The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-19
ARMSTRONG
ON LABOR
ALetter About the
Local Test Of
Negroes.

lowing letter from Hon. w. n. Arm
strong:
LAS a contribution to the history of
the negro in America, there should be
some record preserved of the failure,
this year. of the plan TO settle negro
laborers in Hawaii.
After the annexation of the Islands
| to the United States, in 1897, laws
which permitted the laborer to be i'm
prisoned if he refused to fulfill his con-
tract. were repealed. These laws were
necessary and even just when the inn
| ported laborers were ignorant and the
| cost of importing them was heavy.
| In this way only could the planter be
protected from loss. On the repeal of
/ these laws, the laborers who were un-
/ der contract at once abandoned their
| obligations. out of a sense of independ-
/ ence. and in spite of wages far larger
| than they received at home. At once
| the Islands were filed with Japanese
| tramps who refused TO work, and the
prosperity of the sugar plantations was
| seriously in danger.
zone large plantation on the Island
OF Maui-the largest plantation in the
world-determined to try negro labor.
| This plantation lies directly in front of
| the house in which General Armstrong
| was born. Its chief official was class
| mate of General Armstrong, and has
done much for the Improvement of the
native Hawaiian race. Owing to the
reports here that the negroes are not
reliable workers even when wages are
high. most of the planters opposed the
plan. The Hawaiian Commercial
Company tried it at its own cost. Ne
gotta tons were made with the Southern
Pacific Railway Co. for the collection
and transportation of laborers from the
South. 1t was agreed that only negroes
OF the farming class and their families
should be engaged. City negroes were
to be -rigidly excluded. The terms Of
fSred were free transportation, which
amounted to 800 per man. and free
transportation for families, free houses,
free schools for children, free medical
attendance. wages running from SIS per
nnoth, with a bonus besides for steady
work, the wages to be permanent and
payable monthly.
Being familiar with negro labor in
the South, / advised that the subject
should be carefully studied in advance
by some competent person, for some
months. so that no errors would be
made. 1 advised that a body of fifty
families should be selected, even il ii
took a year to get them; that these
should be placed on the plantation and
carefully tried; that If. at the end of
wear or more, the scheme was success |
full, some of these laborers should be
employed as missionaries who should
return to the States and invite their /
brethren to emigrate. |
My suggestions were not followed. |
Laborers were sorely needed, and the |
transportation company wished to en- |
gage in a large business at once. |
Tramps were ready to come, but relia- !
BILE people hesitated fer fear of being
deceived. Southern white men told
them that they would find slavery law
full in the Islands. Many hesitated to
leave home for a distant place. This
was perfectly natural. Though the
statements of the transportation agents |
were true. the people had no means of
verifying them. About ninety negroes |
were recruited from Alabama and Ten
nessee. On the voyage from the MAIN !
land they were well cared for. Many !
of them had never seen such a variety |
of food as was placed before them. I |
was on the same steamer with the |
largest body of them. In May of this |
year. the immigrants reached the plan
tation and were soon put to work. High !
er wages were given in many cases
than had been promised.
failure. Some of the men have proved |
to be excellent workers. but the ma
jority are not. Too many city tramps |
were in the lot. These soon became
discontinued. One of them committed
highway robbery on a Japanese, and
the numerous Japanese laborers rose
up and demanded the expulsion of all
Of the negroes. The plantation sent
away the worst men. though it sustain
ed much loss in so doing. Some of them
declared that they had not come out to
do field work; some said the work was
too hard; some wanted to select the
work they preferred. Some OF them
when they heard OF the payment OF
higher wages in the town. left and
abandoned their contracts, which in
volved a loss to the plantation. Six
months have passed and the feeling
here is strong against any further ex-
periments of this kind. 1t rs believed
that these immigrants are fair sam
pie OF negro laborers. This is unjust
1: is unfortunate that more care was not
taken in the selection. 1t may be said
here that all experiments in importing
white laborers from America and the
North or Europe have also been equal
~ disastrous. Little care has been TAX
en- in selecting the right kind of men.
One plantation which imported Ger
mans Is an exception.
THE immigration of the negro Is not
desirable. There is abundance of room
for him at home. At the same time, the
white man will not become the back
bone" of these Islands. and here is a
chance for the negro to develop and be-
come the mainstay of the Territory.
The white man will not till the soil:
he Is content to do the trading The
Asiatics may in time be the dominant ,
race here and become thoroughly
Americanized.'
1t Is interesting to note in this con-
nection that General Armstrong in his
letters from the Islands in 1850. gives
an account OF very successful expert
ment with negro labor on one of the
where proper care was ex-
ercised in the selection OF the men.