The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-09-04
terNiews

|
published in the papers, while the few
| who were not opposed to them were not
| mentioned by any of the papers, and it
was very evident that the members Of
! the committee were altogether in sym
pathy with the anti-Chinese movement.
L believe firmly in the doctrine that
all mensa born free and equal" and l
| cannot see why Chinaman has not as
much right to come to this country as
any other foreigner.
I see by the report of the Chief JUS
tice that out of 1922 convictions during
| the last biennial period, ,583 were Chi
nese. OF this number the following is
| list of the principal convictions:
! Assault and battery REPRESENTATIVES.. 1877
| Gambling. ........... ................. go
Opium, possession OF ...........- so
| Sunday law breaking .-...- ........... 15S
1t is generally believed that the Chi
| nese are watched very closely for gam
! bling, and if the police did their duty
many more arrests would be made than
are made among white foreigners for
| this Oftense. For the crime of adultery
only 8 convictions were made OF Chinese,
| anu Tor DRUNKENNESS only 20.
One objection to the Chinese is, that
| they save up their money and take it
| back to China with them. Why should
they not do this? They earn their
money and ought to be allowed to do
with it as they please. The Chinese who
| 90 away take with them from $500 to
| 81, 900. How many Americans, English
| men and Germans have come to this
| country as poor as any Chinaman ever
| did, and have gone away taking their
| hundreds of thousands with them?
| There are many foreigners living on
! these Islands now, who are sending
| away large sums of money by every mail
| to be invested in the United States and
elsewhere. [ heard of a lady who very
| lately took away nearly 100000 of the
money her husband made in this coun-
! try, and a gentleman who has made
! large sums has Withdrawn large part
| of his money to invest East. If these
| people left their money in this country to
| be invested the result would be re-
| ductiOn in the rate of interest, which
would induce new industries to be
| started, which would revive business,
! furnish employment for a large number
| of mechanics, and this would soon put a
stop to this anti-Chinese cry.
What good have Chinese done in this
country?
Well, in the first place, they have
proved to be good laborers as arule-they
give an honest days work for days
pay. A manager of one of our planta-
tons lately told me that he had very
many Chinese gentlemen working as
field hands on his plantation, he had
less trouble with them than with any
other class of labOrerS on the place and
they did their duty like men.
Then they have supplied most of our
European residents with cooks, stew
ards, washmen and general servants at a
low rate OF wages, and the wives of a
large number OF our residents have, by
reason of this cheap labor, saved
the wear and tear of kitchen work,
which otherwise they would have been
obliged to perform. The very men who
are on the anti-Chinese committee en-
ploy Chinese cooks, which to me is very
inconsistent. [ employed one OF our
townspeople short time ago to build
building. He employed Chinaman to
dig the cellar, but he is not in favor of
Chinese.
The Chinese have been a great benefit
to landhOlderS. They have taken lands
almost valueless and by hard work have
improved them so that they are now
bringing in rentals from $40 to $50 per
acre per annum. This surely is a bene-
fit to the country at large.
One complaint is that the Chinese
storekeepers ruin the business of other
foreigners. This to a certain extent
may be true, but who is very largely to
blame for this? l answer the importers
and jobbers. [ give an illustration. A
cook In family has wages say at Sc
week. BY economy, he in due time
saves up $500. He is anxious to inn
prove his condition, worthy ambition,
and decides to keep store, rather than
stand over hot stove most of the day.
He goes to our wholesale establish
ments, buys at five different places his
$500 worth of goods, pays cash; rival
importer sees Mr.. AS handcart going
up town with lot of goods, finds out
the new man, interviews him and gives
him credit; another and another do the
same thing and in few months the late
cook, fattered by these large dealers.
owes not less than $1,000. Who is to
blame? Most decidedly those importers,
tor the goods are almost forced upon
the man doing the small business. Stop
the credit system, and the Chinese
storekeepers will soon be regulated.
l wish here and now to put myself on
record as being against this constitu-
tlOnal amendment now before the Leg
islature. [ think it periIously wrong,
and If 1t pass we shall all see the time
we will regret it. am Of the opinion
that the Board of immigration can regu-
late the Chinese by insisting that China
men coming into this country shall be
accompanied by their wives; and that
the Minister of Finance with the assist
ance OF the tax assessors, together with
the help of some of the most intelligent
Chinese, can arrange some method bv
which all Cinnamon shall pay their just
taxes.
L publish this, Mr.. Editor, with the
expectation of being called a missionary
or a "crankv hnt / wish to snu thnt I