The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-08-20
SOME SOCIALISM.

The San Francisco Bulletin of
August End, contains an interview with
Mr.. ]. b. Anterior of this city on the
labor question.
Mr.. Atherton is disposed to approve
of negro labor for the reason, he sug-
gests, that negro laborers bring their
wives and children with them. We do
not consider the plan of negro immi-
grafton from the Mainland advisable
or practicable But it will not be dis
cussed now.
Mr.. Anterior opens a most serious
question when he emphasizes the ne
cessity of employing laborers with fam
lies, because they are better and more
reliable than single men. He does not
believe in a scale OF wages that are
only sufficient for a single man. He
believes that the scale should be such
as to provide for man with family.
He says. Industries based on rates
Of wages which only provide for the
laborer are out of line with Christian
civilization The family home, the
school house, the church, are essential
features of modern civilization. They
are features which cost money The
law of all civilized countries requires a
man to contribute to the support of
wife and children. 1t is for the good
of society that the wages of manual
laborers shall be sufficient for the main
tenance of the family relations, for the
of cb ut
agencies of civilization"
These are brave words from Mr..
Anterior. There is a ring of humani-
ty about them. There is even a sug-
gestion of Socialism in it, the Christ
ian socialism, which recognizes what
the classes owe to each other Even as
a doctrine it is almost original in these
Islands. These sentiments go far tc
show the absence of true civilization
here and expose the glazing defects o.
our average social life.
The complaint Of the more intelli
gent Portuguese laborers has been, anC
is, that the Asiatics fixed the STANDARD
of wages. and as they are single men
they have pressed down the rate o
wages for the Portuguese with large
family The Portuguese also complain
that they are unable to obtain lands
for the smallest homesteads The plan
tations only offer them leases, which
prevent the making of homes, and sub
ject them to the instability of corpora
ton management. No man knows bet
ter than Mr. Atherton does the intense
dislike of an intelligent, or industri'
Gus man to a leased home
Mr.. Atherton very wisely declare that
the planters must adjust the scale OF
wages to meet these demands of g
Christian civilization. How is it to be
done? Does he believe it will be volun-
tarily done by the planters? Who Is
to determine what decent or sufficient
wages are? or, will it be regulated by
supply and demand? or, will the loca
notifies of the territory finally turn or
this question?
The end and aim of the labor unions
in the civilized lands is to obtain wha
Mr.. Atherton declares they should
have. that is sufficient wages" Blu
the minds of the employers and EN-
ployees rarely meet on this issue. II
individual instances it has been, an'
will be done. But the strike is yet tn
only way, disastrous, and imperfect
il is. by which labor conflicts are set
tied.
He will be indeed. a true Apostle o
Socialism, who can realize Mr.. Ather
tons ideal of the condition of the labo
on the plantations. He is at once con
fronted with the standards of wage
which the Asiatics create, because the,
make the back bone of the labor sup
ply at present. How will he adJus
the white man to this standard? OF
will he raise the Asiatic standard?