Evening star., 1897-03-19
Probable Effect It Will Have Upon
Hawaii.
UNLESS ANNEXATION Be SECURED
The Islands May Be Dominated by
the Enterprising Asiatics.
TALK WITH MR.. .THURSTON

ent In Washington in behalf of the interest
of that organization, was seen by repre-
sentative Of The Star this morning con-
cerning the telegraphic news from San
Francisco that the Hawaiian government
had refused to allow 537 Japanese laborers,
who had recently come from Japan, to land
in Honolulu, and the statement that the
government believed that they had un-
earthed an attempt to import Japanese into
Honolulu in violation of the immigration
laws.
Mr.. Thurston replied that the subject was
one of the gravest now confronting the Ha-
waian government. In substance, he said:
"One Of the legacies which the republic
inherited from the late monarchy was a
treaty with Japan. under the terms of
which all Japanese have unlimited right Of
ingress into Hawaii By another clause of
the treaty it cannot be amended or abro-
gated except by consent of both parties.
Until recently no Japanese were allowed by
Japan to come to Hawaii except under
labor contract, which the Hawaiian govern
ment guaranteed should be carried out in
favor Of the laborer.
Recently the Japanese government has
changed it's policy In this respect, and al
lows free emigration to Hawaii. Four or
five immigration companies have been
formed in Japan which consist largely of
leading Japanese officials the late Japanese
minister 10 w aSnlnSton oelnS a member Oh
one of them, which companies for the year
last past have been bringing large numbers
of free japanese immigrants to Hawaii.
The Monthly Arrivals.
There are now five lines of steamers
between Honolulu and Japan, making
monthly trips. and every steamer that
comes into Honolulu brings from $50 to $50
japanese, who are turned loose on the
&C community without any knowledge or
check on the part of the government of
who they are or what they propose to do.
AS the amount of employment in the
islands Is necessarily limited, it is a serious
question whether or not this tn-pouring
flood of men, almost unaccompanied by
women, will not, at an early date, through
entirely natural causes, create a large, un-
controllable mass of men without employ
ment and without means.
"A short time since the Hawaiian gov
ernment, in order to meet any such contin-
gency, passed law prohibiting the land
ing of any person in Hawaii unless he pos
sessed cash to the amount of $50. The next
lot of immigrants who arrived after the
law was passed produced orders on the
japanese bank in Honolulu for s55 each.
which were presented to the custom house
o.ncers as the equivalent of so much cash.
The government had information that the
orders were fictitious in that they were
simply meant to get the men ashore, and
trat when presented at the bank they
"cuiu pe surTeHuereu without payment. A
considerable shipment of Japanese were
refused the privilege of landing, under
these conditions, and were returned to
Japan. ~
The next move was for every Japanese
TO produce fifty-odd dollars in japanese
paper money upon arrival at Honolulu
Wnlch is not current in Honolulu but is
convertible into Hawaiian money at the
Japanese bank. The government was in
formed that this money was being fur
nished to the men by the immigration com
panies for the simple purpose Of evading
the law, and that when the money was
presented to the bank for change it was
taken up precisely the same as the previols
orders had been. The government accord
irgly refused to allow a lot of these men
TO land The japanese took out habeas
corpus proceedings, and the government
being unable to prove that the money did
not bona fide belong to the Immigrants tho
court allowed them to land.
EMISSIONS of the Law,
This was several months ago, and since
then the immigrants have been coming in
in constantly increasing numbers. If is a
moral certainty that the money produced
oy the immigrants is provided by some
third party for the purpose of evading the
law, but heretofore the government has
been unable to prove 1t. Each of the immi-
grafton companies freely states that the
others are working in this fraudulent man
part. The arrest by the government of The
35i immigrants stated is undoubtedly ow-
ing to Its having obtained evidence which
Is deemed sufficient to warrant the action
taken. 0'i
Il have no idea that the Japanese eoverp
ment meditates any hostile forcilIe ac
tion against Hawaii, but unless somethinr
can be done to stop the influx of japanese
above indicated, they will by this peaceful
invasion accomplish far more than thew
could hope to by force.
BY the census taken last September the
Japanese in Hawaii numbered 4,OOO: more
than any other nationality except native
Hawaiians. who numbered $4,000 Within
hve years from now, If the present rate
OF Japanese immigration to Hawaii con-
tinues. they will be majority of the in
haotahts OF the entire country. 1t needs
no argument to demonstrate what this
means.
I'm the long run there is no possible COM
petition between Asiatics and Anglo-Sax-
conflict, 1t no longer Is a question Of COM
petition, but there Is inevitable substitu-
ton of the one for the other in a very
large number of businesses. Moreover.
ing Of majority of Japanese citizens.
Japan and the Japanese will acquire the
same moral right that the Uftlanders are
today claiming in South Africa.
The Question of Annexation.
Annexation of Hawaii and the United
States can be accomplished now without
opposition from any responsible quarter.
What changes the future may bring about
no one can tell. 1t is the well nigh uni
versal belief in Hawaii that the present
extraordinary movement from Japan to
Hawaii is part of a systematic plan, with
the full approval of the Japanese govern
merit, to sain control of the islands
Whether this Is SO not ] cannot say
Certainly no more sure or certain method
of accomplishing that result can be fol-
lowed than that which is now going on.
What the Hawaiian government will do
do not know, as have no official connec-
ton with it. II they do not stop the in
vasion, Anglo-Saxon civilization will yery
soon be swamped out of the country, The
evasion of the present law Is SO easy that
whether they succeed in stopping this lot
or not will not make much difference.
TT the Hawaiian government attempt tc
discriminate against japanese, as is now
done against Chinese. they will be met bys
a Claim on the part of the Japanese gov
ernmeiit that there Is violation Of the
treaty.
III Hawaii were big enough she could
abrogate the treaty anyway, on the ground
that 1t was In derosation of the Sovereign
right OF an Independent country but IL she
does this and Japan chooses to insist upon