The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-04-24
Mr.. Castle aud r,c Labor System.

\ and thc editorial, Z presume. are identical. anil /
NWoUll inquire how "a, knew just the time when l
became a member Of the Privy Council. as 1t was
Before h. left the United States II was before the
present Ministry Wa, formed. and believe with one
exception before ;bcy were members Of the Council.
He sees dt To abuse and insult me 10y the iu>iuuatjou
that ] have been bought that my consciousness Of
right has been destroyed by being made a Privy
Counselor. Also "a writer signing himself Sc Justice"
but whose style ! recognize. makes the same in-iuu-
alton. To those acquainted with me it is unnecessary
t. reply 20 this hlsc insult ! have lived ia this
place ~tirty-two years, and my life has made its own
record and however l may have erred at any time,
my course, both public and private, has been based
upon my convictions Of right and no one in the
government or out has ever attempted 10 approach me
with any improper influence. | have always sus-
tanned what I deemed to be right, and opposed what
l thought to be wrong, in places where / have been
called TO act, entirely irrespective Of party. I had
not the honor to propose any one Of the individuals
mentioned in my letter, to the Board of Immigration,
or TO know Of their services being sought for the
purpose mentioned, till after the event was passed
and 1 do not think that Justice - compliments
them, very highly, IN his remarks, even had been
previously bought, AMI proved a villain or "a fool.
The advice Of the editorial writer is very well. If
Dc had P~-dcticei upon it, | should have had no occa-
shn 10 write and subject myself to his remarks but
after all, 1t Is q common error 10 speak Of an enter
prise before It's - finale f" Is known, under the mis-
taken idea that its character Is MT determined by
its success or failure: rs most people are quite
aware that the most luuiublc enterprises, undertaken
from the purest motives, sometimes result in failure
and disaster, whilst others, prompted by motives the
most selfish and mpriEcIplci, are often crowned
with apparent success. Ia Wow OF these well known
facts, has practice Is quite as correct as his prcccpt,
undoubtedly that Il, MS practice Is 70 speak against
tine expedition and 10 make 1t oiiOus II possible, but
ms prcccpt 10 me Is 10 say nothing, until | know how
1t turns out. As lac tries to make the enterprise
ulious, lac certainly viii excuse me for following his
practice instead OF his precept. and trying 10 present
my own views Of its more favorable aspects. In
short, his remarks about this enterprise are aIaptei.
and no doubt designed, To throw olium upon it, and
the agencies carrying 1t cut, just as Mr.. J. G. Kings
remark (s reported in the papers) made in the
Chamber OF Commerce Of san Francisco, that every
plantation had its whipping post, was designed to
injurc the Reciprocity Treaty. This expedition,
whether wisely or uuwisely conceived, and whether
successful or unsuccessful, was organized from the
best Of motives and with no purpose to invade the
rights of any human being, and II our letter-writer
had - kept his own counsel - till the q" finale - was
known, l doubtless should have followed his good
example, but without any idea that its morale de
pended ON its issue.
IN regard to the 81 forced cooEe servitude.' - | re-
peat that neither the law or custom Of this land rec
Ognizes any such system, as the above language con-
Neys the idea of, to the American mind, for which,
hs letter was written. When parties enter volunta-
rly INTO contracts for their own interest. and are
disposed dishonesty To eyade them, the law does re-
quire their fulhliment. The honest, fulfill OF their
own choice. There Is no law for them, or for the
sick or unfortunate. For the dishonest and the
fraudulent the law is made, and to them it seems a
hardship TO be made 10 do right, and so it seems to
the thief, the burglar and the swindlcr; but justice
and human safety require II, and all honest men
yield To it for the good Of society. American whalers
sometimes lose their men here, and when they cannot
show good reason for nUn-fulillment, the United
States laws compel them to fulfill their contracts.
Why should they not: They resort here too
for seamen, and have introduced the practice Of pay
ing large advances. This has compelled planters to
do the same, and our laws require the honest fulfill
ment of any contract, not contrary TO the law of the
land or TO public morals. This appears to me Just
and right. The employee has the full protection Of
the law. Abuses there doubtless are, but where 10
they not exist, in spite Of the law. | know Of none
here to lie compared with those reported by the
periodicals of other countries. The very latest pa
pers from New York tell Us Of the complaint against
the Governor of Arkansas for calling out the
militia to repress violence and crime. The Secretary
Of the Governor says in justification, that within the
three months previous TO calling out the militia
there were two hundred murders and many outraces
committed in the State with impunity; whilst in the
succeeding forty days Of martial law there was but
one murder and no outrage reported. Whoever
reads the san Francisco and New York papers and
the English journals finds the record OF cruelty and
crime spread over their pages. These are not ac-
cOrding 10 law, but IN spite Of it. The rights Of
every man under the law, here, are equal, employer
and employed, and the fulfllment Of all contracts,
voluntarily assumed, Is made equally obligatory on
all parties. Laborers contracted with in foreign
countries may sometimes be deceived, but every pre-
caution Is taken, by the government, 10 prevent it.
Those who We're obtained by Dr.. Hillebrand were
selected by a German Missionary recommended to
the Doctor by the English Government Emigration
Agent, by the Governor of HOngkong and the house
OF J~ardine, Matheson * Co. When they were selected
they were quartered in a large and commolious
building prepared for %emigrants by the British Gov
ernment, with perfect liberty TO 20 where they
pleased under the superintendence Of the missionary
who had engaged them. During the days and weeks
OF their detention, he conyersel with, and freely ex-
planned TO them the nature and obligations Of their
Before em5arkauUn they were called to-
gether in the presence of the gentleman above nam
Ell and DIR. liillebrand, and the contracts were read,
paragraph, by paragraph by the government inter-
prefer, aut fully explained, each paragraph by itself;
the country TO which they were invited to 60, and
the work 10 be done, were fully and particularly de-
scrIbel. and they were requested 10 ask FOR any ex-
plantations they wished, and TO elect to 90 or stay as
they chose. They made many inquiries and appeared
70 he perfectly satisfied, and | have hearl no COM
from MsHi Of their having been deceived.
Of those on the HaikU Plantation had lived
nine years IN Cuba, and ! a very good man. The
surprise expressed by them, being that they
were - well treated; and the only tendency 10 com
plant being by contrast with the first entrants.
whose contract time had expired, and who were
amongst and about them, "a pe3dlers, merchants,
ipb6crs, day-labcreys, sc. Haiku however had its
full share Of bad men, not because Of oppression,
but because they happened 10 be bad men.
The rulers of the I~IongkOng Government are very
stringent in the punishment Of oppression or abuse
Of the labcrer, and recently "a house was heavily
lel lltE4AS restraining the llDertN OF some
quarterei in the building above named.
Al who came here dill 50 Of their own voluntary choice,
with rs full an understanding Of their contract
obligations, rs It was possible 70 communicate TO
them.
1 have talked with 4 respectable man, Of those who
came into the country with Mr.. Graves. who saws he d
was deceived that II was represented To him, that the
month here had but twenty days. and the year con-
sisted Of eight months. lie says he does not think
Mr.. Graves was privy To it, but il was the work
Of the agent who engaged the services Of those whom
Mr.. Graves brought 10 the islands. The government.
ts viii be seen, has taken every preclUuon 70 guard ,
lGlint such abuses. North China has the reputa-
Of furnishing better lIborers than the province
III Canton from whence the las; emiSrduts came. but
do not know that they were wurse or letter tlan Z