The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-07-29

bacon. In some of the Southern dis
trlcts, rice is used great deal.
and here in Hawaii he can get as good
as can be found in the world.
Now as to my method of securing
these people: There is not one family
in hundred--perhaps more-who has
work the year round. l win go through
the belt from one end TO the other, Sc
lecting two or three families in each
place-there will be no trouble to get
the right kind-and tell them the sit
uation. If they are ready, will bring
them at once; if not | will return
| when | have selected those from other
districts Having secured the required
number of families, it will be neces-
sary to get OverseerS-men who thor
| oughly understand work in the cane
| and bring them with me- for you must
understand that negroes require over
seers just as the Asiatics do. AS a
train is filled I will go with it to San
| Francisco and deliver the people over
| to my agents there who will then
take them to Hawaii
"The wages paid the men and wo-
men will be higher than that paid
Japanese, but considering the differ
| ence in the quantity and quality of
work done, the amount is less. | have
had a very pleasant interview with the
members of the Government, and 1
am sure they will interpose no objec-
| tion to them On the contrary the
| idea meets with favor. l do not see
why they should, if they look at it
| from a political standpoint. The OBJ
| tection to annexation on the part of
| some of the people of the United
States is on the score of Asiatic labor,
| and President Mckinley stands today
against every labor organization in the
United States. Eliminate that Objec-
tionable feature and there is nothing
in the way. The Southern negro is
American pure and simple, and when
the people of the United States know
that the planters of Hawaii are ready
to take that class of labor as against
Asiatics, they will hurrah louder for
annexation than you do down here.
"The only opponents to the plan of
bringing negroes here are those who |
have not studied the negro character
by personal observation. They read of
crime committed by a negro and the |
sensational lynching of the man, and
then stamp the whole race with the |
mold of that criminal. In my expert |
ence, covering good many years, |
can truthfully say that these occur |
rences are exceptions, and it is seldom,
if ever that plantation negro is the
guilty man. These men usually come
from the large towns and cities, or are
workers on the leveeS. In the Grim
inal annals of the United States, how
often do you find man who has spent
his life on a farm, guilty Of misde-
meanor or a crime? Having been
brought up away from the allurements
of city life. His wants are never out
of proportion to his surroundings. 1t
is the same with the negro, and the |
people who I will contract to land |
here will not belong to a class that |
will be heard of in your police courts, |
but will be found, rather, when Sun |
day comes around, attending church |
Every reading man and every travelled |
man knows the darkies' love for the |
good old Methodist Church, and once |
the negro is established here, you will |
find that branch of religion flourish
ing like the green bay tree"
One of the leading agents for plan
tations here, when asked his views on
the subject, said:
''I objected to it, first, merely from
political standpoint. I felt that if we
drew our full supply from one district,
like Louisiana, for instance, it might
injure our chances for annexation for
the reason that the people of that State
would shout that we were depriving
them of their labor supply. But I find
am mistaken, no district will depict
ed as ii is the intention of the gentle
man who is here to take only few
families from each district.
"My knowledge of the negro is limit
ed. but I will admit that the idea of
bringing them here is good one and
now is a good time to begin. There
can be no question regarding there be-
ing Americans and that is what the
people of the United States want us to
have I would like to see every plan
tation on the islands start in now with
100 families. There is no question
about the climate suiting them, and,
from what I have learned since [ be-
gan to investigate the matter, they are
better able to do the work required of
them than the Japanese"
It is pretty generally understood
that the Cabinet is a unit in favoring
the measure. One of the miisters said
in response to a question: "The OBJ
jections I think is a mere matter of
sentiment. Once in a while there is
hue and cry raised because crime
has been committed by a negro and
the whole country Immediately gets
down on the entire race IN conse-
Quence To me it is a mistake. There
is what is known as the "black belt"
containing 100000 people and oc-
casionaly some crime is committed by
a negro It is not always the crime
that attracts attention from people of
other parts of the world. but the man
ner of the punishment. It is not
long time since that the newspapers of
the United States, and even of Europe.
were full of accounts, written and
pictured, of the burning of a negro
criminal at a stake, by an infuriated
mob. It is the punishment of that man
that is before me now. but I have for
gotten lust what crime it was he COM
mitted. I do not believe crime is as