The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-28
CONGRESSIONAL VISITORS

I California and that more OF IL VII
/ so result unless we give the laborlng
man who may become citizen chance
/ to ACQUIRE an interest in the sol, In
! other words. to share with him a part
of our Inheritance.
1--WE want Notifications because we
want to be protected and because their
construction will bring money into the
country and because their defense will
bring men who will have to be fed and
clothed. We may trust the Federal
Government to look after this matter
as it's interests are even greater than
ours.
"A bill was passed in the local legis-
lature the other day asking for re-
vision of the Organic Act. It is a
pretty good act and may not need re-
vision, but a few amendments would
not come amiss; for instance, among
others, measure adjusting the powers
and duties of certain territorial OIL
Gals to meet the conditions created
by the inauguration of county govern
ment, and legislation allowing amend
ment to our land laws, by our legis-
lature subject to the approval of Con-
gress The reason for this is obvious;
such matters are local and locally un-
derstood. Congress would be at sea
in attempting to enact the details of
our land management and the legisla-
ton would be safeguarded by the re-
quirement of the approval of Congress.
Zone of our needs, perhaps the
greatest of them all, and yet not
strongly in evidence at the present
time. is the building up of our indus
trial, social and political life by the
introduction from the mainland of
American families who shall come to
stay, and whose boys and girls shall
grow up with the country and become
a part of it. For about ten years
something of this process has been 60
ing on, many American families hav-
ing come, but as business has fiuctu
ated a considerable proportion of these
have returned to the mainland. The
resulting benefit to this cor n unity
has, toweyer, been very great. But
few of these have been farmers, the
greater proportion being mechanics.
clerks and men engaged in various
branches of business.
THE Territory has many thousands
of acres of land suitable for farming;
land that will furnish to family sub
stantially all of its food except flour
and certain groceries, and produce be-
side something in demand in the
worlds markets; fruit, vegetab les,
maize, coffee, tobacco, sisal, with some
promising experimental products such
as vanilla, cacao and silk. The avail
able land of the Territory is SO limited
that it's tendency is to rise in value.
Every settler by the fact of his oecu-
patton raises the valueeof the land next
to him, while a colony of settlers has
a remarkably stimulating effect on the
adjacent lands. WahiaWa is often
quoted and may be quoted again as an
instance of what the work and the
perseverance of the American farmer
can do here.
There are many here who feel the
danger of our status unless effort is
made to replenish the American leaven
in this community. The Chinese and
japanese boys in our schools will be
voters in a few years, and they will
make good citizens, but will they, with
their traditions and parental influence,
be equal to the unfolding of Ameri-
can standards of life in the best Amer
lean spirit? / appreciate these peo-
pie, they are falling in with our meth
DDS, they are joining the procession,
but if they should become the leaders
and the controllers of the public sem
ument would that sentiment be Amer
lean in the best sense?
What is the danger? It is easy to
see that the japanese and Chinese
merchants will hold the patronage
mainly of their countrymen and with
eighty or ninety thousand of such
countrymen the advantage of these
merchants is incontestable, especially
as they compete largely for the patron
age Of the other races represented
mere Hitherto these Chinese and
japanese merchants have gone to the
local Wholesaling importing houses
conducted by Americans, Germans.
English and others, for their goods
other than those Of Chinese and Jap
anese origin. They are now begin
ming to explore the markets on the
mainland and pehaps elsewhere with
view to doing their own importing.
Ii this should be carried out and
should become the rule with these men.
the loss of business would be most
keenly felt by wholesale business
houses just mentioned Already there
have been shrinkages in certain lines