The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-26
NOW EAvORS ANNEXATION
c. A. SPRECKELS BELIEVES IN
CLOSER POLITICAL UNION.
He Changed His Attitude But Two
Months Ago-Cannot See Why All
Sugar Planters Do Not Favor 1t.

Hawaii by the United States. He says
that the prospects for annexation were
never brighter and what is needed to
bring about this happy result, is a de-
termined and united effort on the part
of the people at this end of the line.
Eyes; the editorial appearing in The
Star, as well as the announcement
made by President Thurston at a re-
cent meeting of the Annexation Club,
that | was now laboring for the cause
of annexation is very true" remarked
MI. Spreckels, at the Hawaiian this
morning. During all of the discus
sion over this paramount question. l
have been decidedly opposed to the
movement. Not for sentimental reas-
ons but because of cold business
proposition.
"This business proposition was the
contract labor system. IT was my
sincere belief then that the Hawaiian
sugar planter could not in full justice
to his own interests, afford to have the
contract labor system abolished and
hire free laborers | clung to this
opinion until little less than two
months ago when 1 was convinced of
my error.
81 was in Louisiana for the purpose
of ascer4 aiming some information
touching upon the labor question.
While in New Orleans there arrived
two large cargoes of Italians. They
were free laborers and had paid their
own passage from their native land
to America, where they intended to
labor on the plantations. These men
were absorbed by sixteen sugar plan
tations, hiring out as free laborers for
fifty cents day and finding them
selves.
81 visisted each of these plantations
and saw the men working in the fields.
TO my astonishment l found them to
be powerful and raw-boned men. They
are capable of doing more work than
the negroes. Chinese and Japanese
labor does not begin to compare with
Italian labor when it comes to field
work.
ION further investigation I learned
that there was almost an unlimited
supply of italian laborers who would
be glad to get an opportunity to do
field work. This knowledge of italian
labor which | gathered on the fields
| 7
question in my mind. / am quite con-
fident that the sugar planters of Ha-
waii can secure all the free labor they
want and more, too, at price which
will not exceed, and in the case of the
Italians, is less, than the price they
are now paying for contract labor"
Letting the labor system drop, how
will the Hawaiian planter be bene-
fitted by annexation?" was asked Mr..
Spreckels.
81 cannot, for the life of me, see how
any sugar planter in Hawaii can OPP
pose annexation in justice to himself,
at this particular time.
"Alind you, l was an anti-annexa-
Zionist myself but brief spell back
and l was just as sincere then in my
views against the cause as / am now
in its favor. Conditions pertaining to
this grave question have so changed Ia
the past two or three months as to al
most create an evolution in the camp
of the anti-anneXation sugar planters.
"In the first place, the most form
liable opponent to Hawaii's coming
into the Union, is the mighty sugar
trust. The sugar trust is virtually be-
hind the sugar beet industry in Cali
| fornia and that accounts for the bit
ter opposition from those interested
in that industry. The United States is
practically the only market for the
Hawaiian sugar. 1t is found to be
protected market because the sugar
planters and those interested financial
! ly in sugar in that country are work.
ing diligently to accomplish that end.
Now the question is whether Hawaiian
sugar will be admitted duty free or
not. If so, the planter here will sure
| ly profit and if not, he will lose. Ha-
waii will surely he outside of the wall
and be compelled to pay import duty
to the United States unless it is an
neXed to that Great Republic.
"The arguments advanced by the
sugar men in the States against the
annexation of Hawaii for the reason
that it would injure their industry
properly refuted here. The Califor-
MIA beet raisers make howl that Ha-
waiian sugar, if permitted to come in,