The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-05-19
PORTUGUESE LEADERS,--
STATE THEIR CASE
CONTINUED from First Page)

mouths, but the scalawag spies VIII
are spying around. Some people wan
the leaders of this movement deporteC
I say no. Wait and we will see tn
scaIawags deported. | do not favor rev
olutions but | want revolution in tn
hearts of those men who occupy tina
building, that we may have our rights
We who have assisted in every revolu
ton for the right. 1t was not for gain
and if there is anyone here who think
we did, let them spit it out to me. an
not a laboreF, but these people are, AM
my destinies are linked with the work
man, and for that reason l say us
What did they promise us at the revo
luton of 1893? Annexation. Let me ask
here in the middle of my speech if the
people here are opposed to it? You are
silent. But the planters do not want
annexation, because it means that Ash
attic labor shall stop. We have invited
you here tonight to get the true motives
of our meeting because our speeches
have been distorted by the reporters
who have been paid to write against US.
do not believe in revolution; 1 would
never advise it. We must get our rights
by evolution. / believe this Govern
ment from the President down would
like to give us our rights, but they can
not do it as long as the planters are at
their throats AS long as there are so
many people here l will present to you
some resolutions, and those of you who
wish to vote against them should do
so-yOu will not be mobbed."
stop Asiatfc Immigration.
VI. G. Silva was then introduced by
the chairman:
Mr.. President and Fellow Citizens
Being the first time that I have ap-
peared at a mass meeting, 1 trust you
will make allowance, as l am not &C
cUstomed to address such large audi
ences. My principal point will be Ash
attic immigration to this country. l will
not take up too much of your time, as
there are others who wish to speak
You gentlemen know what our move
ment has been and what the result of
our meeting was. The Government did
not promise to stop immigration, but
they would limit it. / say, gentlemen,
If they do not stop it they cannot say
what the end will be. A continuance
of this Asiatic immigration means the
taking of bread and butter out of the
mouths of every working man in this
country. AS a business man l have ex-
perience. The people who come to me
every day say the Asiatic invasion is
reducing their incomes every day, and
the danger in the future to the working
men is not alone to the Portuguese and
other Europeans, but to the japanese
and Chinese, who are asking each other
where it will all end. They are closely
crowding each other. We must remem- |
Der that the evils to the working classes |
and the SORROWS to their families are |
entirely due to the action of the Gov |
eminent in encouraging this invasion, |
and the matter is evident to the Portu- |
guese. The planters threatened us not |
long ago when they said the time would |
come when the Portuguese could not |
get % cents a day, as the Japanese
would be in numbers large enough to
supply all the labor on the Islands.
The experience of mine is that depres-
sion is not only among the Portuguese.
The Hawaiian women tell me that their
husbands have not had work for long
time. some of them for eleven months.
The planters are always crying for
cheap labor. Statistics show II 900 men
out of employment. Why don't they
rake up those idlers instead of bringing
in more Asiatics? The people who are
drawing the fat dividends should think
and act differently for humanity's sake.
Would they not act as we are acting
to secure their rights? We are just as
staunch as they
The speaker asked to be excused if
he had said anything in opposition to
their views.
Calls for DR.. J. S. McGrew brought
forth no response. John Emmeluth
fa;1 0l l. &c
called. Even when some one said there
was broken pipe at hand.
Mr.. Vierra's Views.
Chairman Gonsalves then introduced h
b. L. Vierra, who said that having
heard a business man talk, it was now
their privilege to hear a hard working {
man. Gas far as my experience goes, {
wages have been reduced from twenty :
odd dollars a month to twelve, and the
cause of this is the Japanese crowding
other nationalities to the wall and fore
ing them to work for less wages. How t
can it be explained? Sugar was lower
than it is today, and yet they offer less E
wages than they did then. The poor
class is always the one upon whom all
the evils are pressed; it is so recognized l
on the other side. Why did the Portu-
guese as class get up and protest r
against being driven to the wall? Be
cause it is the class most driven to the
wall by the Japanese. They asked also v
that the system of taxation be arranged t
so that the wealthy shall pay as we'll $
rs the poor. The answer of the commit
tee was equivalent to telling us that we
had no right to make the request. An
swers of that kind and in that strain Il
cad us to believe that the men who
ire sent to make laws intend tearing the n
'ags from our backs and putting them a
n the pockets of the rich The excuse
hey gave that in two years we would K
lave a chance to protest at the ballot u
S nonsense, because at the end of that b
ime the country can be so full of Ash .
tics that our protest would be of no A
raSl ,-I- | =