Evening star., 1934-07-22

for the different producing areas II
chose as an average a different group
OF three years from the group II chose
for other areaS--and this has given
Hawaii less. Is IL any wonder that
these loyal American citizens are un-
happy2 Is it surprising that they fail
TO see why they should be picked out
and peualized in order that Cuba shall
be given a larger allotment7
During the debate on the sugar bill
| Senator Copeland said In an impaS-
stoned speech that he could not un-
| derstand why any group Of people
should want to belong to the United
States. which treated its possessions
so abominably. During the same de-
bate Hawaii was attacked because the
population is largely Oriental. And
| that is one of the Inconsistencies OF
our legislators. They like to make
, speeches about the racial laboratory
experiment, to urge that Hawaii think
of nothing else, but when II comes to
question of legislation this very
thing is a reason for discriminating
against the territory.
Japanese Become Americanized.
In the early days the plantations
depended on Chinese labor. A large
proportion of these Chinese have gone
home. but their places have been filled
by japanese. who do not go home. who
become Americanized. whose children
are American citizens. More recently
it is the Filipinos who make up the
bulk OF plantation labor. But II Is
always the Japanese peril that forms
the basis of indictments against the
islands.
l hope sincerely that the President
may be able during the few days he
has in Hawaii really TO make study
Of this question. Far be II from me
70 make any categorical assertion
that in case of war with Japan all the
American citizens of Japanese origin
would be loyal to America. but / am
certain the vast majority would be.
When / was in Toxic two young
Hawaiian Japanese Americans came
to the embassy TO see me. They we're
pure Japanese in blood: they were
American citizens because they had
been born in Honolulu. They told me
that they felt that they should know
something of the country from which
their parents had emigrated. and that
after graduation from school in Ha-
waii they had come for a year TO
teach English In Japanese schools.
They said that they had spent an ut
terly dreary year, and their one am
bition was to go home and stay there,
/ believe that these two boys are
far more typical than are the few
young Japanese in Hawaii who have
been educated In japanese language
schools, who have clung TO Buddhism
or the Shinto faith, who believe in the
divine origin Of the Japanese imperial
family. There may be enough of this
kind now to make statehood q de-
batable question, to worry the Army
and Navy In case of war-a war which
l am sure never will come-but in
another generation there will be
none.
May Be Turning Point.
This presidential visit may well be
the turning point in Hawaiian his
tory, because 1t will be OF the utmost
Importance to have the truth about
the islands known to the President
himself. AS 1 have said, he viii have
many surprises, because he win have
to discard many preconceived impress
sions in the interest Of truth. But
these surprises ought to be happy, not
unpleasant. Instead of the old-fash-
ioned, almost feudal society about
which articles are written. he will find
society thoroughly modern and
| thoroughly democratic, a hard-Work-
ing and patriotic group Of American
citizens who are not only willing but
eager to do their part and more to
help our common country forward.
This Is what he will find-I am
using the words of a wise man who
has studied the islands for nearly q
half century, although he has never
lived there and has no connections
there-"instead Of exploiting the ma
tives and their lands. there has been
developed under the leadership of
honest, thoughtful men a common
wealth built upon not only a recog-
milton of the duties man owes to
man, but the actual performance OF
those duties, morally educationally,
industrially and politically"
We Hawaiians ask no more than
that the President shall see and rec
| ognize the truth. If he does, as am
sure he will, we shall no longer have
to fear unfair treatment. Above all,
we shall not have to be afraid that
the Government will forget that we
are just as much a part Of the Nation
as is Kansas or New York.