The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-07-25
As OTHERS see. Us
San Francisco Opinion on
Labor Question.
The Labor Councu CC,s tGriltr
Than the tsots Warrau, Duty
OF Congress Not Performed.

The San Francisco Labor Council
has sent a circular letter to the Pope
and the authorities and trades union
leaders Of Italy, warning them against
the scheme of the Hawaiian planters
to secure contract labor from that
country. The circular says that the
contract system in Hawaii is a form
of slavery enforced by greed and cruel
ty and protected by both island law
and the laws OF the United States. The
picture Is drawn OF overseers, with
whip in hand, urging on the toilers in
the cane fields to harder labor, and
the promises of the planters agents
are bluntly described as lies. The
radical members Of the Italian Parlia-
ment are especially importuned to use
their influence in common with trades
union men to prevent any contracts
being made.
In its zeal to prevent wrong the
San Francisco Labor Council goes fur
Their than the facts warrant, though
| there remain sufficient grounds for oh
lection to the contract system as II
stands. The Chronicle" has more
than once been represented by staff
correspondents in Hawaii, part of
whose duty 1t was to investigate the
! life Of the cane fields and report its
conditions. Though opposed to the
system of labor we are bound to say
that the overseer with the whip is a
freak of the perturbed imagination and
never real presence. The usual at
titude Of the luna, OF overseer, in
Hawaiian cane field is that of an honest
foreman on San Francisco job of
street paving. He sees that SO much
work Is done fer SO much pay. The
difference is that, instead Of discharg-
ing a mutinous laborer the luna re-
ports him to the civil authorities, and
IL the case is aggravated enough the
man goes to Jail. II of minor conse-
quence the remedy is fine. We have
never known of any cruelty practiced
on these plantations. From anything
Of that kind the foreign contract labor
er is protected by his Consul. For the
rest he has good shelter, good food
and, SO far as the Chronicles" various
Investigations have shown, q better
time than he usually enjoys at home.
But the fact remains that the i'm
portation Of foreign contract labor is
un-American and ought not to be per-
mitted on United States soil. 1t is
also unlawful, despite the contrary i'm
preston which the labor circular rath-
err disingenuously undertakes to con-
vey. But for the failure of the last
Congress to pass the bill extending the
labor laws Of this country to Hawaii
the importation of contract field hands
would now be impossible, either from
Italy, China, Japan on any other for
eign country. Congress neglected its
duty in that respect, but will doubtless
perform 1t next winter, as the claim OF
the planters that free labor would ruin
the island industry cannot be substan-
tiated. The plantations could pay dou-
BILE the price for labor now ruling on
American farms and at the same time
declare larger dividends on the capital
invested than any other legitimate.
business OF which We have any knowl-
edge. When dividends go up from 10
, to GO and 80 and then 40 per cent. and
!, beyond, and when plantations like the
Eva make so much that they present
each stockholder with an amount in
shares equal to his original holding so
as to reduce the prepOsterous ratio Of
his interest. 1t is idle to talk Of the
stern necessity OF cheap labor. Such an
industry as that of island sugar could
be compelled to employ free and dear
labor from the United States without
, doing it the slightest injustice.-S. F.
Chronicle July 10.