The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-07-30
TO WORK ON PLANTATIONS
Scheme Favored by the
Hawaiian Government.
Planters Considering Proposition.
Some Look Upon it With
Great Favor.

For several months past the Hawai-
ian Planters Association has been in
correspondence with a gentleman in
San Francisco regarding the introduce
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 a 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.
4 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
a 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 isshard
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, / made a proposition to furnish
the planters here with an unlimited
number of negro families. After sew
eral months of correspondence with
the Secretary of the Planters Associ-
alton. came down to talk the matter
over with them, and believe they will
adopt my suggestion. The plantation
negro is a type peculiar to himself, and
he is not to be found on a sleeping car
or behind a BARRIERS chair. He belongs
on a 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 l would
not hesitate to guarantee that two
Southern negroes would outwork three
Japanese, or in fact, laborers of any
nationality. l know just what am
talking about in this matter, because
1 have watched people of both races
at work.
Competition with the whites? Well, !
hardly. If the planters and your Gov
eminent want this class of labor for
the fields, all right; they cannot do
better. If they want them for bust
ness men and land owners, l 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. / would bring families of
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 !
little patch for a 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
them in spite of the mongoose. He
will raise hogs and smoke his own
bacon. In some of the Southern dis
tricts, rice is used a great deal,
and here in Hawaii he can get as good
as can be found in the world.
Now as to my method of securing
these people: There is not one family
in nundred-perhaps more-who has
work the year round. will go through
the belt from one end to the other, Sc
lecting two or three families in each
place-there will be no trouble to get
the right kind-and tell them the sit
uation. If they are ready, will bring
them at once; if not, l will return
when have selected those from other
districts. Having secured the required
number of families, it will be neces-
sary to get overseers- who thor
oughly understand work in the cane
and bring them with me, for you must
that negroes require over
seers just as the Asiatics do. AS
train is filed I will go with it to San
Francisco and deliver the people over