The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-01-22
MECHANICS UNION.
Solid Speeches from Several
Candidates.
Large Attendance of the Bone and
Sincw.

at the opening hour yesterday even
ing. He had been absent from
several meetings lately on account of
illness and was applauded as he
entered the room. About fifty mem
bers were present, nearly all foreign
ers. When the speaking began a
few minutes later, however, natives
and others swarmed into the hall,
more than doubling the original size
of the audience. The usual mining
exercise realized $6.45.
The president, after routine bust
ness had occupied q few minutes,
stated in effect that the special bust
ness of the evening was to hear
speeches from candidates. He further
arged on the members their duty of
voting the straight Mechanics Union
ticket. They would have seen his
name some where, but when he said,
"Vote the straight ticket" he meant
it. Whether his name was on the
peoples" or the "citizens' " ticket,
he still said, "Vote the straight
ticket" and in doing so they would
please him. 1t might be case of
the Office seeking the man, but he
could assure them the man didn't
want the office. He asked Hon. A.
Rosa TO act as interpreter.
Mr.. A. z. Peterson was the first
candidate to be called up. Before
dealing with anything else he would
contradict statement made in the
Liberal organ, that when deputa-
ton from the Union had gone TO the
Cabinet, at last session, he (Mr. z.
said, "Oh, there's no use to heed
them; they're only mechanics" He
did not need to deny this to those
who knew him, but to those who
didn't know him he would say the
statement was entirely untrue. Mr..
Thomas had boasted that he was the
only real mechanic nominated, and
tainted the Mechanics Union with
having nominated two lawyers. 1t
seemed he thought this was crime.
But what did they want representa-
tives for in the Legislature? Wasn't
it to make laws for the people? 1t
was all right for the Union to restrict
its own membership to mechanics,
but perhaps last session showed them
that they would have done better if
they had sent more lawyers into the
House. However, he himself was
not altogether ineligible for admis-
sion to the Union. In his earlier
years he decided to learn trade, so
that if he failed in his chosen pro-
fession he would have trade to fall
back on. Therefore he learned the
trade of printer, from devil up to
editor, and if he could not get along
in law to-day, he could go into any
printing office in town and earn his
LIVING. (Applause.) Some of theil
representatives in last Legislature
had been true to them, standing uE
for the workingmen's rights on the
Chinese question, and those who had
not been faithful to them had gone
over to the enemy. AS those who
had fought for them inch by inch he
could mention their hon. president
(Mr. Phillips), Messrs. E. c. Mac.
farlane, G. j. Mccarthy and Thos.
r. Lucas-and that was about all
The speaker further spoke of the i'm,
portance of this question to the
workingmen, and pledged his best
efforts if elected to the satisfactory
| solution of the problem.
Mr.. j. N. S. Williams spoke of the
great Importance of the sugar indus
try to mechanics, illustrating it by
the following summary of wages palC
in Honolulu during the past year, OF
account of that industry:
Lumber l4,0O0M feet, twice
handling at ST IS 14,OO(
Sugar 100000 tons, once
handling at 25 cents -. 35,OO(
Coal, $4,000 tons, piling, at
ST.. $4,000
Wages paid in two foundries 24O0O(
Wages to bricklayers, car
penters, etc. .......,,... 10000,
Total. .............$ 42l ,OOt
The speaker said that with sugar
netting only $50 instead of the form
err figures of from $50 to 500, it wa
impossible for the industry to keel
up without plenty of cheap labor
But while advocating cheap labo
for the plantations, he would Away
stand for protecting white and nativ
mechanics and laborers, in othe
branches of industry, from the ruin
GUS competition of Chinese. He be
ieVed that this necessary protection
could be secured. Such restriction
could be placed on Chinese as woulc
prevent them entering into competi
tion with Hawaiian and European