The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-30
Special to The Age-aerald.

Special to The Age-Herald
Washington, Dec. 2S-The following letter
written by Col. Charles T. Eagan, assist
ant commisary general of subsistence of
the army, to Senator John I. Morgan, rela-
tive to the proposed annexation of Hawaii.
Col. Eagan has spent thirty years of his
forty-year service in the army on the Pa
cifc coast from Alaska to the Mexican
boundary and has personal knowledge of
what he writes about. Col. Eagan says:
Washington, D. c., Dec %, 1897.
Hon. John T. Morgan, United States Sen
ate.
Dear Sir-It affords me pleasure to COM
ply with your request to write you. Il letter
giving my views about the annexation OF
Hawaii and explaining why my son has,
within the past few months, given up his
position and career in San Francisco and
entered the business of coffee-growing IN
the Hawaiian islands.
1 premise by stating that 1 have been a
resident of the Pacific coast for forty-five
years excepting some temporary absences
therefrom. l am thoroughly familiar with
Hawaiian trade and its vast Importance TO
this country, and have seen it as the lie
blood of San Francisco during the recent
years of depression giving employment
to fleet of sailing ships and steamers all
flying the American flag; employing our
wharves, laborers, teamsters' mechahlcs'
foundries mills ard sugar refneries in adj
dition to the purchase from our merchants
OF about S5,0uU OOJ annually OF merchanuAse,
much of which Is produced east OF the
Missouri river.
So important indeed is this trade to the
Pacific coast that you have now, in the
Senate a petition from the people of san
Francisco representing some eight hundred
million dollars; and, in this connection, 1t
may be truthfully said that If put to q
vote the people of the Pacific coast, aside
from the few controlled or directed by the
sugar trust and its partners and agents,
would vote overwhelmingly for annexation.
The Importance of this lies in the fact that
they are familiar with this subject and
know the value from all standpoints and
also know the grave danger that lies IN
failure to annex the Hawaiian islands now.
II is contended by self-constituted advo-
Gates of the beet sugar industry that an
neyation of the Hawaiian ISLANDS Will IN
terfere with the profitable production or
beet sugar in this country and to support
this contention they have resorted to the
abatement formally proclaimed. that Ia
borers in the Hawaiian islands work Tor %
per month and board. AS you know from
personal examination that this is unquall,
fiedly false / will not go into faets ana
figures that no matter how much beet SUI
sar we may eventually produce in this
country we still must have cane sugar and
far more than the amount that can, or
ever will be produced in the United states.
ANY candy manufacturer will verify this.
But In any case, there is no danger what
ever to the beet sugar grower OF the Unit
ed States. Who shall say, seriously, that
we can produce iii the next twenty years
enough beet sugar to fill the requirements
of this country which are at present more
than two million tons? Colonel Sellers
alone could father such a proposition. BY
the time we begin to produce beet sugar
approximating our present requirements
the increase of our population will require
far more than the comparatively small out
nut of Hawaiian cane sugar, and 1t must
be stated here that the maximum Hawaiian
production has been reached, for all the
lands of the islands suitable for sugar are
already under cultivation.
1t has been asserted by those Interested
in preventing the annexation OF these is
lands, that Hawaii is not place Tor
white labor. This contention seems Verl-
fed because, at present there Is little Wnlte
labor there; but neither was there any
white labor in the hot valleys OF California
before 1t became a part of this country,
and 1t was alleged that white labor could
not ever be used there. These valleys are
now full of white labor. We all know
white labor does not emigrate from the
limited States but, as in other cases, when
We acouire the territory, and once plant
our flag there, Americans will promptly
show that they can and will labor In Ha-
wall, where the temperature is much low
err and not so enervating as In the hot val
leys of the Sacramento and the San Joa-
quin above referred to.
Already many young men have gone from
California to Hawaii in anticipation OF an
nexation to make it their home; to build up
the coffee and other promising industries
On this point l beg to quote here from
the San Francisco Chronicle, one of the
abest newspapers in America. In the is
sue of December Is, 1897, 1t says: The
attempt to make 1t appear that Hawaii is
not a suitable place for white labor rests
on the assumption that nothing can be
raised there but sugar cane. This over
looks the enormous possibilities of coffee,
bananas and pineapples, and the openings
for skilled labor in every trade. There is
as much or more coffee acreage on the
breezy uplands and mountain sides of Ha-
wall as there is sugar land on the plains,
and 1t is full of invitation to the white man
of small means. Today the wages of white
labor are higher in Hawaii than they are
on the coast but are nothing to what they
would be If the islands should fill up with
a productive white population engaged In
raising products which always bring large
returns"
Hawaii presents peculiarly favorable in
ducements to men of families and small
means; precisely such as constitute the
main-stay of country In peace and war,
and class we are all most anxious to en-
courage and increase.
The first or maiden crop OF the coffee
tree In Hawaii. is one pound to the tree;
the second bearing is fully two pounds to
tree. The tree begins bearing when three
and O half years old. A man of family and
small means can do all his own work. and
forty acres of coffee can be easily cared
for by himself and family; the pruning and