The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-03-26
Portuguese Club Waits On
Government.
ORDERLY AND RESPECTABLE.
They Ask for Observation-Disclosures
Against Japanese = Neither Work
Nor Money-OpinIOns on Situation.
Planters Receive No Applications.


pers calling for 300 Portuguese to work
on the plantations did not act as a
balm to the members of the colony
who wanted to present their grievances
10 the Legislature in the form of pc
tition backed by a demonstration on
the part of the bone, sinew and brains
OF the colony.
In the early morning the people be-
gan assem- bling at Lusitana Hall, each
one dressed in his best bib and tucker,
whether it be good, bad or Indifferent,
Those who had shoes wore them; those
who had not walked barefoted.
There were no threats, no bitter har-
argues nor denunciatory speeches. and
no waving of dread or blood banners
or red flags. That it was demonstra-
ton cannot be denied, but it was an
orderly one in every particular.
At 10 o'clock the procession was
formed, and, led by the committee of
twenty-one, marched from the hall via
Beretania, Fort and King streets to
the Executive building. crowd of
sightseers had gathered, but on the
approach of the procession a passage
way was cleared and the line marched
up the walk from the King-street en-
trance to the grounds. Half the dis
lance to the building a halt was made
and Col. Mclean inquired their pleas
ure, and directed them where to stand.
The march was continued until the
point where the driveway verges to
the right was reached, and there halt
ed. About 200 of the Portuguese were
then in the grounds. Another and an
other line was formed until probably
600 men filled the walk.
Not a murmur was heard. If the
crowd had been attending a funeral it
would not have been more orderly.
When it was known that everyone
who was interested was in line, a COM
mittee made up of the following rep
resentative Portuguese left the main
body and assembled the broad stairway
and on entering the building were met
by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
j. NJ Vivas, as chairman of the COM
mittee, handed a scroll to the Minister,
saying:
"On behalf of the Portuguese of Ha-
wall and as chairman of this commit
tee, l have the honor to present this
memorial, signed by the members of
the Central Committee, which we de-
sire to have handed to the President of
the Republic, and through him present
ed to the Legislature now in session"
Minister Cooper received the petit
ton, saying: Il am very glad to re-
ceive you, gentlemen, and it will be my
pleasure to deliver it as yon request"
Mr.. VivaS then added: I'VE expect
that the Government will receive it,
and act upon it in manner to the
best interests of every one in the
country"
The committee then retired, and Min
lister Cooper went to President Dole,
who was waiting for the memorial
in his Office on the second floor. The
President read the memorial and with
out delay passed it over to Stenogr
rapher Marx to have copies made for
the Senate, House of Representatives
and the press.
When this was done Minister
Cooper, under suspension of the rules,
and after motion to adjourn had been
made. presented the petition, which is
given in full IN the Legislative report
elsewhere in this issue.
AS the crowd marched out of the
grounds a half hundred different per-
sons counted the people in the process
sion, some by column right, others by
company squares, and still more by ones
and twoS. One man who kept tally in
his head was willing to make an affi-
davit that there were 1S5 rows of 4
each, and rows of z, making total OF
III. Captain Paul Smith kept tally on
a single, and registered the number
as $50. One gentleman kept tally on
his left cuff, and showed total of 631.
Another whose tally, kept on his right
cuff, was absolutely correct, showed
$40. A. G. Correa, one of the committee,
thought there were between 1900 and
400 in line, and Mr.. Macintosh, who
counted the faces in a Kodak picture
made on the spot by an Advertiser re-
porter. says there were just 653. The
latter number is probably correct.
During the noon hour and long after
noon the possible result of the efforts of
the union to secure recognition of the
Portuguese was discussed by people of
every nationality. Inc opinions eX-
pressed varied in character, and no one
seemed to be decided. Among a goodly
number of Portuguese one question of
vital Importance was what would be-
come of the ninety employees OF the
road department who had quit work for
the day for the purpose of getting in the
line J. NJ Comes, the Fort street jew
eIler, expressed himself as follows on
the situation in general:
Il think the move on the part of the 4
Portuguese a good one, and l heartily |
support it. To tell you the truth, the |
and the planters are a /
happy family-what one says the other
agrees to, and what one suggests the
other acts upon. / am of the opinion