Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-31
EDITOR

liShtd an account of tn" srnurr'> action on II
conference committees report. when the cUnfe
pncr report was approved without any rxceptio
in favor Of this territory. \ special di>]r.!>
ton for Hawaii WAS tXpv,.$:;i. hui Senator -:
mons Of North Carolina said he forget to see tht
it was made. AS the bill now stands, aliens mll.
pass the Iitrracy test TO enter the territory.
This at once strikes Il blow at the territory
WolN Of securing Spanish and Portuguese labor
er$. OF course the bill has not been fnalI
passed. but yesterdays news makes it quite plat
that it will be long fight to force an eXceptiO
for Hawaii through Congress with the HouS
committee in its present frame of mind. TIL
Washington correspondent thu
comments on the attitude of Representative Bul
nett, chairman of the house committee:
Senators Dillingham;, Lodge and Simmons all
qCested the house committee on immigration to make
change in the educational test clause and except
Hawaii Chairman Burnett took the matter up and
gave hearings, which attended by representa-
tiycs of Hawaiian interests.
1t was subsequently determined by the house COM
mittee accept the Simmons amendment it stood.
The matter thus barred from discussion of modi
fication in conference. The rules prohibit consider
alton of any feature not in dispute between the two
branches of Congress. 1t thus followed that although
other sections of bill rewritten and whipped
rto compromise shape the educational test para
graph remained precisely drafted by Mr.. Simmons.
The situation in Hawaii was fully explained to
Representative Burnett by Senators Lodge and Dill
lrgham but he was not conversant with matters in
that territory. His that if the homestead
laws were amended it would be possible to secure de-
sirable immigrants for Hawaii and the necessity for
bringing in illiterates would be removed. He could
not be made realize that large proportion of the
productive wealth is located in the output of sugar
hfnh do 1ohnr oilah1o for tic
cultivation.
Senator Dillingham; said a corrective bill would be
prepared at and persstently urged with the
hope that it might become law before the adjourn
ment of this session, and before any serious injury
was inflicted upon the cane-growers of Hawaii.
Incidentally, this Washington correspondent
exactly bears out what the Star-Bulletin sal
editorially several days earler,-that Chairman
Bu1netts attitude is not very friendly to assiste
labor immigration here particularly as he be
ieves the work of the territory is largely offset b.
the bringing of Filipinos by the planters. AS
matter Of fact, if Chairman Burnett had oppol
tunty to learn at first-hand the facts about Fill
pino immigration, he would be surprised to fine
out that the "little brown brothers" are not Onl
satisfying many of the managers, but are deve1
oping into cane-contractors, hOusehOlders skille'
SOlHC vi ldtlS dUOuG Ill plIlO ldUo
have been misunderstood or misrepresented, a
can be proved.
But this is by the way. The main point is tina
the iteracy test is quite likely to stick in the new
law and quite likely to apply to thi
territory. We cannot look forward with an.
confidence to special favOrs. And the natura
result is that Hawaii must turn to new fields fO1
countries where the percentage of lit
eracy is high and the citizens of the true agricul
tural type.
AS to the probability that the literacy tes
will be insisted upon, the following from yester
lays correspondence is conclusive:
1"It is frankly confessed that any suggestion
Of changing the application of the illiteracy tes
will meet with considerable opposition in thu
house. 1t may be found impossible to secure &C
ton there Present indications are that much
time will elapse before Hawaii is excepted from
The new provisions. In fact, friends of the cor
rectiOn are not now hopeful of success.