The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-26
LAND AND
LABOR HERE
New|and's Speech in
the House.
PORTO R|CAN RECOURSE
| Nevada Statesman Tells How, in His
Opinion, White Population
May be increased.

LANDS, OF NEVADA, IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
FRIDAY. APRIL 6, 1900
The House being in Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union,
and having under consideration the bill
IS 222) to provide a government for the
Territory of Hawaii
Mr.. Newlands said:
Mr.. Chairman. The purpose of the
amendment which l have offered is to
provide for commissioner of labor in Ha-
wall, whose duty it shall be to present
annual reports to the governor and leg
islature of Hawaii and to the Department
of Labor in the United States as to the
commercial, industrial, social education
al, and sanitary conditions of the laboring
classes in Hawaii. This provision has
been, at my request drawn up by Mr.
carroll Wright, United States Commits
sloner of Labor, and is substantially as
he drew it, with the exception that / have
inserted "a provision that these reports
should be made to the governor and leg
iSlature of Hawaii as we'll as to the De-
partment of Labor IN the United States.
L wish to say in this connection that the
numerous amendments which / have Of
fered to this bill have related entirely to
the system of land tenure and labor en-
ployment there existing.
In my Judgment the future of the Ua-
Waiian Islands, as well as that of the
other semi tropical and tropical isl
will depend not so much upon
the form of their government as it
VIII upon the economic conditions there
existing. The form of the government
may be perfect; the organic act which We
provide for the government of Hawaii
may conform with the most advanced
IDEAS or Tree government; We. if the eco
noInlc conditions there are such as to per-
petuate an extensive system of land mo-
nopoly. the concentration of large areas
of land in the hands of individuals and
corporations, employing laborers as mere
machines for the cultivation of the soil
we can not hope to develop there such
Citizenship as will be able to maintain the
free institutions of a republic.
AS L have previously stated, the popula-
ton OF the Hawaiian Islands consists of
about $1,000 Asatics, half Chinese ana
nall japanese; 10000 kanakas, the native
people of Hawaii; 10, 900 Portuguese and
about 5000 other whites. 1t is fair to as
sumo that as yet the Portuguese are not
educated. Probably the most of them
nave been imported into these islands
and are unfamiliar with the English Ian
guage, so that we have a population of
1000 white people against 100000 of
Aslabcs and natives, and of these %. 900
Whlte people 1t is probable that not more
than e,eOo are equal in intelligence and
education to the average white citizen of
the United States
A few of these 5000 whites are in the
ownership and control of almost all the
land in these islands. The main occuna-
ton there is agricultural, all the com
merce being merely incidental to the great
sugar interests of these islands. The
/ owned by corporations and the holdings
run as high as five or ten thousand acres
( corporate control is the most convenient.
effective, and economic method of man
aging sugar plantations 1t secures 90
operation of capital, and il enables can
ltal 10 enter upon a comprehensva Mo n
" u Improvement which contemplates first
the acquisition of a large area of lana
second, the construction of extensive irri
CATION works with which to irrieata II {.
| thlrd. the construction of a central sugar
Ill f iol me purpose OF grinding the cane
ana Iourth, the construction of radial rail
way connecting all parts of the pIanta
uoh, by means of which the cane can he
ect hohllcally transported to the factory
Upon these plantations are emDIoved
about 10000 Asiatics as well asa CONTAIN
proportion OF the kanaka and Portuguese
population The tendency is to regard
the Asiatic laborers as mere macbina
lheir food. their health, their sanitary
conditions are looked after only with
view TO maintaining their efficiency &C
n'acliIies. AS TO the kanakas, they are
kindly people who have received a ia
education. but who seem unable to with.
STAND the contact of strong and vigorous
races and as result the native race is
gradually becoming extinct
1t is probable that these islands vii,
support a population of a half million of
people, and the development of the in
dEstrles there will necessitate the Increase
from without. Chinese immiprafion ~
now prohibited by the United states
laws, but other ASiatics such as the Jan-
dliese' can enter. and they are crowding
enere III large numbers. Unless there
lore, We are content to allow the Japan-
csc TO gradually meet all the increasinp
requirements of these islands for labor
erS, We must devise some system NV which
the migration of citizens of the JTnItej
states, white or black, or of the white
people OF o,her countries shall he oro-
tnoteo; ana we can never expect to be able
10 successfully promote such migration If
the laborlng class is to be attached as
heretofore, in q semi-Servile capacity TO
me SOL, without rights in it. The promo
uoh, therefore, of small land holdings is
absolutely essential to the promotion of
desirable immigration, and without the
only. ga III iiaiile
The task is difficult one. 7 admit hp+
the more difficult it is the sooner we
should enter upon it. We can not exnect
me class which has heretofore governed
the islands, Intelligent. publicesnir;ta5
and capable though it be- to work on;
the reforms that will be essential to tbe
maintenance of republican institutions
i hney are the landed class. They are the
pthelClarles OF the system which now
pieVails there, a system which increases
the dignity of wealth of the landowner
ana degrades the condition of the land
n ldnoreI, system which has given this
class the wealth which it possesses. II
can never be expected that the benefci
ares OF an abuse will reform that abuse
ms is 100 much to hope of human ma
lne poiitlcal government of Hawaii. ana
any reform In the future must be com,
pelied and forced by the United STATS
Government through it's control over Ia
wan as a territory of the United Statae
1t is urged that the sugar industry i
Sucn as to require large holdings IVA
Seml-servIe labor, and that the climat. 81
faWaii is unSuited to the labor Of o,I
other class than that now EMPLOYED tbo"e
ana that therefore reform is homeless
MY. MY answer is that by admission of IA
Mai 10 the commercial unicn of tbn
United States large markets have been
sven 10 her sugar production which hava
NaSuy increased it's value, and that we
Wlli pc recresnt to our duty if we nernni.
lne ehtlre benefits of this increase of h.
ndIue OF thelr sugar product to go to ON
itai instead of being divided into eor,.,
an proportion between capital and labor
are we 10 perpetuate a system viii,
WI MI raise the value of sugar lands tror1
soo an acre to a thousand two thoneand
ana three thousand dollars an acre ,1ni
say none of the benefits of this sv.te,,t
5haii go to the labor employed upon ~,
iand! The very foundation of the nro.
lectVe system of this country js that
ihohopoiy or American markets given g.
american products tends not so nuon -
the advantage of capital as Il do, 70 e.
elevation of labor. If, then. aur tariff
on sugar gives to Hawaii Stare ~