The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-09-05
-Ec PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY,. SEPTEMBER 8
Bonded Laborcrs- The CoolIc
System

taIns an article on = bonded iabOrer5 - so glar-
ingly at variance with facts, that we feel bound
to Notice it. Nothing Is ever gained by misrep-
resentatiOns, from whatever source tLey may
originate. Under the pressure OF u growing pub
lie opinion abroad, the Hawaiian Ministers, who
are responsible for !ate shipments, have become
Somewhat uneIey, and in the above paper have
attempted II defense Of the system. To the care
less reader, or u those who lave implicit faith in
tie gentlemen Minister'S, and vino will accept
their staten snts a. facts. the c~JOlic-CLiucsc or
Japanese-wouId seem % be tie most favored,
and consequently the mos; happy, of mortals.
Tic article in question undertakes to establish
two things-that the condition of the Chiucse
laborer is all that can be desired, and that lie is
Oh u PAR with the native isboTcr. Before accept
ing either Of these as established, let us look into
the facts on the other side, and view the question
- from tine collie standpoint"
The Chincsc vino were selected by the agent of
the Board Of Immigration were upon their arrival
landed and m: rch d to the premises near tho
~Custom-house, and confined within the yard. and
n guard Of soldiers PLACID over them. Parties
DESTROYS Of obtaining coolies were aliOwcl-some
few ~lavOritcs to make their choice, others 10 take
in regular order. This privilege, however, WAS
denied the coolic. To all intents and purposes lac
was regarded rs Il : . chattei.'' Was this in ac-
cordancc with the Constitution Of the Kingdom?
Had a writ of habeus corpus issued in behalf of
these coolies, could MOI every one Of them have
secured personal liberty, or at least enough u
choose his master and the kind of service to en-
gage in?
The Ministers woald have it believed that . 10
complaints of i'll treatment or unnecessary haId-
ship " have been heard. Perhaps the Ministers
are Ignorant OF any cooIies ever having ".N~s''"1
~ ~ SOs.Sf.OsaN = seek s~iIcss nOm their
Master. but most certainly others have heard Of
these things! Tie treatment Of the coolies ON
board the British bark EasLfeId was, to use the
mildcst word, Outrageous. and had justice been
metcd to the parties responsible, our cbainganS
would to-day have seen them in it. Upon arrival
we boarded that vesFel, and Sdir with our own
eyes four OF the coolies chained hand and foot TO
the rail, and heard from tl;c lips of an officer tie
story of the way in which order had been preserved
on board that ship, which would shock . the
nerves Of humanitariarrs and arouse their sensibil-
tiles" And one poor fellow jumped overheard
to emf what Inc official organ ironically terms (. q
voyage Of comfort, HOrsty and pleasureable ex-
element" The scenes enacted at their land
ing, previous to being driven to their quarters Mt
Waikiki, were enough u make ones blood boil;
aud, IL we have been correctly informed. Her Brit
annie Majesty's Consul General, who was 4 wit
ness, did in;erpOsc in behalf Of these injured
Coolies.
The Gazette naiyely remarks that ss u proof
that the coolies have not been mll;rcated, 10 Gaze
has ever been brought before our COurts where
one has sought compensation IN damages. This
may be all very true But bad we Il class of
pettyfogging lawyers III our midst, whose business
il was to seek out cases - bring before the Courts,
the calendar Of each term might record several.
l. il any wonder that Ignorant coolies from a
country where Courts Of Justice are unknown,
and knowing nothing of OuF language and Gus
toms. do not resort to our Counts Tor redress
for wrongs? As a genttul thing, the e1Olic il
unable for years to make himself fully understood.
and learns BY bitter experience To- endure IN silence
any wrongs be may feel himself aggrieycd with
This NAV account fer the Gasene'S statement that
NO small portion Of their thoughts aud Efforts dur
ing their first years = are directed 20 a redress IF
real or CaAasd rroAgs."
We are not alone i'm the belief that had the
complaints Of the eoolie who murdered Mr.. Du-
doit, been examined into aud received the atten-
ton they deserved. two lives would have been
saved. The cOoIie had made bis complaint at the
Stalion-hOuse once or more, and tie wrongs,
= real or faucici,'' still existed when be deter
mined to take the law into his own hands and
avengc himself. TIE killing If the coolie OH one
OF the Maui plantations by On oyersecr was an
outrage against the laws and Lad the case been
reversed, and the Overseer met his death ut the
hands Of the cOolie, does any one doubt that he
would have paid the penalty!
We heard Of a case not long since, where n
coOlie appeared at the Courthouse in this city,
with the nations served 70 him for breakfast in
hi- hand, consisting OF half a papaia and a slice
of taro. What redress did ne obtain? Let tho>e
answer who know.
The official organ says the coolie " Is not sub
ject TO cOrporeaI punishment" Under the law,
ne Is not but it j. well known that many are the
stripes inflicted and borne. because the sufferer is
ignorant OF the law. or if lie knows IL. knows also
that il il next 70 useless to- seek redress.
The organ as-erts that tie Chinese cOolie e . finds
himself INTRODUCED into u labor system in which
he bears no badge Of degradation, no mark Of in
f~eriority, in comparison with his fellow-laborers."
coolie cOdc singles him out for particular
surveillance aud regulation" To rc:ute this,
we have simply to refer to the law enacted by the
late Legislature md Published by Us lat week, in
which the Minister of tile Interior and tie B1ard
Ut immigration are empowered to make surh reg
u~lations to govern coolies and other hbJTers
which the Board may import. a. ihsy may deem
rsDref Slch IrsuLs,ilHs. n..fe,.e., ale - lave
30