The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-01-21
bulletin, August 9, 1000

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luton for the problems of Hawaii
named transportation as the first ne
cessity.
The Bulletin does not claim it as a
remarkable compliment that these and
other leaders of the nation have reach
ed the same conclusion advanced by
this paper these many months.
The situation is obvious to any in
telligent citizen who will take the time
to study the conditions in these islands
and honestly seek the way out that
will bring the greatest good to the
greatest number.
The Bulletin is not an enthusiast
over the suspension of the coastwIse
shipping laws. 1t prefers to have the
American capitalists build American
ships that will satisfy all the legiti-
mate demand of transportation between
| these islands and the mainland. The
| Bulletin wants to see the American
| flag dominate the commerce of the Pa
cifc
But the fact of the matter is, that
American capital controlling American
| ships is not giving the service this
| Territory has reason to expect and
which the present business and devel-
oping business of these islands justify.
The ship owners and the moneyed
men tell our people that the best pos
sible is being done, since they are
| forced to operate without a ship sub
sidy. The Bulletin will not attempt to
| dispute the statements of these gentle
men, who, it is assumed, know their
| business.
The American people as represented
| in the Congress of the -Unitd States
have declared against granting ship
subsidy.
That settles ship subsidies for the
present at least.
Therefore the question comes down
to one of whether the American people
have any right to leave the population
of Hawaii with their prospects of
progress hung up between the devil
of an American ship owner, who says
he can not operate without a subsidy,
and the deep blue sea of American in
difference to the prestige of American
shipping on the Pacific Ocean.
Some one may say that Hawaii is
not patriotic because it even contem-
plates the use of foreign ships. The
Bulletin was once disposed to this view.
The lesson in patriotism we have had
builders has continued just long enough
to convince us that it is about time the
Territory was treated to little re-
ciprocal patriotism.
What sort of patriotism is it that
ham-strings the prosperity of a Ter
ritory by refusing to furnish it with
sufficient transportation facilities of a
certain definite ''legal' type and in
the same breath excludes all our people
from the use of the ships of other ma
tons?
What sort of patriotism would it be
for our country to pass law that nc
person be allowed to travel on the Ca
madam Pacific railway trains within
the borders of the United States be
cause the Canadian Pacific railway is
controlled by foreign capital7
The people of the State or States
through which the Canadian Pacific
runs would not stand for it, The prop
osition would be laughed out of Con
gress.
Yet a patriotism of very much the
same stripe is what the American cap
italists who will not put on the Amer
lean ships, and the American Congress
that will not subsidize American ships
are demanding. not asking. but forcin:
upon the people of the Territory o
Hawaii
They have no right to make such al
extraordinary demand. They have thu
might That S ALL
But this paper does not believe il
leaving it all to Congress to amend
or Mr.. Secretary Straus to suspend an,
1 Infamous laws or lack of laws, tina
4 may be doing our fair land an injury
We are all too willing to let Congress
do something for us, and everything i
possible.
Suspension of the coastwise shipping
laws will not completely solve tn
problem of transportation for thes
islands. 1t will not necessarily Civ
us the liners between this city and tn
ports of the Pacific Coast which w
y must have if the passengers who appI
are to be carried
The people of these islands hav
freight. That is what the owners o
Il American ships are looking for. w
bring from the mainland goods whic
for the eleven months ending last Ma
q were valued at more than twelve mi
1 lions of dollars. During the same DE-
Rod we sent produce to the mainlan
: hot i I