The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-07-13
Exclusion Act May be En-.
forced Here.
Not Enough Labor for Plantations
Thinks Chinese May Go From
Here to United States.

The probability of annexation has
aroused a greater feeling of anxiety
among the Chinese than any other ma
| tionality among the cosmopolitan pop
ulation of Hawaii and yet they show
no signs of uneasiness.
''If the Government could show our
people, said Chinese Commercial
Agent Goo Kim yesterday, Just what
the changes will probably be in our po-
sition, we would be very glad to learn
They have an exclusion act in the
United States, and / suppose it would
apply here, once this becomes United
States territory.
CAS- to our people not being allowed
to leave Honolulu for California,
question if Congress would impose
such restrictions as would conflict with
any law which gives residents of the
United States liberty to travel from one
portion of the country to another. If
the Hawaiian Islands are annexed they
become the territory of the United
States, and Chinese here will have, or
rather, should have, the same rights
as the Chinese residing in Boston or
anywhere else.
''If the exclusion act is to apply to
us, why should not every other law re-
lating to foreigners? Of course, we un-
derStand that no more Chinese are to
come here; we could not expect to en-
joy any unusual privileges, such as
those barred by that particular act. The
point that bothers us more than any
thing else is whether the Chinese will
have the right to hold property in their
own name. | do not know what the
law is in the United States, but / have
been told that in some States aliens
are not allowed to do so. This would
not be a State, and I presume, differ
ent law would be enforced. You know,
the Chinese own a great many thous-
and dollars worth of real estate in the
Islands, and they are anxious to know
if their ownership will be affected by
the change.
81 have written to Minister Cooper
for information, but he is a very busy
man, and I suppose he has not yet had
time to answer If he will tell me as
near as he can what changes will take
place after annexation, changes that
will affect them, l will notify our peo-
ple l am afraid the enforcement of
the exclusion act will make it bad for
the planters. There are now only about
5000 contract Chinese laborers here
not more than enough to meet the de-
mand. Some of those people will want
to return to their homes when their
contracts expire, and under the present
laws of the United States they could
not return. With that condition of af-
fairs, labor would soon command
high price-too high, am afraid, for
the planters to pay, even when they
have the full benefits Of reciprocity or
annexation. 1t is my opinion that the
laws would have to be modified so that
labor will continue to come in.
LAS to the condition of affairs on the
plantations, l have nothing to say
more than that I believe the condition
of the labOrer will improve as a result
of the investigations made by Mr.. Tay-
lor If it did not improve, | am quite
sure no more labor would go to those
plantations where the men are not
properly treated. 1t is my intention to
managers, and alleviate as far as pos
sible the condition of Chinese laborers,
and in this I know l will have the
hearty cooperation Of the Government.
Regarding annexation, protests or
ANYTHING in connection with it, / have
nothing to do. Our Minister at Wash
ington can attend to that"
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