The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-10
=: Hawai-; to the Fore ::

OF tho United States. Tho Americans
In Hawaii are Just as American as
any man who ever shot fire-cracker
on the Fourth Of July or ate turkey
and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving
Day. And when a fellow-American
from Kalamazoo writes ono OF them
a letter and puts five-ccnt stamp on
it-wcll. there's little volcano in
Hawaii .hat tho guide-books don't
know about.
great business firm In New York
recently sent half ton OF advertise
ing matter to Honolulu. 1t was all
sular possessions" The Porto Ricans
and the Filipinos speak Spanish, there
1ore oo .. was q, s aeeldea to give Hawaii
Johnson. OF Mennesota- recently gave
out an interview saying he was in
favor OF Topping off the Philippines
and Hawaii and all "insular possess
tho local papers gave lyon Yonson' a
lambasting. that would have delighted
tho soul OF a Minnesota Bryanite And
Hawaii is right about It. The United
or cut out Iowa from It's heart Just
as easily as 1t could cast OF Hawaii.
Hawaii became q part OF the United
States In exactly the same manner as
Il
! OF the United States now as New
Mexico Is. And Hawaii. looking into
the fuh,re and with the eye OF faitlI.
can zee rev star on the flag star
| star whose radiance casts over tho
| az9 ar OF the Union the greeting.
!, Hawaii knows that the path to tho
other part of the United States has
moro knotty problems to work out
IT needs the help OF the rest of the
country, and now that the increasing
Importance OF the Pacific Will bring
Hawaii into prominence. that help will
be forthcoming.
So far as politics is concerned. and
so far as the people now in control
as Ohio But its peculiar economic
system has overwhelmed 1t with an
/ alien people which has no sympathy
for American ideals, but which In timo
I right to vote. 1t is HawaiIs present
task to Americanize the children of
the Orientals, IL possible. II is Ha-
walls task to encourage immigration
can be assirnilated into American In
stitutions. 1t is Hawaii's task To
stand in the van of the social and
economic struggle between the Occi-
These are tasks which no people
would approach without a due sense
OF their responsibility. In Hawaii
they are made more difficult by reason
I OF peculiar business conditions. and
/ by the impressive resistance of small
but influential element of European.
! foreigners who still look to British
and German ideals in government.
I notwithstanding these complications.
I the Americans in Hawaii are In con-
I troll OF politics. business and society.
! They are working with might and
main to Americanizc the whole peo-
I pie. They arc using tho same methods
/ which ..Americanized" the United
States-the weapons of school and
church and printing press. 1t is a
/ brave fight and most Americans have
| faith enough to believe that they viii
I conquer. When they do. will not
most Americans agree that they arc
| worthy OF their star?
But with all the problems to work
out. and with some delicate bread and
! butter questions in the future to keep
( an eye on, Hawaii knows not care. II
yields to the gentle influence of its
! tempered tropical climate and is hap
& py. To-day Hawaii is the greatest
exporting community of its population
/ on earth. To-day Hawaii is the richest
political division. per capita. of tho
richest nation on the face OF the earth.
Every day it is growing in Importance
as that nation reaches out its influence
into the Orient. These things are COM
! forting to Hawaii as it looks forward
i to the day of its greater lustre
Copyright, 1905. by Frederic j. Has
/ kim