Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-03-24
Honolulu. March -, 1916.
Editor Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

| Editor Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
Sir: In the Sunday issue Of the Ad-
vertiser there appears a letter by a
Mr.. c. r. Castro who has this 10 say
about Mr.. Stevens little affair with
certain Fflipinos here. Il have the
honor TO appeal to the supreme page,
favoring and advocating the rights
of Mr.. Esteyen which ! believe would
be benefited the poor Filipinos out
of work discharged who are appeal
ing to all Americans in this country.
Considering. that We are Your faith
fully people, poorly discharged from
the Sugar Planters; wesare consider
ing ourselves as rats eating the econ
omy of the Fflfpinos workers in Ha-
wall" Then my friend Mr.. Castro
continues to say how Mr.. Estevens
has human rights that he will try to
give change for the poor Filipinos,
etc" And then Has not Mr.. Estev-
ems right to take those Filipinos with
him as he wishes even he will bring
them TO heIl2' But the end is not yet,
for my friend continues his vitupera-
ton by asking string Of preposter-
Gus questions about the relations or
perhaps the attitude of the Hawaiian
Sugar Planters Association towards
the Filipinos:
Now, what have to say will be not
an attack nor criticism upon Mr.. Cas-
tro's statements, but rather a differ
ence in opinion. Mr. Steven may
have some rights to take these Fill
pinos with him. even as far as hell,
but It would hardly be human rights.
And if such is the end of Mr.. Ste
yen's mission Mr.. Castro ought to
be the first Filipino to oppose it rath-
er than favor and advocate it And
every Filipino who has any Filipino
red blood in him ought to stand
against such action of Mr.. Steven if
Mr.. Castro's statement is true How
would such a thing benefit the Fill
pinos? Taking them to hell would not
better them, for that is what it would
mean If these Filipinos were taken
into some of the mining camps in
America, and then to South America
Every true Filipino ought to stand
against any action that will take the
Filipinos into hell.
Now comes the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters Association. / want to put
down some of the helps" they have
given us in our mission work. During
the year 1915, beginning with month
EFF June. .soRref 400 Filipinos were given
work on the plantations. The sick
were cared for, they being sent to the
hospitals in the city. The real needy
ones have been looked after. and in
several cases the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters Association provided them
free passages to the Philippines.
Women who have been deserted by
their husbands have been given food
and shelter at the Immigrant station,
and some of these are still there. The
planters have not denied any help We
have asked them. They have done
these things even previous to my COM
ing here, and they will continue to
help, thanks be to them. On the diff
ferent plantations here and in the diff
ferent islands, the plantation manag-
ers have rendered great helps to our 1
mission workers. They have been
more than glad to do it.
Unemployed? l think sthe Filipino
himself has been one of the sad
causes of this situation. An American
engineer stayed in our mission for a
while. He was on his way to the Phil
ippines from Panama. During his
temporary stay a job was offered him.
He accepted We requested him to
put to work some of the Filipinos who
were up against it. He was willing
to do it. One day he came In to town
and / asked him how the Filipinos
were getting along $3.50 \
Rotten he said. ....
How is that?" I asked.
WELL" he continued putting his
pipe, I'VE fed five Filipinos last night
and told them to report for work this
morning, but we did not see a shad-
ow of them" j.. - #. ETY.. ..... =.
Too bad" commented.
Eyes, and the rest of them quit. This
is the trouble with these Filipines.
You give them work and d-n it, they
won't stay put -.
And this is one of the causes of I'M
among our people, they
simply won't stay put" And here
is another one. All the Filipinos that
were given work on the plantations
promised to stick and never to come
back to Honolulu and live a life of
dissipation But it is the same story.
They cant stay put They come
back to Honolulu. No reliable bust
nessman employees another man who
dissipates. Well, here is another typ
ical one. A young man came to me
and asked me if | could give him a
job. i asked him what kind of a job
he was after and what he could do
and how much salary he was willing
to accept. And this is what he re-
piled: q don't want a very hard job,
Mr.. Ramirez, and you can see by my
palms that i am not a working man.
/ want something that is easy, and S.
a week and board will suit me-" Il
told him of job which required a
knowledge of cooking and dishwash-
ing. "Dishwashing? he exclaimed,
No, sir, you can tell the old lady
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