Evening star., 1927-03-13
'HAWA||ANS SPLIT
ON STATE PLANS
Many Would Like Full Rights,
But Fear Dominance of
Oriental Races.
snecial Dispatcb 10 The Star,

! AT SEA, EN ROUTE TO SAN
| FRANCISCO, March 12.--Although
! Gov. Wallace r. Harrington in his an
! nual message to the Hawaiian Legis-
! lature has strongly recommended
/ statehood for the American islands
i of the Pacific, it is difficult for the i'm
partial observer to discover any great
! amount of sentiment In that direction.
| Differences of race and of language
! and the mathematical certainty that
| within the next few years the ma
! jority of voters in Hawaii will be full
blooded Japanese, all make the more
| conservative native and white res
| idents of the island group hesitate to
contemplate the problems of state
| hood at this time.
| Japanese born In the islands auto.
matically become American citizens,
although statistics obtained within
! the last few months show that the
parents of fully 80 per cent of these
American citizens have registered
! them with the Japanese consulate as
| being desirous of retaining their Jap
anese birthright and have pledged
anew their loyalty and fidelity to the
Emperor of Japan.
Assert Right to Vote.
! Despite the registration of this
pledge, Hawaiian-born Japanese, as
| they become of age. assert their right
! to vote under the American flag. Ad-
vocates of statehood for Hawaii-and
| they include in addition TO the gov
ernor such influential personages as
| Robert w. Shingle. president of the
! Hawaiian Senate and Republican ma
/ tional committeeman for the islan nds-~-
| contend that under statehood it would
| be possible to control or restrict the
| Oriental vote better than under the
! Federal statutes of a Territory While
naturally they do not mention the
| fact, it is evident that the Hawaiian
| statehood leaders have in mind the
/ adoption of a State constitution which
would contain grandfather clause"
| after the manner of a number of
I Southern States on the mainland
| These constitutional restrictions on
suffrage have been upheld by the
| United States Supreme Court and it
! is felt in the islands that a grand
| father clause there would solve the
! situation for another so years at
! least. But even the possibility Of
| this form of control does not con-
vince the more thoughtful residents
| Of the islands of the desira bility of
| statehood at this time, even if Con-
| gress was disposed to grant the petit
/ ton.
| Has Delegate i'm Congress.
| while our principal agricultural in
gate TO Congress, a delegate with a
voice but not q vote. The thought
| of having a regular Representative
and two full -fiedged Senators is
rather alluring to island Americans
| who feel that their interests are not
as well taken care of at Washington
as they might be. Although far
| from the mainland, the islands are
vastly dependent upon the American
| tariff for their we'll being. Gov.
| Harrington refers to this in his an
| nual message, in which he says:
while our pricipal agricultural in
! dustry has retained a fair margin
of prosperity under adverse world
market conditions, the range of prices
/ for our sugar has served TO remind
forcefully every intelligent citizen
that the support given by the pro-
| tective policy of the nation Is the
factor of safety that has prevented
heavy and serious loss"
| As desirable as 1t would seem for
| Hawaii TO have state representation
| in the House and Senate at Wash
! ington, the polygiot population of the
| islands causes hesitation.
Population Is 32S.444.
| The estimated population of the
/ Haw allan group for 1926 was 32S.
444. The principal divisions were as
| follows;
Japanese. .129,901; Filipinois, So
| 145; Americans, 36,133; British, Rus
slams Germans and Portuguese, a.
$40; Chinese. 25,111: Hawaiian, 21.-
054; Caucasian Hawaiian, 1865;
Asiatic- Hawaiian, 1881.
4 oh srlo 4hn
! nance Of the yellow races as the pro-
fusion Of Oriental children born in
/ the. islands begin to attain their right
| to vote.
! Despite arguments and statistics,
Gov. harrington comes out hat-foot-
ed for statehood. Here are few
statements from his message. now
before the territorial legislature:
THE eventual destiny of Hawaii is
statehood This was the ambition of
| the Hawaiian monarch Kamehameha
III when In 1853 he participated in
the negotiation of treaty under
which these islands were to be ad-
mftted to the American union as a
state. Statehood was the request
| made by the commission through
which che annexation of the islands
was brought about in 1898.
Carrying Financial Burden.
Amy ambition falling below this
standard is failure to live up to the
traditions of Hawaii and of every
group OF American citizens in or
ganized territories from which States
| have developed.
We have demonstrated that
American institutions and influence
have operated here quite as effec.
lively as they have in every other
part of our common country. People
from many parts of the world have
become welded into loyal citizenship.
their children growing up with
single purpose-the upbuilding of this
their native land.
The people of Hawaii are carry.
ing the financial burdens of state
hood. Our further mission is to es.
tablish such high standards of civic
! character. evidenced by wisely ad
ministered government, that realiza
! ton of our eventual destiny and 0ur
admission as State , in the Union
VIII be as natural and as logical as
the acceptance in 1898 of Hawaii's
petition for annexation"
tCopyriEht 1927
II us