The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-10-23

aged TO come here free and make contracts after heif aii'''
j. Barhett-Men with families is what we want.
If we bring none but single men here as laborers'
there is a social danger in prospect The history OF
every country shows the necessity of as far as posi-
BILE euualizing the sexes. When the times of the
coolies on the plantations expire, they congregate in nests of
vice here in Honolulu Looking at the past, let us consider 10
coolies are turned loose upon the country. Referred to the
United States where the people are becoming justly arm
European, The Chinaman never sinks his nationality in that Of
nifty compared with the thirty millions Of America to look on
unconcerned, while this wave of barbarism sweeps over us :
is our backbone. But labor must be had. Native labor can
not be depended on. and where shall we GO for the iabore,s;
guarantee of a contract. There were certainly some embar-
all be be remedied. He concluded by saying he was glad to
see government officials present here-it showed that they
were not insensible 10 the value OF public opinion.
S. B. Dole spoke of an idea expressed in an article
european Immigration) in the last Ga=ette-i. e.,
the necessity of augmenting our permanent popu-
lation is as vital, and even more So, than that the
actual present demand for labor shall be supplied
He agreed perfectly with this, and said that for this
very reason be objected strongly to the present system
of labor importation. lie said that its practical
results were to introduce large numbers of men INTO
the country and no women that no planter wanted
women under contract, nor could afford to take them
thus. He asked if such results 0Ored the growth
and formation of a desirable and permanent popu-
lation,' especially considering the character of the
laborers introduced? Spoke of the illegality and
unconstitutionality of the present system, and read n
part of a Judgment by Judge Thomas of Mass. in
the case of Parson Us. Trask, ON a contract case
similar to ours, which strongly condemned the prin-
ciple, as wholly inconsistent with the Constitution of
Massachusetts,. Then reading the 11th section of
the Hawaiian Constitution, he showed that our
system was even more inconsistent with our own
Bill of Rights. than the quoted case was with that of
Massachusetts,.
Minister Of the Interior-There is no such thing
as involuntary servitude here. The Chinese volunta-
rly enter into the contracts in China, after they have
been thoroughly explained to them.
r. II. Stanley-Wss it explained to them in
China that they would be subject by our laws to
penal servitude if they did not perform their con-
tracts,
Minister of Fin0nce-Yes.
Minister of the Lnferior-Yes. No complaints
have ever been heard from them to the contrary.
Minister of Ffnance-There is no planter but
would be willing to take the Manahikis, but they
won't GO off this island and be separated from the
rest of their countrymen. And they can't be COM
PEELED to do otherwise, by their contracts, which
contracts were obliged to be made 50, on account of
the obstacles thrown in the way of the enterprise at
the time it was first originated. The Chinese can all
read their contracts, and have copies of them. Re-
peatedly challenged any man to show, or to stand
up and say that he could produce a cOOlie who
did not understand his contract. He had yet
to see the FIRST one who could not read it.
and who would say he had not signed it. They
have never said they did not understand their con-
tracts. and it was SO with the Japanese and the
Manahikis. You can't bring one of them who will say to the
numbers. we had all rather have them. But we are looking
f f.. the : F 6gs" s sna t1s Sss! %a sh to s supPly ' asd ds asss9 n s5 aas0 Of
Northern Europe for their industrious and virtuous habits, in
Mr.. Dole, and paid irsnical compliment to Massachusetts.
The sense Of the people, as expressed here and at the polls,
human beings, and the earth is their heritage as well as that
men. somSJof them, formerly bound servants, are to-day
better fathers Of families, better merchants, better men, than
stacies thrown in the way of the Manahiki contracts.
c.. j. ~Lyons-Thanked God that obstacles had
been thrown in the way of those contracts. Spoke
of the coolie system, as being but a species of slavery.
j. o. Carter addressed the meeting in an eloquent
speech, in which he reviewed the I'm brought
forward by the advocates of the coolie contract sys-
TEN. His remarks were listened to with attention
and frequently interrupted with applause.
The question being put on the passage of the sec
ond resolution, it was carried, when the third resolu-
was read.
Minister of Finance-How are you going to get
European immigrants to come heref What induce
ments will you offer?
Il. +. Judd-The main objection is the nature of
the contracts under the penal statute. A laborer
who has broken his contract, can, under the present
law, be g put on the reef at hard labor, digging
salt-Oaughter) he having committed no crime,-
for breaking a contract is not a crime. How would
it work for a merchant, whose bOOk-keeper, serving
under a contract for a stipulated period should alb
sent himself for a few days without leave, to put him
in prison and to hard labor? But it is only tried on
Chinese. 1t is involuntary servitude, and contrary
to the constitution. He wished heartily the success
of the planters, but don't ask us to favor this system.
Let us have free Immigrants 1t may be costly, but
they will be the best, and it don't matter if the
money paid for bringing them here is not at once re-
turned into the treasury.
Minister of FYnance-It was absurd to propose
that we should be expected to pay for the bringing
here of free immigrants out of the revenue raised by
taxation. Who will pay the money? Not surely the
10000 Hawaiians of our population. But how about
the Norwegians?
them here, I suppose, and feed them on salmon at
50 so a barrel. Great ~laughter.) You get China
men to set up your sugar barrels, and We coopers
have to lie idle Increased merriment and loud ap-
plause.)
.MinisterI think 1 know that gentleman.
Capian-Gf course you know me. Take a good
look at me. You once took q lawsuit for me. cloud !
+!
Minister, continuing-A Norwegian might if he !
chose, assassinate his employer just as well as a Chi !
/.
j. o. Carter-It was not a parallel case to COM J
pare a Christian Norwegian to a pagan Chinaman. {
Spoke of n plan to bring free labOrers here, which :
had been proposed before. One thousand men with ,
could be brought at q cost of $5O,OOO, which :
amount would be all paid to the treasury in six years,
by the plan proposed. If proved to be feasible, would b
be prepared to take up with the plan =? \
(Yes, from the Minister'S o
s. G. Uiider reiterated much of what he had
at previous meetings on the questions at issue. t
}. O. Carter produced certain figures of the cost .
Of slave labor on a plantation in Louisiana, with the
price realized from sugar, and compared it with the :,
same business here, making a better showing for o
Hawaiian planters. !!
l. Bartlett inquired what had become of the report Il
If the majority of the committee. (No one could tell, =
apparently.) !
C. r. Bishop-If the planters fail, what becomes y
the business of the country Who is going to loan, u
md who can borrow, on any interest, under such =
ircumstances2 Favored the importation of Chinese a
% carry on the business of the country. Europeans e
f introduced, will not stay here, but will be off to g
Deprecated the attempt to array mechan- Il
cs against the Chinese, by fatteriDg the former. -.
A desultory discussion ensued between q number y
# speakers, in which many matters were touched r
lpon foreign to the subject of the third resolution, =
which was the one in order /; when, at half-past ten =;
'clock, the meeting adjourned without coming to q -