The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-06-11
SPEECH
or the Hon. Henry Thompson, In the Assembly,
Inne g. on the Master and Servant Law.


or the Hon. Henry Thompson, in the Assembly,
June @, on the Master and Servant Law.
Mr.. Thompson said deem it my duty to rise
and address this body in a manner very different
from that with which | treated the subject under
discussion in n former debate. l for my part
avoided as much as possible any allusion or refer
ence to individuals, and confined myself to argu-
ments on the constitutionality and policy OF the
Masters and Servants law. L regret that gentle
men opposed to us have chosen to disregard the
merits or dement's Of the proposed change, and
have addressed themselves chiefly to personal
attacks upon individuals, and to the imputation of
sinister and interested motives in us who are for
the present bill. But although L regret the pass
at which things have arrived, since those opposed
TO us have deliberately elected that course, | shall
not shrink from meeting them on their own ground,
and enter into an examination OF their motives,
as they have not scruplcd to do with regard 20 US.
The member from Hilo, in the course of q
speech full Of abuse anu personalities, departed
altogether from the subject, although he COM
menced his speech with a profession that he In
tended to confine himself to the bill, and took the
member from Honolulu and his motives as the
burden of his song.
The member declares the honorable mover of
this bill and myself to be persons totally incxpe-
rienced in respect to the working OF the present
law and the nature of the relations between mas
ter and servant, and therefore unauthorized TO
speak and incompetent to be heard upon the sub
1ecG Oh Jnlb ueDdIc. "A IcW uayb buDscqucnb 10
this statement of the member, the gentleman pre-
scented as a chairman and member Of n committee
a report, embodying, it is to be presumed, Lis
own ideas, as well az those of his associates in
the committee. That report in strong terms, at
great length, and giving a variety of reasons, con-
demned the law to mitigate the evils of ~prostitu-
ton which had been in existence about ten years.
The member does not belong to the proper sex to
belong to the class of persons who are the subjects
of this law to mitigate. Then the conclusion is
inevitable that he must be ofthat class of persons
whose experience of the evils of the law TO miti-
gate must have been derived from patronizing tho
unfortunate class who are the subjects Of 1t. But
L will not hold the member to the legitimate con-
of his OWL reasoning, as l presume he
would be rather unwilling to be placed in that
not very charitable position. This however shows
the inconsistency and worthlessness of his own
reasoning. The member spoke OF the mode in
justice was administered between master
and servant in that Paradise on earth, the district
of Hilo, where a gentleman who has the honor of
being allied by consanguiDity to the member, is
magistrate, as a model of fairness, detailing cases
masters were mulcted in heavy sums for
oppression and il-usage Of servants, and expresses
the utmost Indignation at my judgment upon the
magistrates of this Kingdom as persons Ignorant
Of the law, and under the control of plantations
in their neighborhood. He declares confidently
that he docs not consider it necessary that q per-
son should have had a legal education in order to
be qualified to administer justice, common sense
being all that was necessary, and expresses aston
and disgust at the pride and consequence
If those whom he calls lawyers educated in schools.
have not had the fortune, good or bad, to be
to the law in q law school. But i can
ay of myself that ! have served an apprentice
hip. And / do not know that the law is such a
as can be learned i'm less time than il
axes, in the estimation of the older countries Of
europe, to make a man qualified to be trusted by
he community to make a boot or a coat. / do
lot know that a person can become n lawyer, and
Competent to judge legal questions, whenever the
vhim or caprice may take him to become q lawyer,
Without any previous training or education.
l am exceedingly sorry that the member from
lilo is grieved that | do not award to his brother
he same eminence as n lawyer and jurist as is
ue to Judge Story or Lord Eden. Touching the
of magistrates primarily charged with the
administration Of the Masters and Servants law,
made the general statement that none Of them
regularly bred lawyers, with but one excep-
which, containing as it did an indirect refer
nee to his brother, seems to have excited his
ancor. The law has no monopoly Of honest or
BILE men. A man may attain to the highest re-
or eminence and not be a lawyer, but
here is no royal road to the requirement of legal
nowledge. The member also says that the re-
cal of the law is by no means popular that the
epeal was only sounded by us as an election cry
float us into our seats, and that w should mis-
rably fail. The surest test of its popularity is
&c very fact of it's having foated US into our
NND1 "hhSi 10 hJbhibH Oob a hibChdDNC AdiluEcs
With these few observations, L pass by the mem
er from Hilo for the present.
The Minister of Foreign Relations, in a speech
of abuse and imputations of sinister motives,
Iually avoided the main question. / do not
ither from the whole of his speech that be has
committed himself to the positive asser-
on that the present law is constitutional,
though there is no end Of railing and abuse of
Ie arguments of those who maintained its uncDn-
nationality. Notwithstanding bis oath of of
hn Dnl on N -
ease and protect what he is pleased to call his
terests IN the country. He declared us to be
to pronounce any Judgment upon the
erits or dement's of this law, because we had
1t the so-called interest in the country. / do
It know that a person can have an interest in
is country such as gives him the right to tho
rvices and liberty Of a man in the teeth Of the
ganic law, and against that policy which ia for
greatest good of the country at large. atf
When first addressed you upon the bill, rs an
OF the gross abuses TO which this law was
beet, L produced and read a contract of service
two months, where a person who had bound
Inselt In October, 1867, was still held under IL
few days ago. A short time before | read IL be-
this Assembly,, had shown il to the Minister
Foreign Affairs, who read as much az he de-
OF IL, ana handed it back 10 me with d ges-
re signifying emo Ugh" That was the onIv
ne ne ever saw the contract. And vet in his
eech he says thaG | had declared to the Assem-
7 that the servant under that contract was i'm
lsonea Ior three years or more. Upon this point
10 whst L said L am willing to be hound by tho
por1 Oh the Government Gazette. There no such
lguage occurs, and for these words falsely i'm
ted to me l am charged with a deliberate false
ga such a statement under such circum-
inces, and with such means of knowledge, shows
en- an utter rec|lessness as TO facts as couvicts
OF uttering a deliberate falsehood.
LONDON, May 16-Tbe naturalization treaty was
med TODAY bV Earl Clarendon and tho unrfoan