The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-07-06
CooIie slavery in Cuba.

\ Havana correspondent saw the Coolie immi-
grafton seems t. have increased of late. The
Coolies are coming in in large numbers ship after
ship. II We look seriously at this traffic in hui
man bcing>-for. in the way il = carried ON. IL
can he called nothing else should say that il
Is high time something was done on behalf of 80
many unfortunate beings. Ii Is all very well Ia
say that Cuba has no other alternative than u
enticc them 10 these shores. since the negro trade
i~defupct, and that. unless the Asiatics are intro
duccd 10 do the field labor the island will he
ruined. But If 80 indispensable. why should il
not lie done in n more humane manner. and why
does Government not give II it, proper attention?
Most people whose opinions are worthy ct credit
consider the traffic worse than the negro trade.
BE this a. it may. W. all know that the so-called
contracts are nothing but a substitute for bills Of
sale. and n 10 the general treatment of the Coo
lies, on the plantations and elsewhere in the
country. il l. no better than the cruelty practicCd
with negro slaves. Ii is n great mistake 10 be-
lieve what I: s;masters and overSecrs say on the
subject these would wish 10 see them of humili-
ating disposition. entirely submissive IL the
caprlces and eXactions of their masters. as the
negro seems 10 be by nature; they will always
forget that Asiatics are not Africans that Coo
lies are ireeborn men. and that therefore they
can never feel like slaves. nor viii they submit Ia
the lash as the poor Africans 10. Many of the
oycrSters and others do not heed these cunSidcrs-
tiOns, and this accounts for the continual di>or-
ders with which the accounts from the country
art Hiitu- anu tlit frequently iclu ~ III
and even assassination. The other day the entire
gang of a plantation, which is we'll known. aban-
doned it rather than take {. retributive Justice
into their own hand. But who is 10 wildcats
the rights of the coolies when their taskmaSters
are in the wrong? Who can explain their COM
plants in the absence of proper regulations. and
what is TO restrict the tyranny of ignorant and
barbarous ovcrseers? ASranish S~yndico's duty
it is, by ancient law, To defend them, as in the
case with the African slave, but Chinese is worse
than Greek u him. Besides, that tunctionary
resides in the capital, and the Chinaman is far
beyond communication with him. The coolic
has therefore no alternative but 10 run away. If
he does 50 he is either hunted up by bloodhounds,
put in the stocks and placed on short allowance.
or else gets floggcd. If he effects his escape he
becomes a criminal, is caught sooner or later,
and finally doomed to hard labor for an indefinite
period on the public works of the Government.
Is this the aim of immigration and colonizing of
coolies? All this is of common occurrence here,
without any sort of inquiry or investigation
being made as to the complaints or conduct of
the coolie or his master. 1t is thus that the
labor contract is carried out in the Island of
Cuba. The man never sees his country again.
and the only consolation he has is that which his
peculiar creed affords him in death.