The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-10
Hamakua, Hawaii. Sept. 4. 1901


Editor Advertiser-The assertion that
made some time ago that white men
could not work in the cane fields of
| Hawaii, has, l notice, been very thor
/ oughly discussed and commented upon.
and though it has met with some oppo-
sition the consensus of opinion seems
to be that white men will not work in
the cane fields of the Hawaiian ISL
ands. Now, whether they cannot, or
will not, is matter of small impor-
tance, so long as we grasp the fact,
that white men cannot be looked to as
a source of supply. and that if Uncle
Sam means to restrict US to that
source alone we might as well throw
up the sponge at once, and be done
with it, The only reasonable objection
gestion of petitioning Congress TO al
low Chinese to come to Hawaii is that
it may cause the beet and cane sugar
growers to try to legislate adversely
against US There is, of course a pos
sibility of such a thing, but | don't
al
been exempted for so long time, anG
while we have had just such class
of men as we now wish to get, or the
Chinese. Or, to make ii palmer. /
| don't see, if America did not legislate
against us for using Cinnamon In our
cane fields when we were republic
or a monarchy, Why she should now,
| that we are a part of the republic of
America. But be that as it may, the
| fact remains that we must let Congress
know that after repeated trials, with
almost every nationality of the white
population of the world, there Is nor
| to be found one white man anywhere
on these Islands that is, or viii work
as a field laborer And what is said
of the white man, may also be said OF
| the black, only with this difference,
| that the black man has as a rule.
| made himself very Objectionable. Now,
with these facts before us, it is evil
| dent that the Hawaiian Islands must
| have a different class of laborers than
the white man. | also beg to say that
would wish to consign mis- fellow coun-
trymen TO a life of such hardship as
this class of work has proved itself to
be, for there is not to be found any
where on the farms of the United
States anything like the iaDeIIous
work Of cutting and stripping cane,
or even of loading cane such
as is done in the cane fields of
Hawaii. If any one has any doubt of
! this, let him try this class of work on
a hot day, when the sun is glistening
upon the cane leaves like u sheet OF
flame, and when the cane cutter, or
cane stripper is almost blinded with
the glare, choked up with the dust, and
stifled with the heat, and then if ne
thinks this is class of work for white
human
The fact of the matter is the Ameri-
can laborer is too good a man for this
class of work. and he knows. it, and
however men may talk that know
nothing about it, and who think 1t
sounds patriotic to be constantly cry
ing out for white laborers to work in
the cane fields, the fact remains tina,
the white men will not work at this
kind of toll, and that it is worse than
useless to expect them to do so
Now, as these are facts that cannot be
refuted, | fail to understand just why
certain class of men are always clam
oring for white men to work in the
cane fields of this country or why they
should oppose all means of getting a
class of men adopted to this sort of
work, and who are willing to do it.
OBSERVER.