The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-05

Washington instructed Mr.. Stradley to
probe to the bottom, and if his suspicious
were confirmed to punish the guilty par
ties. Governor Budd gave Mr. Fitzgerald
similar instructions.
Over eighty farmers and Japanese labor
ers were subpenaed to be present at the in
vestigation to-day and give testimony A
few were inclined to be hostile, and said
they would not obey the summons, but the
prospect of arrest induced them to change
their minds. One of these was Japanese
contractor named Sato. This fellow said
that the Japanese laborers in the fields
would not attend the investigation. He
was told to tell them that if they refused
to obey every man who had been subpe-
naed and who did not appear would be ar
rested tomorrow. They sent word this
afternoon that they would attend to-mor-
row.
At O'Clock to-day Commissioner Strad-
ley and his chief deputy, Mr.. Gaffney
who speaks the japanese language; Com
missioner Fitzgerald and Deputy c. l..
Damn and Special Agent Green assembled
in Judge Brophy's courtroom and began
the investigation. Several important facts
| were brought out. 1t was learned that the
JdpdlCSC OdjO, uduuleu nedrIv
all the japanese laborers in the hop and
sugarbeet fields. He MAKES his headquar-
ters at the Pleasanton Hop Company s
| ranch, from which he hires out the coolies
Two contracts were brought to light
which make the Com missioners believe
that the labor law has been violated by the
importation of laborers from Japan for
work in the fields here. All the testimony
was taken down by a stenographer, and the
statements made by the white witnesses to-
day will be compared with the testimony
of the japanese laborers, which will be
taken tomorrow. The witnesses to-day
| would not acknowledge the existence of
any contracts for foreign laborers before
the laborers had landed. However, the in
vestigating Commissioners are convinced
that they are on the right track and that
sensational features will be brought out
before the investigation is over.
The first witness was Phillip Kolb, a
resident of Pleasanton. He said that the
industries of the district are the growing
of hops, beets, fruit and grain. Most of
the laborers, he said, are japanese and
Chinese. In the hop business the white
contractor contracts by the acre and SUBJ
let's the contracts to the Japanese boys.
Mr.. Kolb said:
II think that Sato, the japanese con-
tractor, brought out great many JAP
anese for Mr.. Downing, a farmer, who con-
tracts for Mr.. Lillienthal. Downing raises
hops and beets, and uses Japanese help on
his farm. Sato came to me and said that
he would like to get some more of his own
countrymen whom he could not get in this
State. He said he had written letters to
all parts of the State, but found that he
could get no Japanese. He said he would
send to Japan for them if he could get the
money to bring them out.
THAT was a year ago. Later in the fall
he told me that he had obtained the
money. He never asked me directly for
money, but limited that he wanted me to
loan him money to bring laborers from
Japan. At that time he was furnishing
Mr.. Bray with men, and later on he did
give him all the Japanese wanted. Bray
raises beets near here. He has no Japanese
employed this year. / do not know where
! Sato got the money to import the Japs
but he spoke of Bray and Mr.. Downing as
being likely to put up the money"
MIR. Kolb, in speaking of the alien Ia
borers now in the fields, said he believes
that Sato gets them from Japan, and it is
likely through an agent in San Francisco.
He added that another Japanese, named
Fugimoto, is in the contract labor business
in this part of the country. Further on in
his testimony the witness stated that in
one 4OO-acre hopfield eighty japanese are
employed. He does not know how much
the laborers receive from the contractors.
There are but few Japanese employed on