The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-05-05
MIR. FITZGERALD RECEIVES AS
SURANCES
American Labor to be Employed on
All the Plantations to the Exclusion
of the Asiatic Hordes.

Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald will
leave for San Francisco on the
Australia today with every assurance
that market for American labor will
sEcely be opened here in the very near
fu;ure. and will be fostered and sup
ported by the Government. He had
his final conference with the planters
yesterday afternoon, and they prac-
tically bound themselves to employ
American labor in preference to either
European or Asiatic labor whenever
the opportunity offers. 1t was under
stood that as fast as the contracts of
the Asatics now employed on the
various plantations expire, they will
he sent home and their places filled
with American laborers.
During his brief stay in the islands
Commissioner Fitzgerald has succeed
ed practically in completely routing
Asiatic labor. He has demonstrated
to the planter that cheap labor in the
end is more expensive and less satis-
factory than white labor, and to the
politician that the only hope for the,
annexation of the islands to the Uni
ted States lies in the employment of
American labor to the discouragement
of the Asiatic serf. He has brought
the labor question home to the people
of Hawaii in such a manner that it
must be made the issue of the day,
and. as the champion of American
labor, he has given the planters and
Government to understand that unless
American labor is employed on the
plantations, he will raise a hue and
cry among the laboring classes of the
United States against annexation.
''From the assurances have receiv-
ed today from the planters and from
the Government" said the Commits
sioner last night, 81 am now certain
that they are sincere and earnest in
this matter. 7 fully recognize the
! fact that the planters must be pro-
tected at all times, so that cannot
ask for any radical change in the en-
ployment of labor on the plantations.
I know that it must be gradual, and
am willing that it should be so. so long
as it is steady and continuous.
"a very large majority of the plant
ers have pledged me their word, no
later than this afternoon, that they
will employ American laborers as fast
as room can be made for them on the
several plantations. They agree, first
of all, to secure the 10 per cent of
white laborers required by law from
America, and to fill up with Ameri-
can laborers the places left vacant by
Japanese whose contracts have eXpir~
ed.
"Some of the planters have frankly
admitted to me that what they princi-
pally fear from the American work
man is the strike. For that reason |
say that they cannot be too careful in
selecting Americans for the planta-
y
matter of supplying men from the
American market in hand personally.
TO start the movement I am willing
to do all in my power to this special
end. just now l am not in position
to make any promises, but if | can get
my California work properly in hand,
| may yet decide to act as the plant
ters' San Francisco agent. This | will
do because | feel that the Hawaiian
| Government is sincere and that it will
| in the future become a champion Of
American labor.
81 propose now, seeing the turn mat
ters have taken, to defer making any
report on my Investigations for the
present. Just as soon as the gates of
Hawaii are really opened wide to the
American laborer, I will make my re-
port, and in it suggest that laborers
all over the country fall in line and
make strong pull for annexation.
This will become great field for
American labor, if opened: but it will
become a threat and menace to Ameri-
can labor if it longer remains closed.
| The labor conditions here now nre
such that the American Government
has stationed warship here to pro-
tect the planter against his own
laborer.
II hope that the Hawaiian Govern
ment will never recede from the post
tion it has taken on japanese immi-
grafton, even though The Japanese
government has sent a special Com
missioner on a warship to demand an
explanation. This Government can
put an end to Japanese immigration
now for all time, and it ought n
strike while the iron il hot. s