The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-07-09

"Never have 1 employed a coolie in my iamiiy, though E
' tina. Il, ! am I., sspSrted T : a @s0 M5o Ih tns reported @e must, at the
time, have had cooiie on the brain, for the extract reau loln
a communication of mine, and printed in your paper, has not
the slightest aIlusion TO the cooie question, as all who heard it
read can testify. desire to correct the report c,,on on T Z m Ere free
TO say, that I see no feature of Hebrew or Amerlcan slavery IN
his Connection j.. that there was no foundation in the report OF
your contemporary, that in the extract from my letter a,a to t ne
the introduction of the coolies, for l did no such thing"
The above is taken from a letter written to the
Gazette by Rev. Jonathan s. Green OF Makawao.
1t will be remembered that Mr.. Harris, IN ms
speech before the Assembly on the bill to repeal
the Master and Servant Law, read an extract from
a letter of Mr.. Green, in support OF MS argu-
ments in favor of the present labor ana penal
contract system, the debate also including the
coolie traffic. Mr.. Harris understood from the
letter that Mr.. Green endorsed him and his argu-
ments, and SO does every one who has read his
letters. If such was not his meaning, would 1t
not be well for him to write another letter and
explain what he did mean? He is understood to
be a champion of the labor system as established
by law in this kingdom, and that system coun-
tenances the traffic in coolies, which he is " free
to saw" bears no resemblance to Hebrew or
American slavery, which he once profesSed to
abominate SO heartily. He may not be able to
see - any features alike in the two systems, but
that is not because there is no resemblance In
them. A law that permits the sale of coolie
contracts at public auction, as has been done
here, may receive the endorsement of even a vet
eran missionary, but if go, his vision is most
sadly distorted.
Not long since we published an anecdote which
may afford n clue to the causes that distort our
friends vision "Two worthy deacons, whom
we will call A. and G. both we'll esteemed In the
community in which they resided, differed, very
materially, on a question of public interest. AT
last, after a warm discussion, A. said, there is
but little use for us to talk about this matter, for
I have detected the cause of your inability to see
this question as 1 see it. Of course G.. was Curl
GUS to know what it was. A. quietly took a
pencil from his pocket, and, making a mark in
the palm of his hand, asked g.. if he could see it.
Of course 1 can, was the reply. A. then took n
coin from his pocket, and placing it over the
mark, again asked G.. if he could see it. No, L
cannot. Well, the cause of our difference of
opinion and your inability to see the mark are
one and the same"
Mr.. Green takes occasion to publicly reprehend
the representative from Makawao, Mr.. Kapihe,
for not voting on the bill to repeal the penal
contract law. Mr.. Kapihe is understood to have
been elected under a pledge to Mr.. Green and
others to defend the present labor system. Living
in Makawao where public opinion is not allowed
to have free scope, the honorable representative
probably did give a pledge. But when he came
Down here, heard both sides of the question, and
found that public opinion here outside of the
government purlieus was unanimous in favor of a
change, he, as an honest conscientious man,
would not vote against his conviction of duty, and
did what every Christian should do in like cir
cumstanees, declined to stultify himself, and
declined to vote. To see q missionary
holding this patriotic and noble Hawaiian up to
scorn for acting the part of a conscientious
should bring a blush to the cheek o.
every American. To what depths will poor hui
mainly stoop for filthy lucre!