The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-24
HAWAII AND
ITS OR|ENTALS
Frederic ]. Haskin Tells What
He Saw on His Late
Visit Here.
advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic ]. Haskin)

advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic ]. Haskin)
HONOLULU, t. H, May 9.-Hawaii
is not an ''insular possession like the
Philippines or Porto Rico. 1t is as
much a part of the United States as
New Mexico or Arizona. Notwith-
standing its purely American political
status, the question of the hour in Ha-
wall is the Americanization of the Is
lands. Why? Because Hawaii, an
American territory, has population
of 10000, of which 100000 is Oriental
OF this number $4,000 are japanese.
The most spoken language In the terri
tory is japanese. The most widespread
religion is Buddhism. Apart from the
small communities in the towns the So
cial life of the islands is Oriental
rather than Occidental.
Those persons who believe that the
opposition to Oriental immigrat ton
manifesting itself among many white
peoples in various quarters of the globe
is the result of mere bugaboo, would
do we'll to consider the case of Ha-
wall brightest of Neptune's insular
jewels. Every white man in Honolulu
will agree that the japanese have
driven the white artisan from the is
lands. that the Japanese have made
it more difficult TO persuade small
farmers to take up homesteads, and
that the Japanese are now slowly but
surely crowding out the white man
from retail business. They have al
ready made a beginning in the whole
sale business, and have an eye on the
he ~ ING
houses The Chinese came to Hawaii
before the Japanese. They were stop
ped by the annexation of the islands
to the United states, but there are still
$4,000 of them here. They have had
their share of retail merchandising,
but they have ventured upon nothing
like the general campaign of competi-
ton which has been pursued by the
Japanese.
When Hawaii was annexed to the
United States in 1898 there were many
people here who were annexatiouists
merely for fear of Japan. The Toxic
government had picked a quarrel with
Honolulu and there was not the slight
est doubt among the japanese in Ha-
wall that the Rising Sun flag would
float over Honolulu harbor and adj
vance the power of Japan long step
toward the rich Occident. The raising
of the American flag put an end to
those dreams for while. but the Jap
anese continued to reach out in bust
ness way. After awhile the govern
ment-inspired immigration companies
made Hawaii merely a stepping stone
to the richer opportunities on the MAIN
land. Thousands of japanese came to
Hawaii under passports permitting
them to go no further. They stopped
few months, made enough money for
a suit of American clothes and the
steerage passage to San Francisco.
Then Hawaii saw them no more.
The poor ignorant japanese cooiles
who toll with their wives in Hawaiian
cane fields must not be made TO pear
the whole burden of the blunder OF
permitting the Hawaiian Islands TO be-
come orientalized. At first they came
under contract as contract-laoorers' III
other words, with little more freedom
than slaves They were brought here
in the good old days of the monarchy
to work on the sugar plantations-the
same plantations which owed their
very being to- the reciprocity treaty
with the United States. Chinese, Jap
anese. South Sea Islanders, Porto
Ricans. Spaniards. Portuguese ana
MANY other nationalities have been
brought here to work in the cane helds-
TIE Oriental labor was found to De
more to the liking of the planters be-
cause it was cheap and easy to obtain
and because the coolfe is content TO re-
main coolie.
But after awhile the coolies were fol-
lowed by japanese of other classes who
came to sell them goods, teach them
lessons and guide their religion. Arti-
sans and mechanics poured in from
japan and the white mechanic took
shin and sailed away. 1t is not only
that the Japanese will work for less
money than a white man. that he
drives his western competitor from the
field. The superior ability of the white
man might make up for the difference
in wages. But the Japanese lower the
dignity of labor and white men become
ashamed to earn their bread by the
sweat of their brow. This mas oeeh
-the case in all history wherever
cheaper and inferior labor has inter
fered with natural conditions. A white
boy in Honolulu would scorn to be seen
pushing a lawn-mower because that is
a 'Jap's work. So it still is in the
Southern states to some extent where I
certain employments are beyond the I
pale as ''nigger's jobs" c
What Hawaii needs more than any a
thing else is a solid middle-class Of
white people Of European or American I
extraction. All its public men recog-
nize that imperative need and are !
working to that end. although careful
to say nothing against the japanese I
who have caused all the trouble. There
are reasons for their conciliatory atti- O
tude. In the first place it is not well $
to sruse the ire. of half the population I
byAintroducing a race question into I
community where there is room for a {
dozen such issues. And then, too, the $
japanese who were born on the Islands
are citizens. When they reach twenty b
one they will have the right to vote. t