The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-01-06

The COMING report of the Congressional Com
mittee to investigate the Chinese question will
be looked for with much interest, by those who
are affected with Chinaphobia as well as by
the party who believe in giving the celestial
sc man and brother a chance. From time to
time sketches of the testimony taken before the
Commission in San Francisco are published in
the papers, and are interesting reading. Especi-
ally interesting to Hawaiian readers is the testi-
mony of S. II. Phillips, Esq, our Attorney
General several years since, and now engaged
in the practice of his profession in the Bay
City and we proceed to give some extracts from
the Alias report.
General - Stephen II. Phillips vas called
"Haye been Attorney General of Massachusetts,,
and of the Sandwich Islands; the Chinese question
opens q broad field Of inquiry; my views may be
peculiar; l have strong cOnvictions; in the Sand
witch Islands there are Sc 900 persons, two thousand
Of which are Chinese; the latter are there under
indefinite, assignable contracts"
1t is not very clear what the gentleman Wishes
to convey by the term " indefinite when
applied to our labor contracts, as he says farther
along that they were not to exceed FIVE years,
and by the statute they arc not assignable.
''There is O great demand on the part of the
planters to obtain this kind of labor; without it. in
the main, these plantations could not exist; there is
O necessity for it at present, but I don't think it
beneficial in the end; the contracts are limited to
five years"
IF it is necessary, it must be beneficial
unless, indeed, all the agricultural enterprises
in which we are engaged are prejudicial.
"I think its influence on the community is
degrading; the Chinese in this city are not available
for jury, military, or social purposes, the same as
citizens from other parts Of the world; imported
labor puts other labor to disadvantage"
What can the gentleman mean by his express
sion that the Chinese are unavailable for social
purposes?
ITO SENATOR MoRToN-Resided in the Sandwich
Islands about ten years; the Importation of European
and French Canadian labor into New England, some
time ago, was injurious in its character; I consider
all imported labor in the same light"
There's full-blown wisdom for you!
"To Col BEE-They produce about 1000, 900
| pounds of sugar annually in the Sandwich Islands;
it will increase under this treaty; have seen the
contracts between the employed and the employer;
the Government of Hawaii has encouraged the i'm
migration Of Chinese; the majority of the planters
are Americans; the sugar produced in that country
is brought in competition with that produced in the
United States, consequently Chinese labor is brought
in competition with that Of the sugar raising States;
some of the Chinese merchants in Honolulu l would
trust as sooI as I would anybody else; they have
built up their regulations by q system Of fair deal
ing; I believe that if they were extended the same
advantages as other nationalities in this country,
they would make as good citizens"
Thus it appears that Mr.. P. at last reached the
conclusion that it was the law, and not the
Chinaman that was at fault in San Francisco.
II think there are some very unjust laws enacted
in this municipality affecting the Chinese, and they
have a tendency to make the Chinese dissatisfied"
ITO SENATOR MoRroS-I never saw q contract
for Chinese labor in this country"
Now who shall say that there is not a large
amount of information contained in the foregoing
testimony?
Zen =, t-no f-,anaa az tha unmninn 10 4.