The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-16
RESTARICK ON
HIS SMALL FARMER BELIEFS

Editor Advertiser: VIII you kindly
allow me space to reply to your article
in yesterdays Advertiser entitled:
1.-The Bishop and the Farmer" First
as to points of agreement. All Amer
leans should be, and l believe are. in
terested in getting to these Islands.
the substantial middle class of which
you write. There is, however, a diff
ference of opinion as to the way in
which this can be done.
The term small farmer as used by
you is, it seems to me, unfortunate 1t
implies to the ordinary American mind
something different from that which
you advocate. From the examples
which you give, you evidently mean the
owner of a small plantation as distin-
guished from large sugar plantation
requiring large capital. In this class
of industry there are, as You may say,
instances of present success and prom
ises for the future. There is the eul-
ture of coffee, tobacco, rubber, sisal,
etc. open to men or companies with
moderate capital. But the term far
mer is misleading because in the Uni
ted States the farmer who has devel-
oped the country is a man who with
the capital of his own manhood, and
the addition of a wife and children.
team of horses, a COW and few dol
lars, would settle down on a piece of
land and with his own labor and that
of his family, and the occasional help
of a hired man, would make not only
a living, but could by industry and
frugality lay up money. When the
term farmer is used, the American
people have in mind such men; men
who have largely made the country
what it is.
Now the question is this. Can we
encourage such men TO come to Ha-
wall? I should be exceedingly glad If
we could. To put the matter fairly
and square1y: Could you or conscien-
tiously encourage a friend, a farmer
in the States, who had capital Of
from three to five thousand dollars, TO
come 10 the Hawaiian Islands and en-
gage in agriculture in any line now
open to him? If you can ask such to
come, with a reasonable hope Of sue
cess. let it be known far and wide for
there are thousands who would come
at once.
I have put this question to men Of
all kinds all over the Islands and the
answer has been: No. unless I want
ed him to lose his money" And yet
you and 1 and the rest of us want such
men to come.
I believe thoroughly in diversified in
dustry which is really what you advo-
cate, but I regret your use Of the words
small farmer because 1t is to the
great mass of people misleading
+ believe that what we desire for the
Islands will be advanced by letting the
exact facts be known. and by using
terms not liable TO be misunderstood
The impression prevailing on the main
land. which impression is working Ill
for these Islands is this: A number
of people in the Hawaiian Islands want
the American farmer to come, ana OPP
posed to them are a number who, from
selfish interests, desire to keep MIN
out. This idea has been thrust upon
me in every part of the United States
Personally, I have yet to find one
American in the Islands who IS not
DESTROYS of getting here the class men
toned by you.
The article which appeared in the
independent was solicited. oia not
want 10 write it. Before | sent II on
I handed it to well known men IN Ho-
nolulu asking them TO read it, and give