Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-15

ping Jaws, and beg 10 say | do not
think he has made a very strong case
OF argument against me. Excepting
the loss TO American ship owners,
nc S2ems 10 have nothing. or very
little. 20 say in support of his side
Of the argument, excepting that he
stands for protection, and that | evil
IDENTITY am not al American, am a
non-produccr. and what seems to be
greater sir, seem to favor lowering
the wages CT the Japanese laborers.
But for the sake of argument | will
admit that it is possible / may be
wrong. but # so / am in good COM
pany for all the editors and many
other prominent men are also in the
wrong. Aad would like to intimate
that possibly these men have thought
out this subject much more deeply
than Maxim has done; and they have
come e the conclusion that the sus-
. pension of these laws would be an
| advantage to Hawaii.
may also have used too strong
language in regard to the harm that
these laws have done to this country.
But am still of the opinion that
the great majority of the people
would agree with me IL they dared.
And though / did not expect all the
shipping Of the world tas he seems to
think to come here for freight in
case these laws were suspended, |
did think there would be a sufficient
number that would be allowed to
como here and take freight as to very
! materially reduce the freight rates
But then | may be wrong, but this
remains to be proven. and it will take
a great deal more than Maxim's letter
to do that.
AS TO my knowing nothing of what
he is think, l admit the sweet i'm.
parchment, but l do know what a
great many other men think of this
subject, which is great deal more
to the point: for they see as do,
, that the freight, and not the passen-
ger traffic is what is most effected
by these laws, and it is the opinion
: of these men that million dollars
could alone be saved on freight on
sugar if these laws could be sus-
pended. -.
And therefore, it may be true that
| represent the views of others. 1t is
, also true that they are mine also, nor
would J express them for anything If
they we're not. ,1.-: -. ...... -.
have no axe to grind, no favor to
, ask, no interest to serve, excepting
so far as it effects the public good. :,
But as 10 whom am. or what / do,
I thing that is beside the question. but
] will say, that / love this country
and have worked for its best interests
increasingly, ari for the welfare of
the whole people for more years than
l would care, to, say. >. ..>.zr
The question. however, is not who
CT what l am, but am right, or, am
wrong, and are these laws benefit
cial. or are. they moi? a7s s7ggtt.s%sft
= Honest discussion, as Fair Play
has wisely said, will bring out the fact
that these laws are anything but ben
eficiaI to these islands, and as he has
pointed out more thoroughly than |
; can do, the true meaning of these
laws, will say no more upon the sub
lect at the present time. 49,. FL. -
But l should like to say a word or
two about reducing the wages of the
Japanese laborers. as am accused
OF wishing to do this. Now, what |
think Of the matter is of small i'm
portance, but NtheFe can be no ques-
ton but that it will have to come to
that; and not only will the wages of
the laborers have to be cut, but also
the salary of the managers aL.l every
employe of every description win
have to share the same fate; that is
if the sugar industry is to survive Il
Everybody knows this, even the la.
borers themselves, and many Of them
wonder why it has not been done be,
fore. .-H- -. ~.'s
How many people know that many
Of these plantation laborers, who take
contracts on the sugar plantations,
can afford to ride around in 5automo-
hiles on account of the high wages
they are getting?
Do you call it a fair thing that
while many Of the stockholders have
10 give up their automobiles and walk
on foot. that these Japanese contract
CTS, and plantation managers. suld
other plantation employees should draw
big salaries and sport around in their
autOn ObileS.
But this is not the worst, for many
of these stockholders who are decrepit
and past the work age hardly know
where the next meal is to come from,
and some of them would get none at
all unless their relatives or friends
provided something for them.
1t may be unfortunate that this is
~
ducui on the plantations, but it is
either this of the closing Of them mp
Or a great many Of them.
Yours very truly,
X Y. z.