Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-11-03
QUESTION OF TIE HOUR.
~ Civilization to Re Swamped out
In Hawaii?

" Mechanic " and Contractor"
which appeared in the BULLETIN
in regard to the labor question
deserve serious consideration, on
account of their calm logical rea-
soning, and the Importance of the
matter they deal with. Whilst
this and former Governments are
solely responsible for the coolie
inundation that is flowing with an
ever increasing volume upon us,
and if judged by their actions in
this matter alone, they seemingly
show an utter disregard for the
welfare of this country and its
people. Still for the Asiatic com
petition that exists in this city,
there are others more culpable.
The originators and supporters of
the Asiatic mechanic are the plan
tation managers, officials of the
Government in their private capa-
city, and business and professional
men.
The greed for riches, which is
more or less inherent in all men
but which seems to be the predo
minant characteristic of a major
ity of the men engaged in the
sugar business, caused them to
adopt the plan of dispensing with
all white skilled labor in the me-
chanical departments. Except one
head man the cheap imported free
trade article was put in their places.
BY this means a process Of incu-
baton is going on whereby from
half to one dozen Asiatic mechan-
les graduate from the plantation
every year. This force comes to
Honolulu and enters directly into
active competition with the white
and native mechanic.
The first to take advantage of
this cheap labor are business and
professional men and government
officials. Citizen" in the Adver-
tiser is pleased to call "Mechanic"
and"Contractor" blatant scribblers
for having the audacity to call the
attention of the public to this
phase of the question, but | wou d
ask, "Citizen' is it Asiatics that
support the dentists, doctors and
business men in general, or was
it Asiatics that made this govern
ment.
If government officials and bust
ness men in the United States,
Canada or Australia were to pat
ronise only aliens, how long
would such n state of affairs con-
tinue? And the Asiatics are as
much aliens here as in the coun-
tries named. The business and
professional men of this city have
also a bigger income than the
same men in Canada, the United
States or Australia.
Labor is the most important
question in the political, social
and moral life of this country, and
a man does not want to be either
a statesman or politician to fore
cast the inevitable fate of these
islands in a few years at the most
il Asiatic immigration is not
stopped. The inhabitants here
will consist of a few plutocrats
and a sectlinp mass of half civil
ised humanity. If the plantation
manag RS would adopt a live and
let live policy with the white man,
and also treat their laborers a lit
tie more like men and little less
like slaves, men would reship and
it would relieve the tension.
Our statesmen should concen-
trate all their energies, and with
the sole view of the perpetuation
of their race, solve this question
with justice to all. The white
mechanics, united and organized,
should move as a unit and i'm
press their views on the Govern
meut, assisting those in power to
settle this question, once for all. .
BY their combined efforts we will
have labor, as represented by the
white man, and capital going
hand in hand with progress and
advanced civilization as their
watchword in a highly civilized
country. ANOTHER MECHANIC.