The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-03-20

the Chinese United Society of Homo
lulu. the following letter has been sem
to the Chinese Ambassador at Wash.
ington, as the beginning of definite
movement to- secure more Chinese fol
Hawaii. i. nv 'F rs
| Honolulu. H. T., March Is. 1908.
To His Exeellency. WI Ting Fang
/ Washington. D. C.
J Your Exeellency: All fair minded
Americans as well as the many Chi
nese of Honolulu, are very much pleas
led with the excellent ruling from
Washington, on the recent Lo sun case.
secured through Your Excellencys in
huencei -t
We also trust. that the question of
permitting a limited number of Chi
nese to come here. for Hawairs needs
alone, may be carefully considered.
There was provision, in the Act an
nexing Hawaii, for a possible future
change in this MATTER Sec. TX reads:
| There shall be no further immigra-
ton of Chinese into the Hawaiian Is
LANDS, except upon such conditions as
are now or may hereafter be allowed.
by the laws of the United States
There can be no real objection on the
part of America, TO allowing limited
number of Chinese laberers to enter
! Hawaii, say a number equal to the
Japanese in the Islands. This would be
of great ben fit to both american and
Chinese interests in Hawaii. The fol-
lowing facts will give some idea of
the character and present condition of
the, Chinese, now in the. Hawaiian is
lands. s
CHINESE GOOD CHARACTER
| There is nothing in the nature and
character of the Chinese, when allow
ed a kind and fair treatment, and an
American education and development,
to prevent their becoming good and
valuable American citizens In proof
thereof we submit the results of the
fifty years residence of the Chinese in
Hawaii, people of exactly the same
class, and from the same localities, as
the Chinese who have gone to Cali
fornia. The undersigned, after twenty
years work among the Chinese, in
America and in China, with a knowl
edge of their language, their literature,
their ideals. and the country homes
from which they come and having
spent seven years in charge Of the
Chinese work throughout the Hawai-
ian Islands can testify to their assim-
Hating characteristics. II is true that
the Chinese in Honolulu and Hawaii,
present a definite and unanswerable
demonstration of the fact. that many
of the laboring classes of Chinese who
come to our shores, with favorable
treatment, can and will become real
part of the great American people,
with true American ideas, ideals, and
ambitions, with home and family life
like our own, credit to themselves
and to the Nation In Hawaii today,
can be found scores of Chinese Amer
lean homes, where the children all
speak English. where the home life Is
bright and beautiful and arranged on
American plans. The Chinese are. on
eve-y side, declared to be among the
brightest and most faithful students
among those in the schools and col
leges Many are doing splendid work
in offices and banks. More than four
hundred Chinese men enjoy the rights
AMI privileges OF American citizenship.
SOME belonging to the young mems
political clubs, to the Knights of Py-
thias and other organizations.
MORE CHINESE FOR HAWAII.
What these islands need is more Chi
nese laborers to fully man the plan
tations and bring greater prosperity to
Hawaii. Is it just to allow Korean,
japanese, Porto Rican or Italian la
borers to come into Hawaii, and not
the Chinese? They are quite willing
that America should have exclusion
laws, and regulate or limit foreign Ia
Dor. But they insist, and justly so,
that the laws should apply to all alike.
Nearly every Chinaman in Hawaii
will contribute to the movement to
secure fair treatment for Chinal II
is the one subject discussed, not only
here in Honolulu. and on every plan
tation, but in every port in China.
America can have no idea of the
tremendous antagonism she has been
stirring up slowly but surely during
the past twenty years. She does not
know the strength of the trade guilds
and Chinese tongs, and she seems TO
nave iio ACoh1dItoh VI thc otup1h0odS
possibilities and opportunities she is
just throwing away.
Hawaii should be foremost in help
ing to bring about justice and fair
treatment. and not only for China's
sake. but for her own future life and
Is Hawaii to be a great i
trade center of the Pacific, future |
Hongkons or Shanghai of America?
That depends upon whether America |
secures a large part of China's trade |
or not. If we lose China, we lose the
Pacific trade.
THE CHINESE OF HAWAII
The Chinese have been for many
years in Hawaii. In early times they
carried on an extensive trade in san
dalwood with the chiefs so that even |
now the islands are known to all the |
Chinese by the name of Tan Heung
Shan or Sandalwood Mountain. Much |
of the development of the Islands, the
sugar industry, the rice plantations, |
has been due to these steady working
people. Although since becoming
part of the United States, their num- |
bers have been decreasing, they are
today one Of the best and most re-
liable classes of our population.
Travellers from California have often
that the Chinese of Honolulu
seem to be a better class, as a rule,