The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-22
ALARMING
VIEW.
Negroes May Ruin
Hawaii Says a
Banker.
IF NUMEROUS WILL
SWAMP ISLANDS
CoIored Leader ADVISES Against
Employment Of White
LunaS.

HE sending of negro laborers to
Hawaii to replace the Asiatics upon
- the plantations has aroused much
argument in the States as to whether or
not it Is advisable. From letters which
there seems to be an unfavorable i'm
preston along people interested in the
negroes against their being put to work
on the sugar plantations. One says that
the negroes are such prolific race that
in time they would fill the Islands with
a black population.
Another comment is by John c. Left
witch, Receiver of Public Moneys at
Montgomery, Ala. who visited the ISL
ands in 1899. He objects to white lunas
being placed over the negro laborers.
His letter is as follows:
Montgomery, Ala, Feb. !, 1901.
Editor Advertiser: l visited your ISL
ands last December, 1899, for the express
purpose TO investigate the conditions or
that country and the advantage it would
be to my people to emigrate thither 10
Work the sugar farms IN the ulffer-
ent provinces.
From all that 1 could see and learn Of
the Islands and plantations, 1 became
convinced that it was very good coun-
try for some of my people who wanted
to make an honest living; therefore on
my return from your country l at once
began advising my people to go to those
Islands. l understood that the negro
would be treated as man, and that he
could leave this country and work uu-
molested without overseers; l was also
made to understand that he would be
clothed with all rights as a citizen and
in connection with many other good
things to be invested on the Islanas-I
have succeeded in getting number Of
good colored people to venture on my
report, but l was surprised on reading
an editorial in your paper. dated jana
airy 10, 1901, stating that it would be
we'll to import Southern white men TO
act as lunas over my people. If this is
the intention of the sugar planters then
am ready to throw my whole influence
against the movement, and will do every
thing to keep any more colored people
from gong. The colored people have
had enough experience in the South Of
poor white bosses, without going thou
sands of miles to be put under the
very same condition. Inc negro's object
for going to the Islands is to work and
make an honest living as an independent
man and not to be presided over by the
same class that has tried to keep him
down ever since his freedom. This Is
the truth in nut shell. You VIII ind
the colored laborer different from that
OF Jap or Chinese; that is, he is imbued
with American industry and intelli-
gence, which carries in itself self-rc-
spect and self-rel ance; this makes him
then if the sugar planters wish to car
~ out their proposition and also en-
courage immigration, let them get lunas
from among the colored race, of which
can be found some of as intelligent men
and women as there are in any race.
1 therefore appeal to the owners "
these farms to not set in the poor whlte
mans head that he can go to those Isl
ands as overseers for the negroes; it viii
breed discontentment and unrest, and
will finally end in much trouble. The
negro likes the wealthy white people
but the poor white and the negro have
never had any love for each other, and
it will be impossible to get rich white
men to act as lunas. I give this out fol
the good of all concerned and truly
hope that you will We this an impor
tant place in your paper.
Please send me a marked copy and Il
you charge anything for this article
send your bill along with the paper.
Truly hoping you much success, yours
JOHN C. LEFTWICH,
Receiver of Public Moneys
Montgomery, Ala.
What Leftwich refers TO was an IN
terview with Colonel Robertson, editor
of the Maui News, in which he advocat
ed white lunas from the South as bet
ter than the lunas employed here ovel
the Japanese.
A letter from b. D. Hicks, New
York State banker, to E. o. White read:
| as follows:
Il saw with regret a paragraph in oul
Der of Southern negroes were being TAX
en- to the Islands to work on the suga
plantations. l should be exceedingly scr
| ry IL any large number of this race
should settle in your midst They are
prolific people, and under the favorable
cond. tons of your cl- mate and other sur
roundings, would multiply with enor
| nous rapidity, and might, in the cours,
| of time, fill all the land with a dens,
black population.
"A few years since | made an extensive
| tour through the West Indies, vis.tins
not only Cuba and the Greater Antilles
but also extending our trip through tn,
! large number of the Carribbees as fal
as the coast of South America. Thes,
| islands remind me of beautiful Hawaii
/ They are perfect germs in their way, ant
are covered with magnificent and luxu
| RANT vegetation from the shore to tn,
submits of their lofty volcanic noun
! tain ranges. This ideal paradise is be
| ing rapidly and surely converted int
negro commun ties, and 1t will not b,
many years before this fairest portion
of the world win have degenerated int,
portions of Darkest Africa and Whit
men will be forever crowded out
While visiting Hayti. which is a typi
cal Africanized island, l found that II
the interior fetichism, cannibalism ant
all the darkest rites of heather Afric:
were being increasingly practiced an,
that the island was drifting into tn
lowest barbarism. This will ultimately
1 fear, be the fate of all the Cariboees
81 cannot bear to think of charmin
Hawaii as being converted into anothe
Hayti. and felt it a dutv to eara wo
this letter of warning. The whites liv
ing In the West Indies imported the ne
gro to help their cane fields. Now he i
grown into a monster which is lterall
usurping the entire area and driving tn
| whites into the sea.
''BENJ. D. HICKS.
"Mineola, N. Y"
race track war Is 70 ripo f,1rioIlST