The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-06-09


graphical considerations make It ex-
ceedlngly desirable to have some such
relation with another people. The pos
session OF the Hawaiian Islands as
defensive measure for the Pacific
coast is of great value to the United
States. II we had not these islands
some other nation would have insisted
upon having them. In. the possession
of anybody else they would be a men,
ace to our peace, but with our pos
sessing them nobody else can trouble
us In the Pacific, and therefore ! think
there are mutual interests which make
II very desirable we should have the
very best of relations with Hawaii.
PHILIPPINES FOR FILIPINOS.
81 think We have had this colonial
policy thrust upon us in the case of
the Philippines and we have got to
make the best of 1t and help those
people to fit themselves for self-gov-
eminent. / think when they are fitted
for taking care of themselves, we will
be glad to help them to a government
of their own. 1t may be, though, that
before that time comes they will
themselves be the reluctant ones to
allow the separation to take place."
RAILROAD RATE LEGISLATION.
Concerning the investigation of the
railroad rate matter, now SO promi-
nently before the public on the main
land, Col. Hepburn said:
There will be some legislation CON
corning the problem of the railroad
rates. Our committee and the House
favored the proposition that would
give to the Interstate Commerce Com
mission the power to fix rate of
transportation in cases where an
existing rate was challenged and con-
demned as being unreasonable; then
substitute reasonable rate for it. 1t
is said, / don't know how truthfully,
that such proposition is not favored
in the Senate. don't know what they
will do. but something, 1 imagine, will
be done.
1T Is a very important question.
that of railroad rates. $13, 00000,000 of
our wealth are invested In railroads.
They have an earning capacity of ST.
0O0,O0O,000 a year gross. They affect
the value of almost everything that
enters into our internal and foreign
commerce. The cost of transportation
Is q pretty important factor In the
price of everything we use, and 1t is
scarcely fair to allow the carrier to
determine to just what extent he will
toll off the wealth of the country. So
1t is altogether likely that some as
sertion of the Governments power
will be made in matters of this kind.
3 "That does not extend to steamship
rates. We have never attempted to
. extend that form of control to the
ocean carriers, either foreign or coast
wise. And 1 don't think there is any
probability of It, 1t Is a very diff
cult thing to control rates for ocear
transportation. There is never any
uniform rate, even in the same ship
A vessel reaches a port, say, wanting
5000 tons of freight. They will gel
two or three thousand tons and ther
they will begin to bid against them
selves and the probability is that th'
last thousand tons is taken at a mere
fraction of the rate charged for the
first thousand. So there is difficulty II
establishing any regular charges.
UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS.
1.-THE problem of immigration is get
ting to be pretty serious. We used t.
get the very cream from the nations
that contributed to our population
We used to get people from Germany
Ireland. the British Isles and tn
Scandinavian states, but our immi
grants do not come from these re
gions now. They come largely from tn
southern and eastern states of Europ
Italy and Russia, and the smalle
states like Poland and Bohemia, AM
they are not always desirable classe
of people. They lodge in the cities an
} they don't amalgamate readily wit
: our people. In old times the son of
3 German, or Irishman, or Englishmar
or Scandinavian, could not be tol
from the most of Americans. Now yo
can find plenty of Poles, Russians
: Italians, where the third generatio
: still speak the home language. Yo
can go to some parts of New York an
{ Chicago, spend days there and neve
hear the English language spoken.
r II can say there are a great man
D reasons why Congress should limit i'm
t migration, but there are so man
:, people opposed and there is Away
such a powerful organization opposin
e any diminution of immigration, on tn
I part of the steamship companies, an
whether we will be able to retard in
migration or not, 1 don't know.
CHINESE EXCLUSION LAW.
Il know of no reason why we shoul
expect to see a change in the policy G
a the government as to the exclusion c
D the Chinese.
"The matter of Japanese immigra
e ton has not taken any definite shap
q to my knowledge"
/, PANAMA CANAL PROSPECT.
II Col. Hepburn sees great possibilitie
: ahead in the completion of the Panam
3 Canal. 1t Will be a boon to the Gul
States. which will be in the line O
trade that is coming from the Orient
And by the same token, Hawaii will b
greatly benefited. The completion O
the canal will also give great impetu
to the export OF coal from Pennsyl