The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-23
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Inc most interesting question you
can ask the Hawaiian is: Chow dc
you people like being Americana" The
answer you will get depends on the
person: the rank and file of the natives
are Indifferent and do not care very much
about it; the better classes are not only
satisfied but they feel indeed that the
AUGMENTATION of the islands was the
only salvation for Hawaii
Annexation has unquestionably made
the islands, in a financial sense, more
prosperous. The sugar industry, as a
single instance, has advanced by leaps
and bounds. But there is one question
that arises above all others-the Jap
anese labor problem. The pessimist will
tell you that all Hawaii will become a
japanese village in few years. As
one man said to me:
Look at the figures: twenty-five
thousand Japs in Hawaii in 1898
seventy-ive thousand today. Already
one-half the total population of the is
lands is Japanese, and more Japs are
coming by every ship, and Jap babies
are being born under the American
flag every day. In twenty-five years
they will control the politics of the
islands, and some day you'll see the
HTerritOry of Hawaii sending a japanese
representative to Congress.
X X X
I took a typical young Hawaiian col
lege mana full-blOoded native student
at Oahu College-as a sample, and 1
said to him, as we sat chatting in his
student room: "Tell me, honestly, how
do you like being an Americana
81 like it all right, - he said / was
about to ask why, when my friend, an
American writer, whose hobby is cha
wall for the Hawaiians, said earnest
ly: Don t say that just because we
are from the States, or TO be courteous
Would not you thousand times rather
see your own Hawaiian flag floating
over the Palace of your Queen, the flag
of an Independent Island Kingdom?
Would you not prefer to be a Hawai-
ian subject rather than an American
citizen? Honest, wouldn t you?"
The big, brown, handsome chap said
quietly, with decisions: "No; honest,
| d rather be an American.
"And the rest of your people7' L
asked. ''Do all Hawaiians feel that
way2'
"Oh the old ones, who don't know
much, they talk about the old days be-
ing better, but we boys in the college,
we don t believe it. We don t want
to be savages-we want civilization,
we want to learn and to be free. You
see, / feel like this: Under the
we were not free; the Queen
could take any of us and put us high
up next to the throne, or she could put
us low down, and down we should have
to stay. Now every native has a
chance; that's why / like being an
American.
This was the attitude of an intelli.
gent native Hawaiian-young, enthu-
siastic, full of the music and the poetry
Of his people, but recognizing their
and grasping the oppor-
tunity afforded him to become some
thing more than a singer of songs and
a dreamer of dreams.
X X x
On the day of my arrival in Homo
ulu my hackman nearly ran over
sturdy young japanese who, according
70 the custom of his country, was strut
ing down the middle of the street.
"Look outl'' / said to my hackman;
'you III kill that Japi"
"Plenty more of 'em,' he replied,
Is the mudguard grazed the kimono-
lad Oriental: ''he never would be