The San Francisco call., 1898-01-25
HAWAIIAN LABOR.

[l GAIN, we insist, let the truth be told about \ the peculiar conditions and the needs of la bor" in Hawaii. II the Government is to give the islands the separate laws hoped for by Presi dent Dole, by which they secure coolie contract labor, let that fact be admitted now.
 In the present position of the pea somebody is liable bet 1t under the wrong shel and the shell game is not statesmanship, anyway.
 Robert Cotton, for twenty years resident in the islands, has recently written to Eastern friend facts that deserve wide circulation. In this letter MT. Cotton says
 After annexation the present Asiatc population would disappear to reappear n the continental parts of the United States and the question as to what population would take its place brings me to the principal part of the misfortune that think annexa- ton would be to the islands-the difficulty would be in getting labor for the sugar plantations There are ardent annexationists here who affect to see some of keeping up the Asatic labor supply after we part and parcel of the United States and subject to their laws those against contract labor among others Now without the sugar plantations the islands would be commercially nowhere, and without large per centage o contract labor 1t has not been hitherto found practicable to work any plantation success fully, and if to depend for the success of our sugar industry upon eluding the laws of the United States shall be paying much too high price for the privilege of living under those laws Some ar dent annexationsts profess believe that the
 fields be cultivated by white labor but they know better, as does every who knows what cane cut- vation is''
 That IS sober and truthful statement If our labor laws extended to Hawaii, together with our Chi nese exclusion laws, and enforced the commerce of the islands will decay If the plantations are run in violation of these laws an issue as dangerous as cla ic i,,+rO arate laws hoped for by Dole, are passed to permit the use of low-priced cooie labor in Hawaii, our American sugar industry may as well stop where it is to the loss of the greater sacrifice it must make by and by All the time men like Mr. Cotton. having no interest in the oligarchy or the monarchy but long resident in the islands and close observers of the peculiar conditions and needs of labor" give out these calm and unprejudced statements of the situation.
 So far not a military, commercial nor political reason worthy of consideration has been offered in favor of annexation. Nor has straight or direct answer been given by any annexationist to such statements as Mir. Cottons
 An answer IS simple and easy, if possible at all Let any sugar planter who is putting up the money for annexation say whether his plantation can be worked by white labor at white wages. If he thinks 1t let him test 1t at by enrolling such labor immediately, in San Francisco, and sending it out at wages equal to those paid by the beet sugar farmers here.
 Surely the magnitude of the issues involved war rants such test and if those who profess believe white labor possible there are telling the truth there is risk in the experiment.
 A full season, year. may be taken in the trial Annexation need not be hurried indeed it cannot be- for the reasons which The Call has given for the last two months dominate the situation ard annex ation cannot come at all.
 But the planters who have been promoting it may have enough regard for their reputation to make a twelve months trial of white labor at white wages