The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-08-23
SOME SOCIALISM.

The San Francisco Bulletin OF !
August End, contains an Interview with |
Mr.. j. 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 1t will not be dis
cussed now.
Mr.. Atherton opens most serious
question when he emphasizes the ne
cessity of employing laborers with fam
lilies, because they are better and more
reliable than single men. He does not
believe in 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
aborers shall be sufficient for the main
tenance of the family relations, for the
support Of schools, churches and other
agencies of civilization"
These are brave words from Mr..
Atherton. There is ring of humani-
ty about them. There Is even sug-
gestion of Socialism in It, the Christ
ian socialism, which recognizes what
the classes owe to each other. Even as
a doctrine IL Is almost original in these
Islands. These sentiments go far to
show the absence of true civilization
here and expose the glaring defects of
our average social life.
The complaint of the more intelli-
gent Portuguese labOrers has been, and
Is. that the Asiatics fixed the standard
, of wages, and as they are single men,
they have pressed down the rate of
, wages for the Portuguese with a 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.. Anterior 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 a
Christian civilization. How is 1t to bt
done? Does he believe 1t will be volun
> tarily done by the planters? Who Ii
to determine what decent or sufficient
wages are? or, will 1t be regulated by
supply and demand? or. will the local
politics OF the territory finally turn on
|, this question?
The end and aim Of the labor unions
in the civilized lands Is to obtain what
Mr.. Atherton declares they should
have, that is sufficient wages" But
the minds of the employers and en-
poyees rarely meet on this issue. In
individual instances 1t has been. and
will be done. But the strike Is yet the
only way, disastrous, and imperfect as
1t Is, by which labor conflicts are set
tied.
He will be indeed. II true Apostle OF
Socialism, who can realize Mr.. Ather-
tons ideal of the condition Of the labor
on the plantations. He Is at once con-
fronted with the standards of wages
which the Asiatics create, because they
make the back bone OF the labor sup
ply at present. How will he adjust
the white man to this standard? or,
will he raise the Asiatic standard?