The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-27
AMERICAN|zING
HAMAI|-NE
The Various Forces That Are
at Work Upon This
Great Task.
advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic J. Haskin.)

Hawaii. 1t is equally as necessary thai
the American nation do something
practical to fortify Hawaii with a good
Isturdy, honest American citizenship
The task of "Americanizing'' Hawai-
is one of the greatest problems which
the people of this mid Pacific territory
have to solve, and they should have
help. The Americanization of these is
lands began in 1920 when the first mis-.
/ sionaries from New England landed
here. White men had come years be.
fore and white men were there then
But they were Of a different type
They were fishers of whales rather
than fishers of men. The missionaries
soon had control of the politics of the
islands, the chiefs and kings inviting
missionaries to become their advisers.
When white man advises a chief of
an inferior race that advice is generally
| taken.
| For many years there was great
rivalry between the Americans and
1 DLIitSlt do W WHICH NliClA AidttOIo
should have the preponderant influ-
ence The United States was rep
resented by the missionaries, England
| by business men and others. The
strife was long and bitter, and it is still
manifest in the scorn which certain
people in Hawaii can put into the sem
tence Hes a missionary" To be a
missionary" in Hawaii before the
days of annexation was not necessarily
to be preacher of the gospel A mis-
sionary" might be a gambler The
word was used to designate that fac
ton which insisted upon American
supremacy. The bitterest foe the mis-
sionaries" had was the missionary
Bishop of the Church of England. All
this has changed since annexation, but
the line which defines the mis-
sionaries'' is still drawn quite sharply.
It may be mentioned that practically
all of the territorial officers and a large
majority of the leading business men
are missionaries The exceptions
among citizens of wide influence are
more often British or Germans.
So far as politics is concerned Ha-
wall is already Americanized. The task
now is to bring the industrial and So
cial life to the American standard, and
to keep it there. The overwhelming
majority of Japanese and Chinese
10 this q difficult
one The sacred fetish of business in
terests" is also in the way. The on
coming of the vast numbers of Orien-
tails of Hawaiian birth who will be
entitled to vote is a danger which must
be faced.
The islands are under the business
rule of King Sugar. Sugar is a tropical
product which requires the expenditure
of great labor and that labor must be
cheap. 1t also must be a class of labor
which is content to remain in the cane
fields at SIS a month for a long time,
preferably for generations. 1t was
King Sugar who brought the japanese
and Chinese to the islands and caused |
Sugar has also brought Portuguese and
Spanish Iaborers who have made good |
and whose children are good American |
The policy of the American party is |
to encourage the immigration to Ha-
waii of American farmers who will |
take up small homesteadS and become |
citizens. to form a nucleus for mid |
die class to stand between great King |
Sugar and the semi-servile laborers of
the cane fields. Small farming" is |
the hobby of many of the best men in |
the Territory. But it must be admit
ted that conditions are such as to make
this task extremely difficult. Hawaii |
has good homestead lands, and 1t
offers opportunity for making money
to the Woodworking farmer. But
tropical conditions are vastly different |
from those which obtain in the great |
agricultural districts of the United |
States and it is this difference that
breeds difficulties.
King Sugar is not in sympathy with
the small farmer movement. Some OF
the planters, il is true, are leaders in
the cause, but the great majority throw
cold water and say it is impossible.
They do not like to look forward to a
time Wnen there Will De a most Oh tAIl-
gen farmers to oppose the plans of the
few great planters who till the ground
With thousands of contract laborers.
The Japanese have already driven
from the islands the white artisan
class. 1t is almost pathetic to hear
he drift of the talk in Honolulu about
some things. When the news came
hat it was practically certain that
Congress would appropriate money to
improve Pearl Harbor there naturally
vas rejoicing. But it is to be doubted
T Americans generally could guess the
burden of the self congratulatory
speeches. It was that the Pearl Har-
Dor work should bring two or three
thousand Americans to Honolulu TO aid
n "Americanizing' the Territory. Ii
Thinking mem. in Honolulu rejoice
because the United States is at last
Weakening TO the value of Hawaii as
military outpost. Not because the
are bloodthirsty imperials
trunk with sight of power, but be-
ause they hope il will mean garri-
on of two or three regiments Of