The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-09-12
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY,. SEPTEMBER IL.
Governments and the CooiIe
Trade

The Official organ returns 20 the subject Of Coo
lies, and undertakes in this weeks Issue, To break
the force Of our structures by statements which,
being unsupported by factz, require reiutation.
We are glad Of the opportunity Of again discuss
ing the coOlie system, because we believe that the
more it is agiiated, the more hope there is that
whatever evils may attend tie system win be cor
rected, the position Of the Government as a prin-
cipal in it rightly estimated, and some less objec-
tionable method Of recuIerating the wasting ener-
gies Of the Hawaiian people lie adopted. 1t Is n
question that should be calmly discussed and
wherever errors are found they should be ac-
knOwledged and abandoned without hesitancy,
as the effects Of whatever e~migrant system Is Pur-
sued must have a perpetual influence for good or
for evil on the future condition Of these islands.
The article in the last Advertiser was written
by its editor, and the positions taken coincide
with the views repeatedly expressed in this paper
during the past four years, OF since the Govern
ment undertook to be the principal in the coolie
emigration scheme. IL was written and was in
type before the notice of the American Minister
was received, and lad no reference to it. If the
arguments Possessed additional weight from being
reiterated at this time, il is the change Of circum-
stances and Of public opinion that has caused it.
Knowing the Importance of the Reciprocity
Treaty to the agricultural and planting interests
Of the Kingdom, the Gazette dishonorably en-
deayOrs to arraign us Jas opposed to it.. Now we
distinctly assert that not one word has ever ap-
peared in this journal against it, and the asser-
ton of the ministerial organ that it is our : : pur-
pose to give a damaging blow to the Reciprocity
Treaty." we pronounce to be n malicious and
base fabrication. The treaty has had no warmer
advocates, from the day it was drawn up, than the
editor of this paper and the corps of writer's who
occasionally contribute to it. Whatever opposi-
ton the treaty has met here and the distractions
placed in its way have been from the Government
organ and the Kings Ministers. In its very first
notice of the treaty, the official organ threw
cold water on it, and the article was copied
abroad as expressive of the views Of this Govern
ment. Subsequently it changed its tone, and
supported the treaty as best it knew how.
The Government organ has now the impudence
to deny that "~cOOlies are brought here" That
there may be no misunderstanding. we quote as
follows:
We deny, an toto, that coolies are brought here. LsIorers
under Contracts d seryies have BEEN Introduced, bat under no
disabilities as regards their psrsonal Liberties and immunidss.
made 10 III up the popailtiOn Of a country.
Ii IL difficult to imagine the motives that can
induce a writer to falsify facts in this manner,
and to endeavOr to mislead the public. A.sCoo-
lie" according to Webster, is ga laborer trans
ported from India, China, &c, for service in some
other country" We assert that coolies hare hem
imported here at various periods from 1853 to
1867, and extracts from the official Gazette will
be our proof. In December, 1865, we find the
following official notice, under the head of q. BY
Authority in that paper:
An persons de,irOHs Of ordering coolies or other Aborsrs,
are hereby requested % apply either In person or BY letter to
the rFea'den, g see,staEy % The Bard 4 ImmisraisIsn,
IL A. W fDENASS, Chief Clerk Home Office"
Again in 1866, when noticing the arrival Of
tho first cargo Of rooIios ordo,od by tho Govern
ment, the same paper has the following:
The arrival here on Saturday last q the Chilean ship A.
ssstS, with two hundred ad any coolies from China, sr plan
first practical result Of the -ystemtie STEPS taken by th- Gov
eminent 10 supply the demand fr the Labor"
Again, the Government Commissioner, writing
from HOnkkong, under date Of July 10, 1865,
Thursday next, July %. before Hishrfan. te first vessel, the
leave this port with from 80 to 80 Chiu.sr eo-lb.. fr 20
lulu A second vessel, The British ship Roscoe. ~n follow in
about a fortnight after with from 10 O. go more
These extracts are sufficient to establish the
fact that Chinese "CooLIEs'' were advertised for,
were sent for, were announced in the Govern
ment ofgan as having arrived, and that the
@F@1N' AANN bAAeE Nt9AN@3 AAN0 ANOk vi .
brought to this country is a falsehoOd.
We might Introduce more testimony on this
point, but it is unnecessary now.
The Gazette next undertakes to create the i'm
preston that coolies have been introduced into
California for the Pacific Railroad. Nothing is
farther from the truth. No Chinese coolie has
ever been imported to California to labor on that
When that great national work was
commenced, the company procured whatever Ia
borers were obtainablc, Irish, Europeans and
Chinese. When il was found that the Irish
would not work well with the Chinese and that the
answered all purposes, they We're employed
almost exclusively, till ut one time they numbered
Of the entire Chinese population Of Cal
But they were gathered mostly from
the mines-nOt one was ever imported for
or by the Company. They are paid one dol
lar a day, and are ut liberty To stop when they
choose. To show the freedom they have, we will
add that quite recently they have struck for
higher wages, alleging that the expenses ON the
plains are largely increased. This shows how they
are engaged, and that there is no similarity be-
tween the laborers ON the Pacific Railroad and
the COOLIES in this kingdom.
The 4srerfissr rrpabHshes a law passed By the last A.
.embIy, pronaunetng it A. ? e'uGr code and thusts upon the
5risiaat~ with the G5s-raHr-ns. vas nSG supported by thera.
but .tranee 70 say, Pa.s~i against their votes. By the PeaVic.
Party 80 called b the dtrsrfssrJ aud By them was placed
the statute Box Ifby any inference the i~ can b
.SaHlry. iss Gsrsrfssr. fs-as. are rrspaasss. Ss e. Bat
Whenever uuicr it provisions any odipus class rsEa1tilu-
been promulgated, q Eil b. time enough sc that yrtu1us
guardian of the oppressed % seire upon the Eet-
Here agaIn - one OF the misstatcments Of the
Ga-ene, which needs refutatiOn. Referring tn
.s own official report IT the Legislative proceed
ings, we End the following, and reiteate that the
aw did originate with the Government:
Sgg I'M Bishop gave notice % a - BH O. extend tie
powsrs ofthe Board q immiEration-~
MAY 2S-Mr. B-hop iutf1ducxd n Bi % extend the
lowers fthe Boart q Iuni<ratnu-~
This Is the title Of the law which We Published
md commented on last week and how in con-
the official organ can assert that Mr..