struggle to prevent it.
We have no such geographical van
tage gEound as that held by Singa-
pore, and the loss of the special
treaty advantages with the United
States would cause a commercial
collapse in this Kingdom from
which recovery would be slow.
The corollary of the above propo-
Sition is that Anglo-Saxon civiliza-
tion can be perpetuated in this King
dom only by retaining a popula-
tion who have been educated therein
in and who comprehend the work
ings and the benefits of popular
representative government"
1t is a self-evident proposition
that there can be no representative
government where the pop
ulation is composed of few rich
men and large number of alien,
ignorant, nOn-voters.
An olegarchy is the inevitable
of such a population,
with strong probability that the
islands would pass under the control
Of some foreign nation. An intelli-
gent middle class is essential to |
every country which proposes to !
have free government. In spite of |
he competition which the figures
stated above show the middle class
n this country is subject to, there
5 still a large class in this country
10Th Hawaiian and foreign by |
birth.
Several arguments are made by
hose opposed to restriction and
of the Chinese. One of
hese is that competition is the life
# trade;" that "the people get the
enefit of competition, etc."
The answer to this is that there
an be no competition" between a
hinese and white mechanic. 1t is
imply a process of s'substitution" of
he former for the latter. A Chinese
lechanic can, and does, live in his
oriental style, on wages upon
7hich a person with the require
lents of Anglo-Saxon civilization
annot live, much less support and
ducate a family in a christian
lanner.
The result in this country, more
specially in the towns and in Homo
Ilu, has been that by gradual
recess of substitution Chinese have
iken the places and are doing the
-ork which but for their presence
-Ould be filled and performed by
-hites and natives. 1t is true that
he number of white and native
lechanics has decreased but little,
ut the increase of Chinese has
ken up all and more than the in
ease of business. And but for the
DO Chinese mechanics in Honolulu
lere would be at least 400 to 500
hite and native mechanics. Un-
IS protective measures are taken,
lis process will continue in in
ratio. We are on the high
ay which the footsteps of Singa-
)re have trodden, and a like policy
i'll produce like results, SO far as
hinese ascendancy is concerned.
1t is unquestionably true that,
divided our treaty relations remain
1changed, commercial prosperity ;
i'll continue and even increase at
e Islands without restrictive meas