Evening star., 1899-02-09
On That Depends the Best Hope
of the People.
a NEW CHINESE QUESTION
peeial COrrespOndrnee of The Evening Star

increase. e................-....... $19, CO. 33
The two chief items of increase We're in
the customs bureau:
For 1897. s7OS. .493 %
For 1898. Observation-Disclosures. S96 975 20
Tax bureau for 1897 1883 T03 gS
Tax bureau for 1893. 9S............... S11 S1S 67
lHcredSe. -.----.-...-.-.......-... ~, la 63
1t should be observed that the Hawaiian
duties are little more than half the rate
of those of the United States, while most
OF the imports from the states are duty
free.
Comparing our public income with that of
the United States, ours is over $40 head
of our population of nearly 12o. .ooo At the
same rate the united national state and
municipal incomes of the United States
would equal s1,400, 100000. Is it actually as
much?
To our nearly 81. 900 900 of yearly duties
the United States government will here
alter fall heir, and, indeed, to much more,
because your duties are much heavier than
ours Besides, our imports are likely to
increase rapidly with the increase of our
populatoh. indeed, it seems likely to be
a serious question how to meet our terri
torIal expenses, when deprived of this in
come from customs. Congress should be
very liberal toward Hawaii on this ac-
count.
Increase of White Population.
rapid increase of the white population
of Honolulu is clearly indicated by the
unprecedented multip ication of new dwell
lngs in those sections of the city occupied
by the whites 1t seems safe to say that
such houses have at least doubled during
the past two years. The larger number
are modest cottages, but good proportion
are hne residences. In September 1896 the
city population was 1000. 1t now probably
reaches 10000. A large number of fine
h9N hapr tod cir,
that date, and many more such are now in
progress Builders and contractors are
hnding 1t difficult to meet the demands upon
thelr resources The lumber suppiV not
long since was nearly exhausted
The best hope Of these islands would seem
10 ps III d steady and somewhat rapid in
crease OF the white population. Our pecu-
mar SuOtroplcal ana cool climate makes
Hawaii eminently a white. mans country
ana our propinquity to the mainland ought
90 secure US a strong current of immgra-
uoh from the states. Every patriotic
person mere must hope that the operatiou
OF American laws will speedily pui a check
upon the present large japanese inomfera-
ton. We want a white population. and not
an ASiatic. An increase of the Asiatics will
tend to crowd back and discourage the
entry of the whites. 1t is only the latter
who can make desirable American citizens
or inh23iLants of the territory ft to vote
II Is true that the Asiatics cannot vote un-
der American law. but their children horn
mere will be entitled to the suffrage. and
unless white sentiment is kept predominant
50 as to mold those children into good
americans, the result will be most detri-
mental TO the success of self-government
TheFe needs TO be an excess of white inmi-
grafton.
Question of Suffrage
These facts make 1t of the highest i'm
portance that the present domination of
American influences should not be de-
sroyed by any unwise legislation on the
part Of Congress opening the suffrage in
Hawaii widely to the less worthy and more
shiftless clements of the population. The
evil done would be comparable to thai
which after the war threw the southern
states under the control of The ignorant
and worthless negroes. Our native Ha-
~anans are doubtless as whole far su-
perIot 10 the newly enfTanchised slaves: a
much larger proportion of them are nov
dne 10 read and write. Probably a iegis-
lature elected by the rank and nle of The
natives would =ot re as utterly abandoned
as were some of those in southern states
after the war. But we should have bad
uInes Wth them, and our present public
prosperity would wretchedly suffer
What We imperatively need is that the
present restricted suffrage should continue
until by the immigration of saw 10000
Americans in the course of ten or fifteen
years. our white population should become
numerically ascendant. The natives and
part natives number 1000 in all and are
steadily decreasing. An increasing proper
ton of part white are becoming fu11v as
simulated to the whites in ethical sentiment
and IN intelligence. In twenty years those
who remain Hawaiian in sentiment and
habit VIII NOT exceed 2h,0G0. and the then
white majority will naturally direct and
guide them.
BY the same twenty years there will be
by natural increase. at least -. 900 Portu-
guese. majority of them born in the is
lands. 1t is equally important that these
also should be AmericaniZed. They are now
becoming so by means Of our excellent Eng
hsh schools and newspapers. To a fully
successful result however, prosperous
American immigration is needful Young
Portuguese growing up in communities
where few English-speaking inhabitants
1--we cannot be much Americanized. We
want constant stream Of intelligent and
capable Americans pouring in. and spread
ing over the islands. For this it is essen
ual that they should not find their votes
nuilihed by a shftless and ignorant native
majority, or it will be a discoura cement to
their coming. The Portuguese well Ameri-
can!zed, VIII become assimilated to the rest
OF the white speakers Of English. as com
pletely as are Germans or Norwegians in
America
1t is grievance to us here to see in the
American discussion upon Expansion"
such an absence of discrimination between
the soc al ana political status of Hawaii
and that of other proposed dependencies
such as Porto Rico and the Philippines
We are strongly Americauized English
wholly alien and un-American. A very few
years will make Hawaii fit for the broadest
extension of suffrage. No one knows what
amount or duration of training those other
countries will need. Hawaii could be set
running at once. and with perfect success
as a state of the Union, with only a slight
limitation of the suffrage; and we would
send to Congress better senators and rep
resentauVes than do a large number of
your newer states. But who could hone for
such to be chosen for fifty years hence by
the people of Porto Rico, or perhaps ever
by the 10.OO0,000 mostly savages. of the
Philippines? Please do not confound Ha-
wall with such Outlandish countries No
one does that comes and looks at us.
A New Chinese Question,
new Chinese question has lately arisen
here which deeply involves the good name
of the United States for justice and hui
manity. No doubt very properly. a treas
ury agent was sent to Honolulu to enforce
the United States law excluding Chinese
immigrants. Not content, however. with
enforcing the law against newcomers. he
has gone so far as to exclude old residents
of Hawaii returning from visits their
peI With