Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-12-01

Castle. Cooke, Damon, Wilcox, and
many others"
But the missionaries are by no
means the only residents who have
proflted by keeping their hands on
the land" Baker continues AM goes
on to mention other instances, mostly
by inference. He also points out that
another class IL holding its land and
lives In part without working. speak
ing Of small holders who lease the
lands to japanese or Chinese. He
adds.
Thus the drift In the Islands Is
ever more strongly toward the divi-
sion of the people into two widely sep
arato castles or classes--a small, aris-
tocratic land-owning vo ing class of
white men with a lew Hawaiians, and,
on the other hand, a large class %,
depressed, though often highly intel
ligent. voteless laboring people.
ut is difficult for an outsider 10
form any ADEQUATE conception of the
extent to which feulal artist 1cracy
dominating the land, can direct or in
fiience even In remote details the
life. the income. the politics, the cdu-
cation and even the religion of the
country. Not only does the planta-
ton manager dominate the actual
work on his own plantation but his
domination extends to all the people
! who live around the plantatidn--t, all
The little settlements and to all the
small groups of homesteaders and
small farmers near about. And being
a. N l...
celf, with his own success dependent
, on making dividends for distant stock.
holders, II may be imagined how
thoroughly he turns all his power I,
advantage with yearly profits in view. .
The Plantation Grip.
Next Baker takes ,ip various phases
OF plantation operation. all illustrat-
Ing his declaration of the domination
or sugar interests here. He SAYS that
inter-island shipping IS practically
monopolized by the lIter-Island
Steamship Company" and gives this
| as phase OF plantation control OF
The Territory. He cites the story of
j. Il. Gamaliclson and his homestead
ing experiences. Baker intimaiing very
strongly that Gamalielson and other
| by the Efilo Sugar Company.
| Baker takes up plantation wharves.
| plantation stores and other factors.
He says:
rs 1t any wonder that the land
| question today Is the chief politicl
issue Of the islands? Is II any wonder
that many people are disturbed with
this Capitalization of land control
which tends toward a steady crowd
ing out of white settlers and the sub
sutution of depressed. non-voting
population of oriental people?
Even the more far-seeing of the
planters have become alarmed and
recently the territorial government,
red by Governor Frear, succeeded In
getting the land laws SO changed in
congress as TO encourage homestead
ing by citizen settlers. Their idea Is
10 get In white people who will really
live upon and work the land: but the
new laws are so complicated and the
economic conditions of the Islands are
SO difficult that DEMONSTRATING SO far
as 1t has meant actual settlement o,
white citizens has been pure farce
J The reasons for this failure arc
perfectly plain.
| Most of the government land Is OF
the poorer sort located too high oil
The mountains to he available for sug.
ar telse 1t would already have beer
takcn) and this high land, offered In
absurdly small tracts, Is usually in.
accessible and distant from the pub.
lie roads. and in some cases II re.
ouires a hundred dollars an acre tr
clear 1t of jungle. The opportunities
OF a poor white man under such con.
ditions may be imagined. Moreover
he Is $500 miles from markets, and
II he attempts to raise sugar. as some
homesteaders have done, he Is, as
nave shown, wholly at the mercy nj
The big planters who own the mill,
y ond to whom he must sell his crop.
}, "On the other hand some of the
best government land is not located o,
ne mountains. but Is leased to the
sugar planters on rentals made year,
ago At absurdlv low prices. Il ha,
now become enormously valuable.