Hutchinson gazette., 1898-10-06
SLAVES IN OUR BORDERS.
ooMPERS ON THE CONDITION
OF LEeoR IN HAWAII.
The Eject of tho Labor system In Hawaii
and tho Philippines on American
L.aborer Discussed. DO wo waat tho
Phlllpplnoa2

phlllpplnosS
We have annexed Hawaii and Ap-
pointed a commission 10 determine tho
form OF Its government How many OF
our people are aware that OF the less
than 100000 Inhabitants OF Hawaii,
$4,000 are contract and practically
slave laborersi that Of these there are
eighty per cent Chinese and Japanese,
and about twenty per cent Portuguese
from the Azore Islands,, and South
Sea Islanders; that the terms OF these
contracts run seven years. that the lit
borers have no right to change their
employers, or leave their empluymenti
that the contract Of labor Is specilcNl-
ly enforceable by law, and that tho
resolution adopted by congress specid-
cally declares that the laws OF Hawaii
shall govern until the new form OF gov
ernment shall be adoptedi that any
time laborcr may serve In prison be-
cause OF his desertion from labor Is
nd led TO tho term Of the life OF the
contract to labor that the laborers are
corralled In gangs OF from twelve TO
sixteen, and each gang has an overseer
on horseback, armed with whip with
which diligence to labor is enforced;
that the largest number Of contract
slave laborers In Hawaii Is employed
in the sugar industry and that the
master employers Insist that the sugar
industry cannot be successfully con-
ducted without this species Of contract
slave labor.
1t may not be amiss at this time TO
quote n few sections of the Hawaiian
Code, now in operation, Section l4l0
reads MS follows;
'If any person lawfully bound to
service shall willfully absent himself
from such service, without the leave OF
his master, any district or police jus
tuc Of the Republic, upon complaint
made under oath by tho master, or by
any one on his behalf, may issue a
warrant to apprehcnd such person md
bring him before said justice; and, II
the complaint shall be maintained, the
justice shall order such offender TO be
restored to his master, and he shall be
compelled to serve the remainder OF
the time for which he contracted"
Section 1920 reads as follows:
"If any such person shall refuse TO
serve according to the provisions of
the last section, or the terms Of his
contract, his master may apply TO any
district or police justice where he may
reside, who shall be authorized by war;
rant or otherwise, to send for the per-
son so refusing, and II such refusal be
persisted in, TO commit such person TO
prison, there to remain, ut hard labor
until he will consent TO serve accord
ing to law And in case such person
so bound US aforesaid shall have re-
turned to the service Of such master
and In obedience to such order Of such
justice, and shall again absent himself
from such service without the leave of
his master such district or police JUS
tice may flne such offender not exceed
ing ten dollars and in default of pay
ment thereof such offender shall be
imprisoned at hard labor until such
fine is paid; and at the expiration Of
such imprisonment, such justice shall
order such offender TO be returned to
his master to serve for tho remainder
OF such original term Of service"
Mark this fact too, upon the day
when the news reached Hawaii that
the annexation resolutions had passed
congress, President Dole was In con-
ference and arranging with the sugar
planters as 20 whether 1900 or 6,0OO
additional certificates should be made
out, allowing that number Of japanese,
Portuguese and other slave laborers to
enter tho island. / mention this fact
merely as an indicative OF the future
policy Of the islands relative to con-
tract or slave labor and the proba BILE
action Of our commissioners in regard
10 II.
As to the Philippine islands, they
have between seven and eight millions
OF inhabitants Of a semi-bar barrie pop
ultaion almost primitive in their hab-
its and customs, and unlike the people
Of the United States in thought, senti-
ment, education, morals, hopes, nspir-
ations or governmental forms as night
is to day. What advantage then can
the possession Of these islands with
such people bring to our countryP 1t
is true that Aristotle believed in re-
public founded on slavery, but how la
men tn BILE was the result How untrue
to human hopes, human intelligence
and human aspirations such condi-
tion of affairs is, is plainly manifest to
the student or observer As Napoleon
said that Europe must sometime be-
cornn n1l Cossncls or nil renublionn. as