The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-12-07
DR.. SCUDDER ON
BANANA CRUSADE
(Cnntinnnd frnn Papn Onal
Continued from Page One.)

never have been aroused. The ag-
gressors in this campaign have been
our moneyed interests which had moth
ing to lose by sacrificing bananas. The
real sufferers have been multitudes of
poor folk whose fruit is as dear to
them as the large sugar crops are to
the rich. Would these same moneyed
interests have displayed as much zeal
in cutting down their sugar cane if the
latter had been alleged by the same
group of physicians to be the source
of mosquito propagation as they
showed in sacrificing the bananas of
the poor? This eve lamb argument is
no more to be sneered out of court to-
day than it was in David's time. 1t is
a serious question how far the right to
take away without compensation
poor mans property extends. Certain
ly the arbitrary manner and the in
science on the part of some of the
health employees in this compaign
/ NOulu DtNti nave tcGll lOACl dANh III Il
mainland community.
The non-scientific character of some
of the forensic support given to the
cause has also been unfortunate, espe
cially the Munchausen tale, regarding
the presence of mosquito wrigglers in
closed bamboo sections, which peri
patetic officer tried to palm off on
what he doubtless took for gullible
nature folk. When a cause has to de-
pend upon this sort of advocacy and
dubs scientific criticism mere kicking,
it shakes the faith of those who love
sober second thought. The fact re-
mains that thousands of banana trees
absolutely uninfested by mosquitoes
have been destroyed without the
slightest attempt to exempt them as
harmless. We know of one place
where one hundred and fifteen trees
were cut and examined within four or
| five days of brisk rainfall and only
! two of them contained water, these
| two but little, and in that little not a
]
sign of larvae or wrigglers. Yet the
place boosted a few day mosquitoes
that evidently found other breeding
places. Some eXperimenters have
filled up banana plants with water and
after a comparatively few hours have
| found the water entirely absorbed. 1t
would have been difficult doubtless and
have taken time to examine the ba'
mana trees and to have sacrificed only
those which contained wrigglers, but
such a procedure would have been
amply justified. The back down OF
the real culprit in this bit of icono
clasm when placed on the witness
stand is the most miserable act in TINS
serio-comedy based on the principle OF
sacrificing a hundred innocent in or
der to catch one guilty banana tree.
1t is also very regrettable that the
public has gained the impression thai
a determined effort has been made by
those in charge of the campaign tC
prevent facts from coming out. This
impression may be very wide OF the
truth, but when such a suspicion gets
abroad it forbids anything like hearty
and united community action. Fortu
nately the splendid stand taken by thu
Star in presenting all sides of the
question most fully cannot be to'
{ highly commended. 1t is one OF the
most public-spirited services whicl
that excellent and independent pape
has ever rendered In that line of &C
5 secured to fight the mosquito, but II
any such campaign, Its publication o
5 the official record Of the Panam
authorities relative TO bananas Is ceI
$ tainly the coup de grace to the bogi
2 that prompted the ruthless destruction
p of the past few weeks. 1t is wise t
. remember that freedom-loying peopl
: can never be stampeded, bulldozed o
( coerced into unity of action. Only on
3 effective means can be relied upon t
secure this and that is the winning o
! reason and conscience by appeal t.