The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-05
LABOR is CHEAP THERE
WHITE MEN CANNOT COMPETE
WITH IT.
USELESSNESs OF HAWAII TO US
The Island is 500 Niles from Other Islands
in the Group and Ownership Of il Would
MOI Lessen Need of Navy on
This Continent.

Washington, d. c., Feb. 4.-SenatOr
White concluded his three days speech
in opposition to the annexation of Ha-
waii in the executive session of the SEN
ate today.
In the beginning of today's speech he
made some additional points against the
availability of Hawaii for defensive
purposes, saying that it is 800 miles from
the outside islands of the group to other
islands. This fact he said, demon
strated that numerous points must be
guarded from hostile assault, and that
powerful navy would he required TO ac
complish this; that this immense ex-
penditure will be without benefit to our
defenscs on the continent. He declared
chat as soon as Hawaii was acquired it
would be contended that our domains
should be extended to other islands, and
we would finally embark upon the for
eign acquisition business, involving an
outlay OF hundreds of millions of dol
lars.
lie then took up the question of labor
cOntending that the Chinese and Japan
ese are receiving $15 per month without
board. He ridiculed the pretension that
the Anglo Saxon race c0nid labor in
Hawaiian sugar fields, and demanded to
know why if they could, there was no
such white labor on the islands now
He real from q recent consular report
TO show that the coffee business was at
best problematical, and that even in
this work aborers only receive SO per
month without board. He denounced
the master and servant regulations
now in force in the islands as species of
slavery: said that coffee must be pro-
duced in competition with the lowest
grade of peOn toilers, and that the time
would never come when q farm hand on
a coffee plantation would receive the
white mans wages. He also asserted
that the Japanese natives have the
same right to come into the United
States enjoyed by other foreigners, and
that while contract labOrers of all kinds
are excluded, still there is no obstacle to
the entry of the ordinary Japanese la
borer who complies with our general
immigration laws, and that if anneXa
ton were brought about Oriental labor
would still dominate the situation in
Hawaii.
He denounced a,s absurd the assertion
that trade would be diverted from the
United States if annexation were de-
feated, and said that even with the
present treaty out of the way the IIa-
waiians would do business with us; that
when the, Mckinley bill was in force
they still traded with the United States.
He compared the growing trade of
Japan to that of Hawaii, showing that
cotton. flour and manufacturers of iron
and steel were fast occupying the Japan
Csc market.
Mr.. White then took up the Hawaiian
government, insisting that it was ire
gular and fraud.
He criticised the action of President
Dole in coming to Washington at such Il
time. He reviewed at length the gen
eral policies and theories Of our govern
ment, declared that the question was
above ail politics, and that it was a step,
which, if taken, could not add to our
glory or increase our wealth, or be re-
garded aus an evidence of our honesty.