The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-10-28
As TO ARMENIAN LABOR
SHERIFF ANDREWS BELIEVES IT
COULD BE SECURED.
Has Been in the Country-Praises the
People-Admirably Adapted to Ha-
waiian Needs-Willing Workers.

Among all people | have ever seen,
| have been struck with the Arnen-
ians as eminently suited to the re-
quirements of the Hawaiian Islands,
both as laborers in the cane fields, and
as sober, honest, intelligent citizens"
SO said Sheriff Lorrin \. Andrews Of
Maui this morning.
Sheriff Andrews was i'm Armenia six
months. He was at Iintab, the center
of horrible massacre last December,
and travelled extensively in the Taurus
mountains, a range of hills which sep
arates old Armenia proper from the
Armenian settlements on the Turkish
side. \ sister of his, Mrs. Dr. Shepard,
with her husband, reside at Aintab. DR..
Shepard is president of the Central
Turkey college. This neighborhood
was the center of the original troubles
and horrible butcheries of men, wo-
men and children.
In his travels Mr.. Andrews stopped
at Zaitoon, city of 10000 inhabitants
situated in the Taurus. Illustrating
the pluck of the Armenians this city
successfully resisted an attack and
seige of Turkish army numbering
$4,000 and finally drove the enemy
away. The city after that has been
entirely self supporting, manufactur-
ing it's own lumber, iron and cloth
| and raising its own food.
"The Armenians lean chiefly to ag-
riculture and pasturing for a liveli-
hood" continued Sheriff Andrews
"They are model farmers, frugal and
industrious. AS citizens they are
sober and scrupulously moral. Fam
! lily ties are sacred. The tenacitv with
which they have hung to their relig-
ion, in the face of the most terrible
persecution. has developed in them rs
Il race a strong force of character.
Though Asiatics, they have for years
followed European customs and have
! for centuries been the upholders of
! Christianity in Asia. They resemble
! Europeans in habits and ideas, and
! follow closely the methods of enlight-
ened countries. In color they are
race nearly as light as Europeans.
"They are capable of great mental
development. The ambition of their
| young men is to go to Europe and
America to study. Poverty, however,
| keeps them down. Many of them,
with fair chances, have become the
leading physicians of the country
! the practice of medicine being about
the only profession left open to them
by the oppression of the Turks.
Yes, they would make excellent la
borers under our contract system, and
very fine citizens after the contracts
expired. They possess none of the oh
iectionable features of the Asiatic and
none of those advanced against the
Scandinavian and German. None of
the European 'isms' are to he found
among them, nor any of the objections
to the American negro. They are
strong, able-bodied and are naturally
oppressive taxation upon them, they
have to live on the lines of stricteSt
economy. The plantation wages paid
here will enable them to live comfort
ably and save something.
mo. | do not believe many of them
would recontract after three years for
this reason; They are very ambi-
tious and independent people. They
would slave for a start, if necessary,
and by the time their contracts are up
they would have their little homes
and their own patches to cultivate.
They would bring their families and
come to stay.
THE fearful conditions surrounding
them at home would be great incen-
tive for them to come here The cost
of transportation across the interior
would be very little. They would foot
it to the Coast, taking their belong
ngs on pack mules, in order to get
away. Scandaroon or Messina, both
close together, would be the best
places from which to ship them. It
is quite possible, owing to the popular
sympathy for the Armenians, that re-
duced rates of transportation for them
could be procured. If shipped all the
way by steamer, however, through the
Suez canal, would be the most direct
route.
YES, negotiations could easily be
made with the Turkish Government
for the Armenians. In fact the Turks
don't want them and would be glad
to get them away They are afraid of
the power of the Armenans and wish
to reduce their number. That is why