The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-17
SECRETARY
ATKINSON
Writes on Policy of
Bringing White
Settlers,

The last number of the New York In
dependent has a discussion by Secre-
tary A L. c. Atkinson of the future of
japanese in Hawaii and the yellow
Peril" 1t is as follows:
81 do not believe that Hawaii is des-
tined to be Japanized. 1t is fact that
the Japanese population of the islands
is more than twice the number of eau
casians of all nationalities, and it must
be admitted that the japanese, original
ly brought here as laborers-a large
majority of them contract laborers be-
fore annexation-haye made very con-
siderable advances as skilled laborers
and have driven many American skill
ed laborers away from the group. The
aforementioned fact that there are thou
sands of young japanese growing up all
over the islands who will have the
right. being American born, to demand
American citizenship and vote must
also be admitted. 1t is pointed out by
alarmists in Hawaii today that in about
ten years enough of these youths will
grow up to dominate the political situa-
ton in the islands, and Japanese leg
islature and Japanese county officials in
ly predicted by the alarmists.
THE Japanese, however, do not be-
come expatriated. They will not want
American citizenship. They do not
want it now. In the last general cleo
ton here the Japanese who voted can
be counted on the fingers of a hand,
though there are undoubtedly several
hundred who could qualify. The Chi
nese far more readily accept American
citizenship, or, rather, reach after it
when able, and we have about two hum
dred of them as voters. The Chinese
desire for citizenship, however, is usu-
ally not founded on devotion to Amer
icanism. 1t is merely a matter of avoid
ing the difficulties and inconvenience
of the Exclusion Act, for a Chinese
who is an American citizen may travel
to and from the country as he wills.
The Japanese want our education, our
business and mechanical knowledge and
our money, but, far more than the
Chinese, they want to keep their own
nationality. This is why they will new
err dominate an election in Hawaii and
one reason why / say that the Hawai-
ian Islands will never be Japanized.
"Another is that Hawaii herself has
begun to initiate a movement when
will populate her beautiful fertile val
leys and plains and hillsides with the
homes of whites.
I'm recent years the people of Hawaii
have awakened to the realization more
than ever of what is meant by the
words spoken by President Roosevelt
when he said that Hawaii must be de-
veloped along traditional American
lines and also, perhaps, they have
awakened to realization of the fact
that the American ideal was not being
achieved here. I believe that our large
sugar plantation men-even those who
have asked from time to time that
Washington allow them Chinese coolies
are taking more than ever an in
terest in this problem.
Hawaii boasts of an Incompatible
soil of unexcelled fertility and
scenery so charming that no visitor
ever fails to say it's impression will
linger in his memory till death. She
has thousands of acres of splendid
land lying idle. She has
the finest and largest sugar mills in
the world and vast cane fields watered
by some of the largest pumps ever in
stalled by man. On the single island
of Oahu there is pumped from the soil |
total of $50, OO0. 900 gallons every twenty
four hours. In these great mills and |
plants there is employment |
for small army of skilled engineers
and machinists. Hawaii's uncultivated |
at1ec can produce tons upon tons of |
valuable tropical staples for which the |
Ui tied States every year pays millions I
of dollars more than she need pay If /
Hawaii were her tropical garden Yet |
the past two years have seen the Amer /
lean, in fact all the white. population !
decrease. The Japanese or |
else the Chinese have taken the skilled
Iaborers' places and little has been
lone to encourage the American home
seeker. But a start has been made.
1.-The Legislature has just created a
Board of Immigration, which, in CO.
operation with the sugar planters and