The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-02-17
THE COLONIAL PROJECT.


without making specific recon-
mendatlons. the Governor draws, in
his message to the Legislature, a very
attractive sketch of the insular type
of government. as exemplifled In Porto
Rico and contrasts 1t with the Terri
torial organization here. Porto Rico
keeps its own income, regulates Its
own immigration. levies its own
revenue taxes, is exempt from the
American coastwise shipping laws, is
not restricted as to special legislation
and enjoys absolute free trade with the
United States. In other words IT has
the privileges and immunities of an
nexation and none Of the burdens and
drawbacks by which Hawaii, as the
price of its Territorial dignity, has
been visited
But for one or two things the ex-
change of Hawaii's present organiza-
ton for that of Porto Rico would be
ideal; but these things are so important
to the well being of Hawaii that we
wonder they should have been over
looked in the Governors message.
What guarantee have we, for exam
pie, that, If Hawaii became an insular
possession. it would continue to enjoy
free trade with the United States? No
treaty can be made on the subject, as
Hawaii is no longer a treaty-making
power, and even II II were, treaties
may be abrogated. A special or a gen.
eral law may be passed but the element
of iinality is still lacking AS Hawaii
stands. its free trade rights are estab-
lished by the Constitution of the Unit
ed States and there Is no danger that
the Territory will ever he deprived of
them. But as an insular dependency
Hawaii would be the mere creature of
Congress; and IL an interest with much
money and many votes should go be-
fore that body protesting against the
free admission of competing products,
created by 'pauper labor" how could
we, with our slight influence Mt WASH
ington, protect ourselves? But for the
Spanish war we should have lost our
reciprocity treaty. Might not dozen
possible contingencies compel us TO give
up the privilege of free trade?
1t must be remembered, too, that II
Hawaii became a colony and used its
power to flood the islands with Asia
tics, that very fact would arouse the
American labor men against us and
they, with the mainland sugar prod
ucers, would naturally undertake to
punish us through a tariff on our
staple.
Then there is the land question and
the question of Americanizing this
country, which ought not to be over
looked. One of the confessed objects VI
the insular scheme is to get back the
power to make indefinite land leases.
BY that system the whole country
could be so tied up for from fifty to
ninety-nine years that an American
settler could not get in edgewise. The
life of any land is not in large in
dividual or corporate land-holdlngs and
small population but in small individu-
al land-holdings and large population.
Once California was land of vast un-
fenced cattle-ranches and nobody
thrived but the cattlemen. Then the
baronial estates We're broken up and
the greatest good came to the greatest
number. Hawaii will not do well to
develop backward into anything like
the California system of 1855. even for
the sake of sugar 1t owes to itself the
adoption of what is best in the Cali
fornia system of 1905-one in which the
people have had their chance and IN
which, at the same time, the old staple
industry has expanded. We can have
Hawaii, If we will of sugar, cattle
tobacco, sisal pines, bananas, dairy
products ana all the rest or n Hawaii
of sugar alone and that dependent. for
its very life, on the fluctuating will of
Congress. Or we may stay as we are
and develop along American lines to
the immense advantage of all concern
ed, the sugar men included. The latter
may not get all the land and all the
privileges but they will be secure in
what they have and will be we'll
recompensed.
AS a Territory we know precisely
where we are and can discount the
future. We are moored to the rock OF
the constitution and as long as the
rock lasts we shall be safe Everyone
OF our products will have free access
to the American market. But If we
slip the cable and go gallivanting off
into unknown and practically un-
charted seas, nobody can tell, until the
event itself arrives, where we shall
bring up and in what shape we shall
then be. Is 1t not the wiser and the
wisest plan to adopt Shakespeare's ad-
vice to endure the Ills We have rather
than to fly to others that we know not
of?