The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-01-09
WHAT UNITED STATES
OWES THIS TERRITORY

lottnr TO Mr. Gorham u Gilman 81
Boston from GoyefnS- Career u Ha-
| wall II OF such public Interest and 30
| clearly reveals Hawaifs unfortunate
condition that II ~ published in fun.
My Dear Sir-YoI ask me 20 state
what the United States owes Hawaii
] II you mean by that TO strike bal
ance between what the United states
have given and what they have re-
ceived from Hawaii, then Uncle Sam
certainly owes nothing.
There Is no one thing OF greater adj
vantage to a community than the sta
blity OF it's government and the sifeiy
| OF it's future. The ordinary American
of today lives In an atmosphere or
| such implicit confidence In the great
| strength OF his own Government that
| he can not appreciate such a situation
as formerly existed in these islands.
II, however, you mean to ask, What
should the United States do to insure
the progress and development of these
islands and thus prove to the world
that Americans have the sagacity and
ability to successfully direct and con-
troll the affairs Of noncontiguous terri
tory and its people, then there is much
that can be said.
To my mind, the two most important
problems in relation to Hawaii are
connected with immigration and a.
nance.
SO far as immigration is concerned.
I am not yet convinced but that there
may be a solution of 1t without the
necessity Of congressional action.
There are a few here who are making
off 90 nxyrl o.
luton. This would be far more sim
pie IL only our immigration laws were
construed to permit the Territory itself
to assist in securing people from some
foreign country who could become cit
liens. How can we increase the popu-
lation of these islands and thus de-
velop them, isolated as they are in the
middle of the Pacific Ocean, without
providing the means of transportation?
There are those who express the
opinion that 1t was a mistake to make
Hawaii a Territory-an integral part
of the Union. They claim she was an
nexed too soon; that the idea of a pos
session had not then been developed
by the Supreme Court decision.
Be that as it may, there is no method
of undoing what has been done. Ha-
waits situation today Is, therefore,
unique. In the minds of many she is
classified as a possession" along
with Porto Rico and the Philippines.
At the last Republican National Con-
vention that great political party cut
down Hawaifs representation from SIX
to two delegates, classifying her with
the possessions of the United states,
| in the face of a regulation which al
lowed all Territories six delegates, and
which was construed to admit that
number from the so-called Indian Ter
| ritory, which is an area of land simply
under the direction of the Secretary
of the Interior and from Alaska, which
has not even a legislative body.
Congress gave to Hawaii a form or
government with greater powers than
any other Territory. probably recog-
nizing how entirely untitled the usual
form of territorial government, created
for sparsely settled frontiers, would be
| for community with seventy-fve
years of history, during which, as an
| independent kingdom, they had strug-
gled with not only the problems con-
nected with their own internal affairs,
but complicated and intricate foreign
relations.
However as these islands are an in
tegral part Of the Union, they are
subject to all laws passed by Congress,
and our Federal legislative machinery
is of such magnitude that 1t Is al
most impossible to make Congress rea-
Il lie that tropical conditions in Ha-
wall require that she be excepted and
exempted from the operation of many
laws which are passed, with sound
reason, to meet conditions which exist
on the mainland. And II success is TO
crown American control of Hawaii,
these facts must not be lost sight or
and as she can not for some time be
admitted as a State, then she must
have, because of her unique position
special legislation from time to time.
Hawairs main industry and hei
principal source of wealth Is the pro-
6uction Of sugar, and from the wealth
so obtained she has In the past secur'
ed the means for her progress and ad
vancement. Whether wisely or not
she built up an industrial system by
using the machinery, brains and CAPT
tai of the Occident i'm combination will
labor from the Orient, and she jus
titles such a course by pointing to thu
| Idtl llhl no pliltT llbplNol
in SO short n period of time has made
1 such a record.
e Coming under the full operation o
4 the laws of the United States, Uncle
n sam has practically said that the in
q dustrial system In Hawaii is wrong
$ that it has produced no middle class
= but has created wealth at the expens,
OF citizenship. Our intelligent citizen
e are willing to admit that It would hav,
= been far better II the fifty or sixt!
< thousand laborers in Hawaiis can
Il fields had been citizens, But the.
& claim some credit for what has beef
= accomplished.
e Thus since annexation immigration L
e the islands has been practically cut OF
= and the price of labor has CONSTANT
Z increased, Sugar from the Philippine
n may soon be admitted to the mainlan
= markets free The cost OF labor u
;, the Philippines win be less than here
i the margin OF profit on sugar thereto
II higher. The amount OF production wi
= increase rapidly and soon supply tn
consumption Of the Western states
It and poor little Hawaii win be left bear
lie ing her burdens OF taxes and COntrihu