The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-03-16


of the Chinaman and he will do
nearly twice the work in the course
of month. He could be brought
to Hawaii, and would work in the
cane-felds for about the same price
as is paid to Chinamen-but not as
contract laborer. In the first
place, no such arrangement would
be entertained by the United States
Government, as a matter of course,
and the negro, being by nature sus-
picious, would never contract to
labor for anyone for three years, or
even six months, upon the condi-
tons here required-even after get
ting him here, assuming that much
practicable. Then, the restraints
upon him, check to his habitual
Saturdays off," his religious du-
ties, his pleasures, his moonlight
starlight or cloud-lit-nothing
matters) rambles and escapades,
would arouse all the RIGHTEOUSNESS
in his nature, he would pass beyond
the control of his employers, as is
frequently the case, costing the
community no end of trouble and
expense, and proving continual
and serious menace to law, order
and society. In his native home
he is INDUCED and humored in
many things, and is employed by
lifelong neigbbors-men who have
made a careful study of his nature
and understand, as well as may be,
how to handle him. The frequent
failures and troubles of daily rec
ord afford conclusive proof of the
difficulties to be encountered, even
there. The time has been when
a negro could be ordered and even
driven; but that has passed, and
the remedy is now reduced to coax
ing; even then to little purpose.
How would this suit an employer
of contract laborers or a planta-
ton luna? A negro will not sub
NIT to a scolding or cursing while
in the discharge of his plantation
duties, and prides himself upon a
freedom to "talk back" when
abused by his employer. This
would most likely displease a luna,
whose charge had been the man
agement of a set of Chinese who
never dared venture a reply to his
immoderate use of slang. The
problem in the Southern States is
how to get rid of the overplus of
negroes. The whole section is
loaded with them; they are in
creasing at an alarming ratio. |
All branches of labor are taken up |
by them. There is no earthly |
chance for a white man in the |
lower arts. Caucasian immigration
mas been a dead letter for fifty |
years on account of it, and the
outlook is one of deepest gloom.
If we needed negroes in Hawaii,
and the planters we're anxious for
them, they could be had. Where |
we would have one planter beck
oning the negro over, there would |
be a hundred On the other side, in
the South, coaxing and even fur
him the means to come.
But this is a minor part of the
What we must have
is laborers who will bring their |
families to the country, and, after |
their terms of contract have ex-
PRED, will settle and become good, |
honest, sober, industrious, patti |
otto citizens, each having saved
enough to acquire and till a small |
farm, or to engage in some other
pursuit, adding to the prosperity of
the country and the general good of
the commonwealth. That this is
impossible in the negro's case is
beyond question. Indeed, | sin
cerely hope the tropical sun may
never arise to witness here condi-
tons similar to the labor situation
in the Carolina rice fields, the cot
ton plantations of Alabama, Mis-
and Arkansas, or the wav-
ing seas of cane of Louisiana o. the
present day. d. II.