The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-08-10
THE CHINESE QUESTION.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE TO THE LEG1s
LATURE.

To the Hon. w. II. Castle, Presi-
dent of the Legislative Assembly,
A. d. 1888.
Sir: The Undersigned, special
several matters relating to Chinese
and Chinese and Chinese and Asia
tic immigration, beg leave to SUBJ
NIT their report.
Three petitions and one proposed
constitutional amendment were re-
ferred to them, to wit:
/. Petition number IL merely
commencing the course of the Legis-
lature in attempting to control Chi
nese immigration, and which there
fore we here recommend be received
and laid on the table.
2. Petition number 93 from GER
tain prominent Chinese merchants,
praying that the law requiring pho
tographs of persons seeking return
ing permits may be repealed, and
that the fee for return permits may
be reduced to two dollars.
3. Petition number 55 from a
large number of citizens and resi-
dents relative to Asiatic immigra-
ton, and containing fourteen speci-
&C prayers relating thereto and to
Asiatic residents in this Kingdom
and
4. A constitutional amendment
numbered 81 relating to Chinese.
In regard to petition number SO
from prominent Chinese merchants,
your committee recommend that the
same be laid on the table. This
petition prays that the regulation be
abolished requiring that Chinese de-
parting from the Kingdom and re-
curing return permits shall be pho
tographed as means of identified
ton. The frauds perpetrated upon
the Government in regard to Chi
nese return permits, when it. retain
ed no means of identifying those
who received them, showed that
Chinese could not be allowed the
same freedom in this respect as
other citizens and residents without
abusing it so that the Government
was compelled either to adopt some
means of identification in issuing re-
turn permits, or to become the
sport of those who received them.
The Chinese have compelled this
regulation in regard TO photographs
by their own conduct. By Chinese
we do not mean all Chinese, but
Chinese as class. If there was
any practicable way of relaxing this
regulation in individual gases where
it was clearly unnecessary the COM
mittee would recommend it, but in
their opinion there is no way to do
this without seriously impairing the
law. While your committee SIM
cerely believe that the Chinese mer-
chants in this Kingdom as q class
have many admirable qualities, yet
your committee are compelled to
say, that in too many cases many of
them render but scant assistance OF
information TO the Government in
its necessary efforts to control the
mass of their countrymen residing
here.
The same wholesale evasions of
law in regard to passports exist, it
is believed, in still greater degree in
the matter of taxation and the vag-
rancy law, and the Government re-
ceves so little assistance from law
abiding Chinese in these respects,
that it is time the Government pro-
tected itself, and while the Govern
ment undoubtedly would fain give
Chinese all the immunities enjoyed
by other citizens it cannot safely dc
so until they themselves learn bet
ter to use them. In justice to the
Chinese, however, the committee
wish to say that undoubtedly the
main reason that Chinese as class
evade the revenue taxation and kin
dred laws more than any Other
races is, that there is far greater
opportunity, and therefore more
temptation for them to do so owing
10 the fact that the mass of then
:. cannot be identified or individual
lied.
J This petition also prays that the
S. fee for return permits be reduced
to So. The committee believe tina
the extra expense of the Govern
ment necessitated by this class OF
passports will about offset the extr;
fee charged therefor, therefore thinl
it unwise to reduce the same.
!, Petition number So with fourteen
, specific prayers relating to Asiatics
J Instead of entering into detailed
: recital and consideration of eacl
prayer of this petition, your com
mittee consider that the same result
l, can be obtained by giving in brie
the findings of facts and conclusion
> the committee has come to alte
having very carefully canyassed til
whole subject of Asiatic immigra
g ton, and having taken the evideuc
5 and consulted with many persons @
t different views on this subject.
Your committee find that tn
/, classification and identification o
japanese with Chinese is not just
= fled by the facts; that the habits
traits of character and tendencies @