The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-11-24

consequently there has been stagnation.
One fine brick Office building erected at
that time has been without a single
pay tenant to this day. The thousand
and one mechanics were no more
crowded out by the Japanese than was
the fresco painter.
1t may be asked why did this change
of heart take place. The answer is
obvious: Hawaii exacted no terms
when annexation took place. She
threw herself In the utmost good faith
upon the fairness of Congress. To the
bitter disappointment OF all Americans
in Hawaii, Congress has hedged about
the islands with restrictions in regard
to labor, in regard to lands, and in
regard to shipping, which threaten to
ruin her main industry. The feeling
pervading today in Honolulu is such
as might be expected to exist in Massa-
chusetts IL there were good reason to
believe that within six months every
mill operative in the State would de-
part; and some superior power, Con-
gress. for instance, would prevent the
immigration of single laborer to take
the place of those who had left.
The powerful labor unions of the
United States demand that the Japa-
nese shall be excluded from Hawaii.
These men, themselves, decline to so
to Hawaii at any price; they decline
to accept the homesteads which are
freely offered to them under the Ha-
waiian land law; they refuse to do
farm work in Hawaii, and insist that
no Oriental shall be allowed to do 1t.
Truly, IL their plans are fulfilled, Ha-
wall will be in a desperate strait. The
japanese in Hawaii are leaving In
great numbers for the mainland, being
tempted by the high wages offered dur
ing the harvest season. But in Ha-
wall they get steady work the year
around In addition to the SIS or 500 a
month (many of them earn $500 which
they earn in Hawaii they receive
houses, fuel and medical attendance
without charge and have garden
patches which they can cultivate for
their own use If they choose. They,
as a general rule, do not better their
conditions in California.
The Japanese Government in its
great desire to comply with the wishes
of the American Government in respect
to emigration of their people, have re-
fused to allow more than a very linn
tied number to leave Japan in any one
month for Hawaii, or any part Of the
United States. Hence the scarcity of
labor. In two branches of industry
the japanese easily excel the whites
as carpenters and as BARRIERS. admit
that for ordinary jobs and repairing
Japanese carpenters are preferred to
American; because .he Japanese do a
superior quality of work at a smaller
price. They seem unable to bungle
with tools. In other branches Of in
dustry the Japanese in Hawaii COM
pete little, If at all, with whites. They
are poor painters, and can not touch
Hawaiians in the foundries and ma
chine shops.
Again, Mr.. Kincaid says that Hawaii
is suffering from the over-capitaliza-
ton of the new plantations. We have
suffered from over-speculation in plan
tation shares, not from over-capitaliza-
tion. The new plantations have all re-
quired to borrow from one to two mil
lion dollars in order to complete their
development. Surely that is not
sign of over-capitalization.
Again, Mr.. Kincaid states that the
race problem Is intense in Hawaii and
that the Hawaiians are a dying people.
There never has been n race problem
in Hawaii in the sense those words are
commonly understood. There has never
been a color line drawn in our happy
islands. The Hawaiians are received
on terms of social equality with the
whites, and always have been. For a
dying race they have at present a very
strong hold on the political situation.
The Hawaiian vote controls majority