The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-03-12


nnly tn help the plantations must No
fcfuicd Ny the feet that now, 4 the
planters desired. they could ~ them
selves, without restrictions, bring IN
Porto nitnus. fihpinos NJ thousands
from the slaves Of the mainland ciiics,
people undesirable. What the bin pro
Nidcs IL Tor the importation Of Europ
cans, people who will IN time become
valued citizens.
The speaker scored the samples ~
Porto Ricane which had been brought
here, referring to thcir bad records and
the fact that few Of them showed any
Improvement.
The bill provides tax touching only
the wealthy. II IL failed OF passage
it meant bigger tax rate on all, poor,
and rich alike. Conditions
now under the present tax rate were
unsatisfactory to the laborers aud the
imposition Of higher taxes would be n
further oppression. At present the
number Of laborers Is decreasing and
TO provide for the welfare OF the coun.
try more laborers must be brought in.
There was no danger Of the labor mar
kct being flooded.
"As Mr.. Castro has stated, the pas
sage of this bill means the tabling Of
all the other tax measures now beforo
this House, began Cohen, the first OPP
poser of the bill, Gas an increase of
two per cent on incomes in addition TO
the rates of taxation now in force is all
the increase the community will stand
for. If we are to increase taxation, the
question is what are we to do with the
additional moneys
care we to cxpend the money in ap.
propriating for the benefit of the Ter
ritory of Hawaii and its four counties,
or for private enterprisesi Are we to
legislate for the whole people who send
us here or for handful of millionaires
who, as sugar planters, are opposed to
any increase in taxation except that
which will benefit their own interests I
Are we here to represent the sugar
harons and capitalists only or are We
here to represent the peoplef
Gas far as | am concerned | want to
go on record as representing the people.
If we are to help any class let it be the
poor, for they need our help. The rich
do not.
Are you men who have introduced
bills to appropriate money for your re-
spective constituencies going to say: : |
know my people need bridges, roads and
other improvements which will help
them / know that l introduced bills
for their benefit, but it was only II
blind; we must not give them anything
because the sugar barons want it all;
they are all powerful and we dare not
oppose themH'
Let us analyze this bill and see
what it means. 1t means that the com
munty is to be taxed annually about
100000 to bring pauper labor into tho
country, not because we have scar.
city of labor at present, hut to flood
the labor market to such an extent that
labor will be cheaper.
"There are hundreds upon hundreds
of idle laborers now in the Territory
who find it impossible to obtain employ.
ment on plantations.
"With the country flooded with
cheap labor what chance will citizen
labor have2 He will be simply crowded
off the map, and will be compelled to
earn his living the same as other pau.
pers-at paupers wages. Then the
plantations will get all the cheap labor
they want. They will pay less and
less for labor, while their dividends
become greater and greater. There will
be two classes-the millionaire sugar
planters and the pauper laborers. The
middle man will be driven from the
Territory.
''lf the planters are honest and
mean well by the community let them
take this amount which they want to
spend annually for the importation of
-
wages so that citizen ilabor may be
employed.
"The argument is made that this
enactment will be made for only two
years but you will find that is simply
the opening wedge. If we pass this bill
the next Legislature will be called
upon to make it permanent as was init
mated by one of the speakers at The
meeting held in this room last Monday
night.
Another argument was made to the
effect that labor could not be secured
in the United States. Coy. Garter
stated that il could be done and op
posed the object of this bill. His con
tention is correct. / quote from yea
terday's evening paper
d" Agent Trenor of the Territorial
Board of Immigration has cabled fol
finances to provide for the trausporta
ton of immigrants to start for tn,
islands some time this month. 1t II
assumed from this that Mr.. Trenor has
been successful in securing Immigrants
for Hawaii from among the Portuguese
residents of New Bedford
~ desire to ask Mr.. Castro does h
mean to say that these Portuguese la
borers are of the slums of the United
StatesW
Castro Replies.
Castro replied promptly that the elias
of labor heretofore brought from tn,
mainland was not the kind wanted il
| Hawaii.
Hawaii Dumping Ground.
Cohen continued:
"Let MS try and bring class d
, people here who will benefit the Ter
ritory as investors of capital, tillerl
of the soil or manufacturers-no max,
our beautiful Islands the dumping
ground for the beggars of Europe.
at bebooves every Hawaiian in thi
house to look TO the future. Let hin
| read the writing nm the wall which in