The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-09-25
How the Hawaiians
Like Being Americans
By Burton Holmes Author of Burton Holmes Traveogues
in The Ladies' Home Journal for October, 1905

answer you win 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
Amcrcanization of the islands was the
only salvation for Hawaii.
Annexation has unquestionably made
the islands, in 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-fve thousand today. Already
one-ha 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
islandb, and some day you'l see the
Territory of Hawaii sending Japanese
representative to Congress.
| took typical young Hawaiian col
lege mana full-blooded native student
at Oahu College-as sample, and l
said to him, as we sat chatting in his
student room: "Tell me, honestly, how
do you like being an Americana
HI like it all right, he said. / was
about to ask why, when my friend, an
American writer, whose hobby is !" Ha-
a. 4 =.
Ily: "Don't say that just because we
are from the States, or to be courteous.
Would not you n thousand times rather
see your own Hawaiian flag floating
over the Palace of your Queen the flag
of an Independent Island Kingdom3
Would you not prefer to be a Hawai-
ian subject rather than an American
citizenl Honest, wouldn t yous'
The big. brown, handsome chap said
quietly, with decisions: ono; honest,
| i d rather be an American.
| "And the rest of your peoplef" L
asked. "Do all Hawaiians feel that
wayp'
"'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
monarchy 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 l like being an
: American.
This was the attitude of an intelli
lgent native Hawaiian-young, enthu
0 siastic, full of the music and the poetr,
of his people, but recognizing thei1
a shortcomings and grasping the oppor
/ tunity afforded him to become some
thing more than singer of songs anc
a dreamer of dreams
, X X X
+. missed-them Jap is the meanest ract
1 that ever come to these islands. -
| / learned that the Japanese hav,
{ been especially active in securing anC
exploiting hack licenses; they do no
cut the rates, but they are more wide
awake, work longer hours and natural,
secure more fares
v But no matter where / asked m,
. question: GLOW do you like being al
AmericanP'' the more or less favorable
v reply served only as preface to an ex
!. preston of pro or anti Japanese senti
O ment. The Japanese question is th
burning question in Hawaii today Tn
y big planters realize that their big profit
n depend upon steady supply of cheaI
n intelligent labor. Such labor can b
had today only from Japan. Some plan
Z ters have only praise for their Japan
i ese tolers-others declare them saucy
y troublesome and unreliable, prone t
organization and with a growing rea
ization of their power. The day o
labor troubles, strikes and walkouts
o not far off in the estimation of tn
q pessimists. According to them the onl
n safety for the future lies in the in
It portation of some competing labor O
l. another race. But where to get larg
If numbers of men who can and will wor
is as well as the Japanese, and for a
n little money, is question that no on
b. has answered yet. In Honolulu and th
he other towns japanese skilled labor
lt suppanting white skilled labor. Th
ne carpenters and mechanics, builders an
,y roofers are today largely Japanes
~ Hundreds of white men who formerl
v. held these lucrative jobs have go1
p- back to the United States. In the r
er tail stores the clerks are brown, sua,
Japanese-or in some cases Chinez
es without the shaven forehead and II
ne On the day of my arrival in Hon
or lulu my hackman nearly ran over
I'll sturdy young japanese who, accordiI
H. to the custom of his country, was stru
Ii. ting down the middle of the street.
st "Look out!' said to my hackmai
It. "you III kill that Jap!"
h. "Plenty more of 'em,' he reptile
IT. as the mudguard grazed the kimon
clad Oriental; fhe never would
queue, looking at first glance amazin
ly like japanese, though with gentl
IT manners and more perfect command
te, the English language.
no There are two Honolulu daily pape
'ty printed in Japanese, and one Japane
OF. daily printed on the neighboring isla
I'D of Kauai. There are japanese schoo
Ior Japanese Buddhist Missions. Japane
ter hotels and two japanese clubs.
INT X X 4
ee' One os the most interesting pha.
lir, of life to study in Hawaii is to 60
for school. In one school we visited W.
ri bullet -hpadpd little Japanesp with IN