The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-15
1T RN WITH MALICE WILL NOT CARRY Chinese SUES FOR THE INSURANCE AGAINST ITALIAN LABOR THE REEG CAL
SAN FRANCISCO LABOR COUNCIL
OBJECTS.
Circular Letter to Pope, King of Italy,
Members of Parliament and Leaders
of Italian Trades Unions.

SAN FRANCISCO, July Sat
meeting of the San Francisco Labor
Council last evening the following cir
cular letter was adopted and the secre-
tary instructed to send copies thereof to
the pope, the king of Italy, to the radi-
cal leaders of the Italian parliament, to
the leaders of all Italian trades unions
and to all newspapers published in
Italy:
The San Francisco Labor Council,
the federation of the trades unions of
this city, learning in the press reports
that the Hawaiian planters had sue
ceeded in making arrangements with
the Italian Government which would
result in the emigration of from 10000
to $4,000 Italian laborers to work on the
sugar plantations of Hawaii, instructed
me to warn the workers of Italy against
coming to Hawaii for once in the ISL
ands they are slaves, with no hope of
escape.
For verifcation and explanation of
this statement | ask you to read the en-
closed minutes of the Labor Council of
May 2S, 1897. At that time a corrupt
public official of this state tried to lure
| California workmen to Hawaii. The
council then had the Hawaiian contract
labor laws with some comments pub
| lished, and not one workman took ad-
vantage of the offers of the Hawaiian
L
suit when the Italian wOrkmen learn
what awaits them in those accursed
Islands. where greed and cruelty are
| more rampant than in any other part of
our so-called civilized world.
II further want to state that when
| the Hawaiian planters were seeking an
nexation of the Islands to the United
States of America and after the inclos-
ed report was used in the United States
| Congress as an argument against an
neXation, the planters representatives.
promised the repeal of the contract lab
or laws. They lied. Those laws are
still in force, although the flag of the
! United States floats over the Islands.
"a recent decision of the supreme
court of Hawaii. given in the case of
two laborers who had run away from
/ their employers, had been captured and
then claimed that where the stars and
stripes floats no slavery can exist, ex-
pliclty states that the contract labor
laws of Hawaii are constitutional, both
under Hawaiian rule and American law
Unfortunately that is true. In the de-
Cison of the supreme court of the Unit.
ed States in the case of Robert Robert.
son and others agninst-tI baldwin
rendered in 1895, against four member.
of the Sailors Union of the Pacific who
thad run away from a ship in an Amer.
lean port, had been captured, and whose
supreme court. the court held that con
tracts voluntarily entered a no time oi
their duration could be become involun,
tary, and therefore the seamen could
not claim the protection of the thir-
teeuth amendment to the constitution
which prohibits slavery and involun'
tary servitude
And so today the American flaG
floats over territory where overseer'
with whip in hand urge on the toiler'
i'm the cane fields to harder labor. One,
, in Hawaii under contract to labor
there is no escape, as you readily SEE
by the inclosed report.
) In conclusion. l want to state tina
the press reports some time ago CAV,
IL that the italian Government had for
hidden the wholesale emigration of IL
subjects to Hawaii. Now the reports
state that the objection had been with
drawn and that the laborers woulC
come from Northern Italy exclusively
Does the Italian Government want t.
get rid of it's discontented workmel
who are becoming troublesome?
Y THE promises of the planters agent
are lies. lies, lies. Warn your country
men. Bring this at your earliest oppor
! tunity to the knowledge of radica
/ members of the italian parliament, am
inform the officials of Italian trades un
ions and reformers in general of thi
nefarious plot. I am, yours for human
ity and freedom,
ED ROSENBERG.
+ Recording and corresponding secre
tary San Francisco Labor Council"