The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-25
MORE COOLIES FOR HAWAII.


irnaton OF The Calls contention. We quoted
President Dole and other island authorities be-
fore annexation to prove that they expected permits
sion to continue coole contract labor there and to
go on unrestrained in that respect This hoty
denied by annexationsts and our home labor and its
employers were quoted by the assurance that Our
labor laws would be extended to the islands and that
labor there and here would be put upon a perfect
equality as to wage scale, contracts, hours and all
other things. The commission which went out to
measure Hawaii and cut and fit for it garment OF
government after continuing the existing govern
ment in power until Congress should act, returned
home and did nothing to get action by Congress, so
that the islands have experienced change in their
civil affairs except that their public debt OF several
millions has been paid out OF the pockets OF Ameri-
taxpayers, and the expenses OF their government
borne by the citizens OF this country The i'm
portation OF cooe contract labor has gone until
coolies are more than half the population.
At recent meeting of the Dole Cabinet the petit
ton OF four sugar planters for coole labor which had
been refused reconsidered and granted and they
permitted to import 53II for the next period"
Action upon these petitions brought the reason
for their rejection when first presented. The In
spector OF Immigrants had reported that these plant
had i'll treated their coolies and they for
hidden any until they promised to treat them
better
This is worthy OF approval. The tens OF thousands
Of coolies in the islands who labor under the
pulsion of penal contract should have protec-
ton against abuse This admission that abuses exist
and that there is PERSONAL bodily i'll treatment of
these unfortunate and servile people marks in a
startling way the wide gulf between the Hawaiian
labor system and ours. Yet the two countries are
under the same flag and the Government, which
Z
lis jurisdiction.
The people of Hawaii are to be congratulated.
Their public expenses are paid by Their leading
products are now permanently our free list, and
they enjoy the use of the cheapest labor in the world
1t is true that there rises beyond this sump-
tuous picture OF high prosperity for the few secured
by the use OF servile labor background that may be
viewed with apprehension by those who permit them
selves to look into the future. The American peo-
pie control Congress- and when they discover that
they resemble the coolies in having share in the
gilded scene they may awake to the Importance and
the possibilities of their constitution and insist
that under it conditions shall be equal for all terri
tory that is under the flag. Then the aurng vision
that now charms the beholder in Hawaii will pass
away and it will be again demonstrated that labor in
the tropics must be involuntary, compulsory
vile if there is to be any labor there at all.
This awakening will be promoted by another con-
diton which human ingenuity avoid. If
coolie contract labor be unchecked in tropical
territory, the condition of white labor at home will
gradually decline to the coolie level,
The Republican doctrine OF protection has taught
this lesson to the American people, until it is per-
manent part OF the political faith OF this country. If
that doctrine is sound when applied to cheap and
serve labor under other flags it is equally sound
when applied to the labor under our flag 1t is
surprising that the annexation press is so silent on
this subject. When The Call was predicting just
what has come to pass in Hawaii the annexation or
gans presenting the sugar plantations of Hawaii
as white mans paradise, never to be polluted
by the footprint OF coole. They attacked us for
warning the people OF what would happen Now
that it has happened they silent.
But the people are not blind They are observers
OF current events, and day they will call for an
accounting.