Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-12
COOLIE LABOR AND HAWAII
Some New Tricks of the Sugar Trust Plainly
Exposed.
The Cunning Hand of the Trust Visi-
BILE in Efforts to Mislead Labor
Organizations.


dice labor organizations against Hawaiian
annexation, on the ground of the present
employment of coolie labor in the islands.
Aside from the fact that the supply of
such labor in Hawaii must steadily dimin-
ish and eventually cease altogether when
the islands become subject to our laws
Guiding cooie immigration and, in fact,
all contract laborers," flood of light Is
thrown upon the whole subject in a letter
recently written to prominent gentleman
here by Mr.. c. A. Spreckels of San Fran
cisco, general manager of the Hawaiian
Commercial and Sugar Company and also
interested in the sugar refining business
in California, but at swords points with
Claus Spreckels and the sugar trust. This
letter is primarily written as a reply to
recently published INTERVIEW given out
by Henry T. Oxnard.
Mr.. Oxnard," writes Mr.. Spreckels,
says he represents the beet sugar indus
try in the United States and that he IS in
Washington to secure protection for that
new agricultural occupation. 1t should be
ascertained whether Mr. OXnard represents
the farmers who cultivate the sugar beets
or the manufacturers who make the beetS
into sugar. Evidently he desires that it
shall be generally believed that he rep
resents the farmers who raise the
beets. He says that it would be wrong to
annex the Hawaiian Islands and thereby
into competition with the coolie labor or
the islands. 1 understand that this is the
main objection he advances against annex
alton. But Mr.. Oxnard is not frank with
the public. He conceals the important
fact that ninety-five per cent of the labor
expended in cutivating sugar beets In
California, where one of his sugar fac
tories is located. is performed by coolies.
The labor commissioner of California Mr..
Fitzgerald, has just announced that he
has made a personal investigation Of the
beet fields of California, and he states
that ninety-five per cent of the work is
done by coolies. At Chino, Cal, where
Mr.. Oxnard's factory is located. Mr.. FitZ-
gerald says there are LOCO coolies employ
ed in the beet fields. and that while Re
was there 100 more coolies were engaged.
Mr. Fitzgerald also states that at Chino
the coolies are paid 90 cents to 81 a day,
thus absolutely prohibiting the competi-
ton of American labor. japanese cool
les are in great demand on all Cal
ifornia sugar beet ranches They are
being brought into this country practI-
cally in defiance of the contract labor law.
AS soon as they reach the harbors on The
Pacific coast they make straight for the
sugar beet farms. where evidently they
are expected and where they immediately
receive employment.
Now in the face of this fact, is the pub
lie not at liberty to suspect the sincerity OF
Mr.. Oxnard's statement or avowal that he
is working in the interest of the American
farmers, whom he promises agricultural
prosperity if they will back him up in his
demand on Congress for protection to the
sugar beet industry. If he stated his argu-
ment frankly against annexation and said
that he did not want the California coolic
labor to be brought into competition with
Hawaiian coOlie labor, his objection would
at least have the force of sincerity.
Working for the Sugar Trust.
But If Mr.. Oxnard does not represent the
American farmer, whom does he represent?
{- thn of bnat
sugar. If that Is the case, certainly 1T
would be better to say He is a manu-
facturer himself. being interested in a fac
tory in Nebraska and one in California.
Mr.. OXnard also emphatically asserts that
the sugar beet factories are fighting the
sugar trust. and undoubtedly he has sue
cceded in impressing this view of the mat
ter upon a large class of people. The pub
lie, however. is beginning to some light
this subject. / have it on the authority
of ex-senator FELTON,. who is close friend
of Mr.. OXnard, and who also approves Mr..
OXnardS fight against the annexation of
the Hawaiian Islands, that the sugar trust
has just little less than one-half inter-
est in every beet sugar factory in the
United States, except the one at Alvarado
Cal, and the trust handles the product of
that concern. But there is still better evil
dence that the sugar trust is largely inter-
ested In the beet sugar factories in this
country. Robert OXnarG of the Western
Sugar Refinery at San Francisco said re-
Gently that Havemeyer and Searles furnish
ed the bulk of the money to build the beet
sugar factory at Chino, Cal Mr. Searles
recently bought 45 per cert of the entire
stock of the Watsonville beet sugar fac
tory.
What is the result of this? We find Mr..
Oxnard not representing the American
farmer, for sugar beets in California are
cultivated almost exclusively by coolies
but representing the manufacturers He
asserts that he is not working in the in
terests of the sugar trust, yet the sugar
trust has large interest in all the fac
tories in the United States with perhaps
one or two exceptions. The conclusion is
Inevitable. that it is the sugar trust that is
masking behind the beet sugar farmer"
of the United States and thus covertIv re-
sistinS annexation.
Annexation Would Aid DeveIonr,.n.
Now, as a matter of fact. would the
annexation of the Hawaiian Islands inter-
fere with the development of the beet
sugar industry in this country? For the
last twenty years the Hawaiian raw sugars
have come into the United States free
Last year the beet sugar factories in Cali
fornia paid from 40 to so per cent in divi-
dends. The free sugar from Hawaii did
not injure the business last wear while
the tariff on raw sugars from other coun-
tries was only 40 per cent ad valorem IT
Is now proposed to increase the tariff from
about 80 cents hundred, which is about
the rate at present, to about 81 60 per hum
dred pounds.
The increased tariff will make the man.
ufacture of beet sugar still more profitable
The farmer. however. l regret to say. will
get little benefit from the advance. He
gets about $3.50 a ton for beets, making
about so worth of sugar.
But the great obstacle in the way of the
development of the beet sugar industry is
the determination of the sugar trust to
prevent it's growth. That monopoly is in
the business of refining raw sugar and its
present attitude is against an increase in
the number or output of sugar beet fac
tories. II has made the threat in Cali
fornia that if another beet sugar factory is
put up there it will erect an opposition one
next to ii. That means that IL will kill the
factory by ruinous competition. That threat
has been made, and II is now retarding
and will continue to retard the establish.
ment of any factories. Who wants to put
his money in beet sugar factory IL he
knows he is thereby inviting a struggle
with the sugar trust? Who would yoiun-
tariy engage in such a contest?
ITO sum up. l will say that the labor
in California employed in cultivating sugar
beets is not American labor, but is coolie
labor. SO poorly paid that American labor
cannot compete with it; that the factories
are making enormous profits, even with
the comparatively small protection afford
ed by the Wilson bill. and that thew will
make still larger profits under the proposed
new tariff law, and, finally. that all the
beet sugar factories in the United States.
with pOSSfblV