The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-11-22

Joseph's opinions on the Chinese ques-
ton with such people would probably be
to write again and ask him what he
thinks of our labor contract system as
we'll. AS a truthful man he would have
to say, -and this time not to the sand
letters and hoodlums, but alas, to the
solid, substantial and elect among u.s.
that not even mong the hCodlums OF
California could he find a precedent for
such a system.
Joseph Cook OH the Chinese question
VIII be very acceptable to the pro-Chin-
csc party of the islands, but Joseph
Cook on labor contracts, the proprlety
of letting in any more male immigrants
without an equal number OF women, and
other New England ideas, would proba-
bly, make the pro Chinese party very,
very tired before they get rid OF him.
The truth probably is, that if Mr.. Cook
was to form his opinions, both as to the
labor contract system and the Chinese,
here on the ground and from actual OBJ
servaton, he would come to conclusions |
far different from those likely to be FORM |
by him at distance.
The labor contract system as perma-
nent and fixed institution of the country
would simply be barbarous, but as a
make shift during a stage of our island
history when the country has practl-
cally no Indigenous population to rely
upon, it probably does well enough. AS
| a system it already has commenced to
| die a natural death, and its ultimate
| total extinction without the invocation
of law come to pass when the conditions
| which gave rise to it cease to exist. so
too, if the Chinese constitutional amend
ment meant a perpetual population OF
Chinese laborers condemned through
| life to common labor in the rice and
sugar fields of this country, it certainly
would be a revolving measure. But
those who believe in this amendment
also believe that il Asiatic labor can
once successfully be confined to the two
industries for which alone they are now
admitted, the day will surely come when
| Asiatic or unciviliZed labor will die as
natural and easy death in this country
as will the labor contract system. The
Missouri compromise while confirming
slavery in the slave States by the very
act of combining slavery to those States
"ipso facto' provided for its extinction.
The leaders of the South saw this and
were themselves the ones first to depart
from the compromise in question, for
they saw that their only hope OF perpe-
tuating slavery, even in their own States,
was in breaking down its sectional char
acter and in spreading slavery through
out the country, and in attempting to do
this they provoked the war which ended
the whole affair. So by making Aslatlc
labor special, exceptional and peculiar
class of labor, Gf the community will do
it, provision is made "ipso facto" for its
gradual extinction. AS the country con-
tinues to develop a permanent laborlng
population of it's own the necessity Tor
Chinese labor will continue to diminish.
The Portuguese and the mixed race COM
ing from the natives are both rapidly in
creasing and there is no reason why la
Dor from these and similar sources pro-
perly stimulated, should not continue to
increase very rapidly, if the barrier and
menace of Asiatic labor is practically
fixed at point beyond which it cannot
90, and other classes of possible immi-
grants come to know this. The Chinese
, constitutional amendment says in effect
until it can develop population of our
own civilization here at the islands we
. need Chinese for rice and sugar. After
that we will not need him at all nor do
we want him until the day comes when
he accepts our civilization.
There is one proposition by the pro-
Chinese party, however, in regard to the
proposed constitutional amendment,
which if it carries means precisely what
Joseph Cook suggests, perpetual Chin
ese peonage, and this is the proposition
to allow Chinese to come in as common
laborers, not only for rice and sugar, but
also for every other agricultural pursuit
whatsoevr. This means that the labor
ing population of the islands shall be ex-
clusively Chinese. It commits every
possible industry to the Chinese coolie,
for if men can get Chinese laborers for
any new enterprise, they certainly will
not seek other forms of labor. In short,
it would turn the islands into a coolie
camp and leave no industry that man
of small means could go into relying on
his own labor and feel safe from COM
petition with Chinese labor. The origin
; al anti Chinese constitutional amend
ment makes the Chinaman temporary
sojourner, the civilized man the settler.
The extention of Chinese labor to
all forms of agricultural pursuits in that
amendment, would reverse things, and
justify the charge made by MIR. Cook
against it. 1t would probably create a
big boom and squirt for few years,
which some would call progress, but it
would be at the sacrifice of the interests
of those who would have to face the re-
action of that boom. In this connection,
J one is reminded of paragraph in the
recent Ministerial reply on the Chinese
question, which quotes the following re-
mark from Queensland Legislator, to
wit: 81 admit that by introduction
within the next ten years as many
Cinnamon into Queensland you might
develop the resources of Australia to an
extent to which they would not other
wise attain in fifty years; but is it desir-
able that we should accelerate the pro-
gress of Australia at the expense of the
future nationality of Australia. Is it de-
sirable in order that few men may
make fortunes that the whole type and
character of the population of that CONT
nent should be fixed and moulded for
ever" w. A. KINNEY.
FAR-SIGHTED POLICY.