The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-07-29

Planters considering Proposition
Some Look Upon it With
Great Favor.

TOT several months past Lne HAWAI-
ian Planters Association has been in
| correspondence with a gentleman in
San Francisco regarding the introduc-
ton of black laborers on the planta-
tions, to supersede the Asiatics. The
fact that the Chinese are about to be
shut off by the Hawaiian Government
and the number of Japanese limited by
the terms of the old convention, makes
the Southern negro the most available
Of any class suited to the conditions of
the country.
A gentleman, with ample capital, in
terested in the scheme, came down on
the Australia, and has had several con-
ferences with the directorate of the
Planters Association, and, while he
has had no direct orders for the labor,
he has had much encouragement
When seen by reporter for the Ad-
vertiser yesterday, he expressed him
self freely on the prospects of intro
ducing negro labor here, and his faith
in the satisfactory results which would
ensue to the planters.
81 find some people here whose
knowledge of the Southern darkey is
limited to cities and comic papers, but
let me assure you that there is as wide
difference between the plantation
negro and the colored chap who
haunts the cities or works on the
levees as there is between day and
night The plantation darkey cares
only for his family, and he is honest
and faithful to his employer and is hard
working He knows what hard work
and long hours means, because he has
been brought up to it in the cotton
field or on the sugar and tobacco Plan
tation.
knowing the conditions which exist
here and the character of the negro
race, 1 made proposition to furnish
the planters here with an unlimited
number of negro families. After sew
the Secretary of the Planters Associ-
alton, l came down to talk the matter
over with them, and 1 believe they will
adopt my suggestion. The plantation
negro is type peculiar to himself, and
he is not to be found on sleeping car
or behind a BARRIERS chair. He belongs
on q plantation, and except in rare
cases, he remains there from birth to
death. AS to his power to labor in
this climate, there can be no doubt. He
would be in his element, and I would
not hesitate to guarantee that two
Southern negroes would outwork three
Japanese, or in fact, laborers of any
nationality. 1 know just what 1 am
talking about in this matter, because
have watched people of both races
at work.
"Competition with the whites? Well,
hardly. If the planters and your Gov
ernment want this class of labor for
the fields, all right; they cannot do
better If they want them for busi-
ness men and land owners, 1 would
sam emphatically, no. They should not
be taken out of the environments
which have been theirs during life
You have here in Hawaii everything
dear to the negro's heart, and he will
be happy and contented in the cane
field. My connections in the South are
such that every family of negroes
brought here by me would be selected
according to the conditions of the
country. I would bring families of a
man and wife and his children. And
these children, mind you, would pro-
vide sustenance for the old folks to
this extent: A plantation negro does
not care for white bread, and he alb
hors hard tack; his mainstay is corn
and bacon Give one of these darkies
a little patch for garden, and the
boys and girls will hoe the corn and
pound it into meal when it has ripened.
Every darkey likes bacon and -
Chickens? Yes; he likes chickens, and
give him half a chance he will raise