The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-04-13
THE JAPANESE IN HAWAII
Natives Dying Out and Portu-
gueSe Crowded Out
OUTNUMBER THE WHITES

territory who care more for the SUI
premacy of American principles and
American ideals than for the prosper
ity Of few sugar planters, and the
time is fast approaching when seri-
GUS crisis will have 70 be faced, says
the New York Times.
One thing is certain, however: For
all practical purposes the territory OF
Hawaii is Japanese territory. Any
visitor to the islands will soon become
convinced of the truth OF this asser-
tion. The little brown men of "Dai
Nippon number 10000 souls, scattered
throughout the entire territory, with
representatives in every hamlet and
village OF the group. Their appearance
In any town, as a general rule, has
been followed within short period by
the departure to other shores of the
Americans, whose labor was undersold
and standard of living undermined by
the, new corners.
Up to u comparatively short time,
| the manual and skilled labor of the ISL
| ands was in the hands of Hawaiians,
| Portuguese and Americans. AS steve
dores, fishermen, tafo-groweTs and
hack drivers, the natives of the soil
were earning the wherewithal neces-
| sary for a good and substantial living.
Today the Hawaiiians are prominent
| along the wharves, in the fishing boats,
upon the taro fields or the drivers seat
| only by their absence. The little brown
men have taken their places every
where at much lower wage.
Twenty years ago several thousand
Portuguese were brought over from
Madeira and the Cape Verde islands to
work upon the sugar plantations under
contract. A hard working frugal, in
! dustrious people, they promptly set to
| work and, while transforming the ap-
pearance and increasing the production
of the plantations by the faithful and
conscientious performance of their du-
ties, they provided little by little the
means necessary to purchase homes for
| themselves and their families, they
raised large families and presented to
their adopted country generation of
| young men and women imbued with
/ American sentiments, American princi-
| Piles and American aspirations.
i This generation, in presence of the
appalling death rate of the Hawaiians
and the rapid increase of Japanese. was
II the hope OF the territory. These young
II Portuguese-or rather Americans
however, educated in the public schools
II of the territory, were no longer useful
for the sugar planters. They knew too
much. They had the temerity to Insist
that $50 per month for their labor In
the canefelds, under burning tropical
sun, was necessary to properly support
and educate their families. The plan
, tation managers, naturally enough,
would hear none of this, for hundreds
of japanese were at their disposition at
the magnificent wage Of sl4 a month,
board not included.
The Portuguese left the plantations,
drifted to the towns and cities of the
| territory and engaged in business foe
themselves. They soon demonstrated
their sterling qualities and became an
important factor in the development
and prosperity Of Hawaii.
Since annexation a large number OF
Americans have gone to Hawaii, look
| ing for opportunities to better them
selves and at the same time add their
contribution to the development to the
territory along traditional American
lines" Where are these Americans
today? Not in Hawaii-that's certain.
Like the Hawaiians and the Portu-
guese, they have been compelled to re-
tire before the onslaught of the Japa-
nese, and have left the latter in full
possession of one of the fairest lands
under the canopy of heaven.
! Dry goods stores, carpenters shops,
BARRIERS shops, restaurants are in the
hands of the Japanese. They come to
Hawaii nominally to work on the su-
| gar plantations, but their restlessness
and unbounded ambition propel them
within short time toward Hilo, Hon
olulu or San Francisco. They are the
, hack drivers, bricklayers, masons, car
penters, plumbers, electricians, restau-
rateurs, etc, of the two former cities.
| They build the houses that should be
built by American workingmen, they
| perform the domestic labor which
should be manned by American serv-
ants, they man the island vessels which
should be manned by American sea-
men, and, finally, they are building a
civilization in an American territory
| which, II something is not done to
| check 1t, will supersede and ultimately
take the place OF the existing American
| civilization.
In 1897 there were 4,407 japanese in
| the Hawaiian islands. In three years.
| that is. by 1900-they had increased to
| 61 .115, while the Chinese numbered 25,-
| 762 and the Hawaiians OF all shades
| and colors, 54,141. Today there are, In
round numbers. In the territory of Ha-
wall 10000 Japanese, $4,000 Chinese
and 10000 Hawaiians. To uphold Amer
| lean civilization and ideals In the pres
ence of these 1000 Asiatics there are
12,749 white people, including English,
German, French and all other Euro
peanS.