The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-02
STANNARD BAKER
CONTINUED from page one.I

the land.
The keynote, indeed, of our modern
worldwide economic situation is the
struggle for docile labor. Europe,
America, Australia, South Africa and
even parts of Asia are all seeking men
who will work at low wages for long
hours, live in the cheapest sort of way
and make no complaint Our own
country is drawing in millions of such
men from southern Europe; South Az
RIGA has been receiving many East In
dians; and even little Hawaii has
searched every part of the earth for
workingmen.
The first great supply to be tapped
was China. The Chinese we're brought
in in considerable numbers while Ha-
wall was still a kingdom. They came
as contract laborers under a system
which closely resembled slavery, and
all things confederation the point
of view of the planter-they were and
are the best of all laborers. That is.
they are the most Industrious, they
will live the cheapest, they will work
for the lowest wages, ana remain the
most docile under all conditions.
But when Hawaii was admitted into
the American union, no more Chinese
could be brought in. Therefore, the
Hawaiian planters turned to the next
great source of labor, the Japanese.
An aristocracy does not care whit
where labor comes from or what it is,
so long as backs and biceps are strong,
and souls are sodden and unambitious.
But democracy in its rough way de-
sires not merely workers, but asso-
ciates and neighbors. And the democ-
racy of the Pacific Coast, where the
japanese were also crowding in, began
to protest and expostulate. The Jap
anese were coming too fast, there was
no time to get acquainted or to arrive
at mutual understandings; they could
not associate with them. Consequent
~ the Japanese stream was cut off,
both on the mainland and in Hawaii.
The planters had already been bring
ing in, at large expense. shipments of
Portuguese peasants and this was now
continued, but the supply was still in.
adequate. SO they tried bringing in
ignorant Porto Ricans, ignorant Kor-
cans, ignorant Russian peasants from
Siberia, and, more recently, consider
able numbers of underfed and diseased
F1lipinos. "a ~ ~
So urgent is the need of labor that
two separate immigration bureaus are
in the islands. One is pri-
vately supported by the Planters AS
ISOLATION, the other by the Territorial
and both expend very
large sums of money yearly. AS a mat
ter of fact, both of the bureaus repre-
sent the planters interest, one being
the right hand of the Planters Assoc
citation, the other the left hand.
The purpose of both organizations,
of course, is to get cheap laborers, but
the Territorial bureau represents what
may be called the progressive element
among the planters. 1t seeks to bring
in white men and to Offset Oriental i'm
migration by that of peasant white
labor from Europe. 1t hopes thus to
"Americanize" the islands 1t has the
hearty support of men like Governor
Frear and DR.. Victor S. CLARK, who is
the leading spirit on the Territorial
board and who is intensely in earnest
upon this subject, The bureau Of the
Planters Association, on the other
hand, is bringing in Filininos-in spite
of the objections and warnings of the
medical authorities.
Those who favor white immigration
are having to meet all sorts of Difficult
ties. In the first place the Asiatic ele-
ment in the islands is now overwhelm-
ingly predominant, and any white
worker who meets Asiatic competition
must live on very low scale More