The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-15
ICopy.1
(Signed)

San Francisco. May &c. 1897.
Ed Rosenberg. Esq, Recording Secre
tary. San Francisco Labor Council
1859 Mission Street, San Francisco
Cal:
Dear Sir:-Yours of May ODD al
hand and contents noted. and in an
swer permit me TO state that should
be very much pleased to meet the Elk
| ecutive Committee of the Council al
my Office, where all statistics, etc, will
be at my command, at any time that
may be agreeable to that body. F'urth-
er. permit me to state that I am
pleased to find that the Council agrees
| with me upon many points relative to
the sending of American labor to the
Hawaiian Islands, and would respect
fully refer to the following words in
my official report which you undoubt-
eddy have not read:
81 would not advise, under any cir
cumstances. that labor be sent there
to be paid by the day at present, as it
may necessitate their competing with
the penal contract laborers. And,
further it must be done Systematically
and gradually"
As far as my advice upon the mat
ter is concerned, I fail to find anything
that justifies your Council to interpret
to a foreign country" Nor do I now,
nor have l at any time advised Ameri-
cans TO be sent there under contract.
1 thought that / made myself clear
upon that point in my last letter that
they cannot be sent there because of
the attitude of the immigration Com
mission of Hawaii; and further, that
the planters do not want them under
contract system, so the only point that
l can see that we disagree upon is that
your Council holds that all labor that
may go from America will be subject
TO a penal labor contract. Such is not
the facts, and the entire action of the
Council upon this matter seems to be
"a tempest in a teapot" Permit me to
state further that / have found labor
intelligent enough to advise itself when
the truth has been told, and when the
facts and conditions are made plain to
them. This l have at all times en-
deavored to do, and shall continue to
do. Further, as far as I have seen, the
press of the State, with the exception
of two papers in San Francisco, has
held the actions of the Hawaiian peo-
pie. in turning TO America for help as
a step in the right direction and have
literally said: so far, so good"
Scores of letters are being received
at this office from all classes encour-
aging me to continue in this work, and
hundreds are calling personally, de-
string the first opportunity, so that
every position that may be obtained in
the Hawaiian Islands will have 80 ap-
plicants who will be disappointed at
not receiving it.
In all friendship and good feeling,
pardon me for saying that any edict
ISSUED to the American wage-earner,
warning him against going to Hawaii"
by any body representing labor, will
only tend to make the labor of Cali
fornia ridiculous in the eyes of this
any many other nations, and can only
impress the people that the same judg-
ment was used and the same injustice
done by the Council in this instance, as
was exercised when your body passed
resolutions censuring me for having
two doors to my departments which
labor might enter, instead of one.
Yours very truly,
(Signed) f. L. FITZGERALD.
Labor Commissioner
P. S.-Many applicants for work at
the Islands, who have worked there
before and are anxious to return. are
now preparing affidavits in support of
my statements relative to the freedom
of American labor and the advantages
offered. They express themselves as
perfectly willing to appear before your
honorable body and refute any charges
TO the contrary.