The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-08-14
GARFIELD AND
OUR ISLANDS

the sugar trust, the land of feudal pat
ronage with old crown estates embrac'
ing as high as 100000 acres of the
richest and most productive land in
the world; Hawaii, the land of cheap
Asiatic labor and the abomination of
all white men, is TO become the Mecca
of the American homeseeter, the para
disc of the white man of the future If
the plans of Secretary of the Interior
Garfield prove feasible and Congress
does not put any stumbling blocks in
his way" So says the Pendleton,
Oregon, Tribune, to which Secretary
Garfield outlined his plan for Hawaii.
The Tribune publishes the article in. a
leading place in its issue OF July IL.
''All this will come about as the re-
suit of the Secretary's visit to these
enchanted islands of the Pacific, from
which he has just returned,' con-
tinues the Tribune. "The Secretary
in discussing the proposition yesterday
was very enthusiastic about the pos
sibilities of the islands at the time
when the American should come into
control of the rich soil and should ap-
ply to it the system, work and in
telligence which has made this country
80 great in agriculture and manufac-
ture.
"The plan which the Secretary is
working on now. and which he worked
on during his visit to the islands, is to
break up the immense land holdings,
peaceably or otherwise, put in irriga-
ton, start the fruit industry, coffee
plantations, diversified farming in such
n way that it will appeal to the Amer
lean, shut out the Asiatic labor and
entirely change the condition of affairs
which has prevailed for so long a
time that now few men practically
control the land of the islands and by
importation of cheap labor effectually
shut out the American.
"Mr. Garfield already has small
project under way, which he started
on his visit there, and from this he
expects to build up the great system
and crown his work with. American
supremacy in the islands.
"When in Honolulu he brought
many of the big land owners together
in a conference at which these plans
were put forth by the Secretary, and
they were asked to aid him in the
work. The trustee of the great Carter
(Bishop9) estate, the largest on the
island. agreed and put many acres of
this estate at the disposal of the Amer
lean homeseeker, the true diversified
farmer. That the country will grow
fruit, and excellent fruit at certain
attitudes, has been demonstrated but
never practised. All the land, the i'm
mense and valuable acres held by the
estate, has always been pressed into
the raising of sugar cane and sugar
beets. The owners generally refused
to consider any other crop. With the
cheap Asiatic labor and the big acre
age they could make such profits al
this business that nothing else would
interest them.
$50 the Secretary found the cheal
labor question the keynote to the stu
alton. With this eliminated the trans
formation of the sugar fields into cof
fee plantations, fruit farms, rict
farms, and the growing of many othe
cereals and fruits would be but ques
ton Of time and the proper induce
ment offered by the government. A!
it now stands the white laborer is al
effectually shut out from the Hawaiian
Islands as if there were a high protec
ton tariff duty to be paid on him. HI
can not compete with the Asiatic labo
which is used in the working of thes,
big estates, and consequently the is
lands have become n dumping'grount
for the refuse humanity of the Orien
and there is no prospect of their eve
becoming anything else until the oil
regime and order of things is de
stroyed.
"But how to do this is the big ques
ton with which the Secretary is nov
wrestling. While he did not discus
the question of restriction of Asiatit
labor to any great extent, yet he lef
the impression that it would have Il
be stopped in some manner. These Ia
borers make no homes nor valuable
improvements on the land. The oper
ators of many of the big holders ar
renters and work il for what they ca
get out of it. And this has brough
about the condition which makes home
less plains of the millions of acres o
good home lands.
"The old estates, of which the Car
ter (Bishopg) estate, consisting o
100000 acres, is the largest, are tn
results of the granting of lands to IL
dividuals by the crown. Always, th
Secretary said, when grant was mad
the gift was designated by so man
miles along the shore and extende
back by parallel boundaries to the to
of the mountain. The result was tha
each grantee got part of the beacl
a part of the sugar land, n strip q
the fruit land, higher strip of tn
grazing sland, etc, And having one
got it they held on to it or leased
TO the sugar barons, with the resu
that nothing was left for the hom'
seeker. To change this condition
break up or divide this big holdin
into smaller tracts and put America
families on them is the object of I'll
Secretary.
''The islands as place for hom'
appeals very strongly 10 him.
would support an innumerable popul
ton under ordinary conditions al
would be ideal almost in every wa
Instead of this garden which it cou
and should be, it is now the jumpii
off place, the last drop in fall of Il
cheap, Asiatic labor market.