The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-25
REVISE THE TREATY.

How to keep up the barrier against
a flood of undesirable immigration is
very difficult indeed to decide. The
possession of fifty dollars does not
necessarily say that a man can get
work as soon as his fifty dollars are
expended. One plan, but it would
have to be passed by the Legislature,
would be to have the customs author
tiles keep twenty-five dollars as a
guarantee fund for six months; if the
immigrant at the end of that time was
found to be a vagrant, the twenty-five
dollars could be used for paying his
passage out of the country. This
would enable us to get rid of certain
classes of loafers to the great advant-
age of the State, and the saving of
many dollars TO, the charitable.
The only real method of dealing
with the Japanese immigration, how
ever, seems to be in change in the
treaty. This will call for negotiation
and our Foreign Office should get to
work upon the matter as soon as pos
sible.
While casting an eye this way
Japan is not in position to make a
forcible seizure of these islands at
present. Proper representations at
Toxic would likely lead to restriction
being put by the japanese Government
upon the immigration companies. 1t
lo+
influx is due. They make so much a
head upon every japanese brought
here, and it has proved very profit
able business to them.
The action of our executive in re-
jecting certain of the immigrants will
have its due effect upon the owners OF
tramp steamers, for they will not like
to run the risk of delay and expense,
which is likely to be entailed. The
attention of the japanese Government
will also be called to the matter and
undoubtedly it will be investigated.
The reflections We're made, however,
with the greatest care and the investi-
cation held under the direct eye of
the chiefs of this branch of the eXecu-
tive. There need be no fear of com
plications with the japanese Govern
ment upon the matter. But when the
japanese Government opens up the
matter there will be grand oppor
tunity for having a revision of the
treaty.
A.. rNntnta1 p,rti IN, thaSo columns bn
treaty, though apparently fair to both
parties, is eminently one sided. Beyond
a handful of tourists no Hawaiian sub
ject wants to travel over Japan or de-
sires to settle there, while there are
thousands of Japanese who swarm in
to this country and settle all over it.
Undoubtedly there should be some
limit to such a chance of invasion, but
the trainers of the treaty were not far
seeing enough to provide against it.
The treaty is one of the unfortunate
legaces bequeathed by the Monarchy
to the Republic.
The people who feel upon this mall
ter of the japanese and who feel very
deeply are those of moderate means,
who have brought up and are bring
ing up families of children here. They
have made their homes here and are
true colonists. Their children are go
ing to he the mechanics. the store
keepers, the agriculturalists of the
future, They are not aiming at maxi
ing enormous fortunes to spend in
Boston, Paris, London or Bremen.
They simply ask the chance of MAX
ing good living and by thrift and
hard work to be enabled to bring up
families like unto themselves. which
will in turn follow in their footsteps.
1t is these people who feel the pinch
of the competition as traders and as
mechanics. The opposition press,
which is bounding the executive for
its action, must represent the million
aires. The Star represents the people
1t is the people that suffer. Carpenters
and other mechanics find themselves
underbd and storekeepers find them
selves undersold. When wages get too
low through such cheap competition
the Portuguese, the American and the
European mechanic has to seek other
fields.
In the step the Government has tax,
en- it has certainly done its best to pro
tect those who are its best friends and
supporters and also very large mum
bebr of those who are its bittereSI
foes. The Portuguese, the American
and the European may seek Other
fields, however much against the grair
it may be to pull up stakes that
man .,- @.n