Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-08-24

combining industry. yirility and home.
building qualities. Though q large
proportion OF the first Portuguese set.
tiers were Illiterate agricnlturists they
rapidly adapted themselves To their
new surroundings. and. under a com.
pulsory system OF education. their chill
dren have developed into an intelli-
gent and powerful element In our citi.
zenship. Their strong Influence in
the civic and political activities OF the
territory has demonstrated that upon
them and their descendants the prin-
ciples, obligations and responsibilities
of American citizenship is safely
founded.
Had Wide Influence.
1T cannot be denied by anyone IA
miliar with local economic conditions
that the adyen. OF the Portuguese IN
Hawaii has greatly affected the indus
trial. commercial, social. religious and
political life Of Hawaii The fact that
the Portuguese people today repre-
sent about so per cent of our total
civic white population attests to the
Importance of the Portuguese colony
as vital factor in the development
and AUGMENTATION of Hawaii along
traditional American lines.
During the past 10 years large
numbers of Portuguese have left the
territory of Hawaii for the state OF
California in the hope Of settling in a
community offering better induce
ments and advantages to their nat
ural inclination as homebuilders and
permanent settlers. In this way Ha-
wall has lost hundreds OF skilled and
unskilled laborers and trained, indus
trial workers. who are being replaced
by undesirable and cheap human raw
material to supply the Unsuitable de-
mands of the sugar plantations. Since
the annexation Of Hawaii to the United
States in 1900, serious efforts have
been made by the planters to have
special legislation enacted by Con-
gress. permitting them to import linn
tied numbers of Chinese laborers UNI
der certain restrictions, but the nation,
al administration has frowned upon
these efforts as injurious to the OBJ
ject OF the creation of the territory
of Hawaii-its ultimate admission as
one of the states of the United States
of America. In his fifth annual mes
sage to the senate and house Of rep
resentatives, President Roosevelt said
about Hawaii: 1t cannot be too often
repeated that our aim must be to de-
veIop the territory of Hawaii on ira
diticnal American lines. That terri
tory has serious commercial and in
dustrial problems to reckon with; but
no measure of relief can be consid-
cred which looks to legislation adj
hitting Chinese and restricting them
by statute to field labor and domestic
service. We cannot cohcede that the
solution of its problems Is spe-
eial legislation admitting to Hawaii a
class of laborers denied admission to
the other states and territories.
There are obstacles, and great obsta-
cles, in. the way of building up a rep;
resefitatiye American community In
the Hawaiian islands; but It Is not In
the American character TO give up in
the face of difficulty. Many an Amer
lean commonwealth has been built up
against odds equal to fbbse that now
confront Hawaii
Immigrants Must Be Fit.
No merely half-hearted effort to
meet its problems as other American
have met theirs can: be
accepted as final Hawaii shall never
become territory in which govern
Ing class of rich planters exists by |
means of coplie labor Even If the
rate of growth, of the territory is there.
by rendered slower. the growth must |
only take, place by the admission of |
at in the end to assume
the duties and burdens of full Ameri-
can citizenship. Our aim must be to
develop the territory on the same basis
Of stable citizenship as exists on this
continent