The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-06-26
WOULD INVITE
LABOR LEADERS
Citizen Believes Gompers and
Mitchell Should Come
to Hawaii.

II believe the Hawaiian Islands
would be benefited by extending an
invitation to the great labor leaders oil
the United States to visit the Islands
and investigate the kind of labor re.
CURED in the fields Of the sugar plan,
tations," said a gentleman yesterday
who is in close touch with inner labor
council matters on the mainland
e1For instance if such men as Com.
pers, Mitchell and others, well known
to newspaper readers, as well as the
heads of the great railway organiza-
tions, were brought here and given ev-
cry opportunity to ascertain from per
sonal observation just what the labor
is in canefelds, learn concerning the
class of laborers who can best do that
work and the many other matters con-
nected with industrial conditions. pecu-
liar to the Hawaiian Islands, the is
lands and the laboring organizations of
the United States would arrive at a
D6GlGf iuuIudl Understanding,
cit is well known that the labor or
CARNATIONS, generally, are opposed to
Asiatic labor being brought into the
country where it will be a competitor
with citizen labor. Their original idea,
of course, was in opposition to Chinese
being permitted to become so strong in
competition with American labor that
it would seriously injure the laborer7s
position, but that was long before Jap
anese competition became pronounced.
japanese labor, as we all know, is
now SO we'll organized on the mainland
that 1t has become serious obstacle
to harmonious relations in industrial
circles. | am speaking from the stand
point of the American labor organiza-
tions.
'There is no doubt but that the
strike of the japanese plantation labor
ers IN Oahu has been made much of in
labor circles on the mainland. Those
circles are first of all favorable to man
ming any American territory with white
labor, and naturally they would be glad
to see white laborers displace Asiatic
laborers here. But visit to the cane
fields would probably reconstruct their
ideas on this subject, At least they
could obtain correct Impressions They
might take the view that after all, the
Chinaman is better suited to enter into
industrial competition or relations with
white labor than the japanese, while
their objections to the bringing here
of Portuguese and Filipino labor would
be done away with or very much less
ened.
Now, carrying out this idea that
the visit of labor leaders to Hawaii
would be beneficial, it is well known
that the labor organizations WELD con-
influence in shaping national
For instance every big or
ganization has its representative in
He keeps his finger OH the
pulse of all legislation and where he
believes there should be some attention
paid by his organization, be calls their
attention. to it. In the case of the
railway men, their council would take
action, and pressure would be brought
to bear upon Congressman. If the labor
leaders find that it might be advisable
to allow Chinese laborers to again cul-
tivate canefelds, they will present their
views before their respective councils
and if those organizations want any
changes made, pressure will be brought
to bear upon Congressman.
"By all means invite these big labor
leaders down here to learn conditions
for themselves -