The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1869-11-03
The Labor Law.

has been written, and much has been said in
the streets and at public meetings on the
subject of labor for plantations on these isl
ands, and have noticed that very many of
the takers forget, or have never learned,
that the interests of the Planter and Mechanic
are identical. Let the Mechanics lend their
aid at the polls to destroy The planting inter-
est, and when they have effected that object,
they will find that they have effected their
own ruin at one and the same time Almost
all the Mechanics of Honolulu are supported
directly or indirectly by the Planters whom
! they are asked to ruin. And why ruin them:
To better themselves No SIR. but 10 Uriuz;
about utter ruin upon all-Planters, Mer-
chants, Mechanics, and the Government; and
for what reason, it may be asked, do these
men desire TO work such great mischief?
answer: in the hope Of bringing about an
nexation to the United States, 80 that they
receive their reward FOR selling their adopted
country.
To make up political Issue, they raise
the cry of the unconstitutionality of the
contract system as practieed here; not that
/ they care a straw, who is locked up, so long
as they are at liberty, or who browns, so
long as they swim. Such would-be reform
ers have existed from tue first, up to the pres
ent time. l am unable to see any more hard
ship in the Courts compelling one man to
! perform his contract than another \ sea-
man must perform his contract or be i'm
prisoned until he will 10 so. Hawaiians are
engaged here TO proceed TO the Gaano IS
lands Of the United States, and under United
States laws, and if they refuse to work, they
are compelled TO do so. | heard q speaker
at one of the late meetings assert that the
laborcrs. say they are exactly alike. The
maritime law is made to suit the emergency
of the case, and so is the law Of master and
servant If ship does not proceed 10 sea,
the interest OF many suffers, and so does
the interest of many suffer if a plantation
stops. Ii maritime Law is constitutional, so
is the master and servants law. If both are
unconstitutional, why, then repeal the law
first that has been the longest shining against
freedom. That is only fair. If you would
release one lot of men from their contracts,
then release all, aad we shall very soon be
back TO first principles. | see no more in
justice in compelling man who makes
contract TO use his muscle for 4 given time,
other contract. In his case the muscle is all
he can furnish, and consequently it is all the
contract he can make. Would it be con-
stitutional to wholly debar him from making
contracts to work: If am not misinformed
the Chairman Of several of the late meetings,
who has been crying Constitution Justify
from the.house tops, has not hestated to lend
his aid TO imprison Il poor man, simply be-
cause he was too poor to pay $3.50, yet he
talks constitution very complacently He
will say probably that his man was imprison-
ed for refusing to obey the mandate of the
Court; all very true, and SO is the servant
who deserts from service. He is brought
before the Magistrate, and ii he is convicted
of having broken his contract, he is told by
the Magistrate TO return TO his employers
service. If he does 20, there is nothing
more about it, but if he does not, he is im
prisoned until he obeys the order Of the
Court. If he deserts again, the law says
''the Justice may impose 4 penalty OF three
months hard labor" To state the case cor
rectly, not SO much for the mere act Of de-
sertion, but because he has disobeyed til
mandate of the Court. Then again l hay
heard nothing from these friends of reform,
to lead me to suppose they viii ask the Leg
islature to repeal law on the statute book
which imposes penalty of six months hard
labor upon native who shall break lis con
tract, as q sailor. \ contract in every way
as open to criticism as the labor contract. l
mean that where a native ships in a ship,
deserts, and is arrested and not returned to
his ship. Another popularity | noticed at
the meetings, those who spoke most forcibly
against the present system of labor, are men
who have no interest in plantations or any
thing else that l ever heard of except
their own immediate selves. Not one of
them but could pack up and be ready to
leave the country in forty-eight hours, with.
out any loss to themselves, or the country
either for that matter.
hope my brother mechanics will not be
SO easily led to their own hurt, If not mine,
as some of these agitators suppose.
MECHANIC.