The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-01
SANDWICH ISLANDS.
Legislative Proceedings-The Labor Question
The Contract System Denounced as Worse
Than Slavery-The Planters Ex-
cited-Trouble Ahead.

The departure OF q sailing packet to-day oners an
opportunity Tor the despatch Of letter, OF which
propose to avail myself Since my last, per steamer
the principal topic Of remark has been the Legisla-
tive Assembly.
SO far the only bills calling forth protraced de-
bate have been the Divorce bin and the bill TO rep a
the Master aud servant law.
The law OF divorce has OF late years permitted
divorced persons to marry again Immediately II
they were so disposed, and the working OF the law
has certainly been demoralizng. The bill proposed
to amend by compelling the guilty party TO remain
unmarried term of years. and passed finally by
liking the term OF one year. The debate on this bill
was OF more than special Interest, as 1t developed
the fact thar there was split in his Majesty Cab
net. his EXcellency stephen II. Phillips, Attorney
General favoring the proposed change in
opposition TO the rest or the Cabinet. Dur
ing the debate the Attorney General and
his Exceency q. G. Harris, Minister of
Foreign Relations had quite little war Of Words
Harris induiglng In personalities. The bill repeal
the master and Servanp law has occupied the most
OF the time OF the Assembly, and the debate has de-
veioped condition OF affairs quite startling TO those
who have not Investigated The results OF our labor
system. The instances OF inhumanty, OF positive
brutality, developed were only equaed, seldom ex-
ceeded, under the Old slave syste Of your southern
states. One instance to be cited Is OF native wac
had been contracted Win 10 labor for year Dur
VINO had been held for four years. At tue END 0 ms
term Of service he ran away and succeeded IN reach
lug another district only 10 be Iol1wcd by two con-
stables aud arrested at the instance OF his master.
When arrested he declared that he would neyc
work again for the man wno, by fraud, had held MIN
SO long. The consaDles and their prisoner started
on their return ana had reached part OF the road
winch sklrted a precplce when the prisoner Dloke
away ana dashed over the brink ana thus ended
lie that was burden. t
On one plantation the natives have been so tyran-
lied over that they have made four attempts TO take
the NE u the proprietor One ''Inaster,'' owning an
estab lshnent somewhat soated II Is said, makes
practice OF locking up servants whose term Of
service has nearly expired and VINO 20 not SHOW u
desire TO re-ensagc untn they become more tracta-
1,e' were Y not Mat II might be tlresome
10 your readers instances mght be multi
pied going to show that our system has
ali the worst features OF slavery, without one
redeemlng trait, the naser not even having
interest enough In the slave 10 care to preserve his
he, knowing that fresh supply Is TO be had among
the many Islands Of tins ocean or from China. The
last lot OF Islanders, brought rom BukaOuka have
met sad aie. Ont or thirty nine which land Il mere
In November last but nineteen awe to-day--a
death rate OF hity per cent III six snort months. /
met lew days since party OF seven OF these poor
creatures, males and ienales who had run away
IRON the Kaneohe plantation, owned By q. o. Harris,
VINO told tale calculated To enlist the sympathies
| or the most stold or indinerent Of men. Five OF
these bonded aborers' We're un Ter iiIteen wears OF
age, and were he'd under contracts which they could
not read, and which they nad never signed, aud had
only consented 70 nave signed Tor tneIl under The
most speciOus promises u plenty TO and TO wear
ana light labor. These poor creatures were emaca.
led ana covered WIN tie icn, one ol them evidently
having but snort lease OF life. They sta ed that
they nad been repeatedly struck on the face and
the back, ana that he.r ears had been cruelty pulled
BY the 0verseer. They were taken % the Govern
inent House to make their Complaint " tue President
OF The Board OF Immigration and while awaiting his
arrival Mr. Harris catered, and, observing the group,
slooped to look ~ the slckly one ald remarked,
That poor creature ought 10 be III the hospital
and then asked where they were from, ana upon
being informed thai they were from his plantation
left Without adding another word. The purveyOr CT
| the Queens Hospital states that they brought
| there ana refuse ID take sustenanCe, and when 80
weak tnat iood has 10 De put into their mouths they
spit It out and DIE, as he remarked, OF nothing
than home.sicxness and dsappo lntmenI.
| contract was produced tue Assembly by
| which native had agreed to work twasnontIs ana
who had been held nearly three years. ana for being
refractory mad been sentenced 10 months iui-
pr1sonnient. The facts having come to the know
| ledge OF the Hon. Henry Thompson member I. ON
TINS city, he secured the reelse OF The native only
after having threatened writ Of nabeas corpus and
the prisoner signing an asreenent not To enter SUIT
against his "master" Tor iatse Imprisonment.
In the debate upon tins law the Attorney General
came forward maniuly aud supported the bill to
| peal, aud declared the law unconstitutional. HIS
speech produced the most marked evidences OF sur
| prise, alarm and disgust from his colleagues and
AR. Harris anawered MN yesterday. III speech OF
| four hours. His remarks were bitterly personal
haunting the Attorney General with be ng ''would-
| DC philanthropist.' Not one argument was brought
/ forward TO answer the supporters OF the bill.
The ground taken WAS mat OF eXpld.eucy; be.
cause under this labor system, oar export OF sugar
had been increased fouriOld and, as he Claimed en-.
rched the planters. And because Inc planting In
terest was the dominant one and the repeal OF the
| law would destroy TINS Interest," consequently the
| law should stand. Charles r. Bishop, member of
the House OF Mobiles, took about the same stand his
strong point being that II the law was repea cd par
ties having property IN the Islands might better co.,
ect IT In and leave the Kingdom. Certain mortgages
| and other evidences OF Indebtedness Oh planter .
were without doubt, ia his MINDS eye H. X. Hitch
COCK said, IN substance, That If the law was uncun-
| stitutional the Constitution had better be amended
or set aside, az tue law was necessity. THIS young
man has brother upon PLANTATION. which Is owned
| by the Harris family, aud another brother, who IL a
magls rate, and 1t Is said, Il hlpseif In expectancy
| OF position under the government.
/ lie planters defiant openly declaring that N
the Assembly votes to repeal tat they hold the veto
| power-the King. singular feature Of the debate
was That Mr. Harris quoted TN article from the New
| YORK tribune, which he attributed to Horace
Greeley, In which the singular statement Is MADE
| that the contract system has no feature in common
with slavery and declared this statement should be
his text and that he was prepared 10 stand fan by
| II. Think OF an article from the pen OF Horace
Greeley taken as text ny pro-slaeery orator who
declares MS determination to stand OrIall by Horace
| owhat base may we return. Hora (ce)uo
variety OF reports are as to the feasibility
OF deepening the entrance TO and the hrbur M Ga
island. The officers are, OF course, dumb upon the
subject all they nave TO say being seat 10 the Navy
| Department.
| first American missionaries al these islands occurs
on the 10Th inst grand jubilee Is To be the prlu.
| cipa feature OF q celebration. Government Offices
are to be closed and the day generally observed as
| holiday.
| His Royal Highness Prince Lunslno made hit in
the Assembly the other day which Is too good to be
anti-slayery speech, made frequent ausion 10
Massachusetts, aud quoted from Massachusetts
authorizes and cited presidents there established
pertinent to his subject &. @. Harris In his reply
sneered at Massachusetts Judges courts and law.
yers and stated that the products OF that State were
widely different from the products OF this kingdom,
excepting only the article OF rocks. The Prince I'm
terrnpted ia u loud tone, lnstancing Plymouth
ROCK.
WOMEN syFFRiGr.