The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-06

under the special exempt clause, such as
merchants, etc. No Chinese laborer can
land here no matter whence he came;
Perhaps even a more interesting fact
connected with the labor system is the
resignation of ]. F. Hackfeld, the Consul
for A, Austria ria Hungary, under whose pro pro
presumed to be. Mr.. Hackfelds public
explanation of his resignation is that he
time a stockholder in sugar plantation
and a Consul having to listen to COM
plants Of laborers employed on that plan
tation. The affairs of the Consulate have
been temporarily handed over to F. A.
Schaefer, the Consul for Italy and dean
of the Consular corps, a gentleman who
is to a large extent in the same embar
RAISING duality of responsibility. 1t is I'M
natural, of course, to presume for one
prisoned Galicians and the charges of cru
city they have recently brought have any,
thing to do with the ex-Consuls action;
but while the Government remains very
reticent as to its intentions / have grounds
for stating that a careful but quiet inves-
tigation into these charges of gross cruelty
brought at the time of the arrest nor until
two of the principal witnesses had passed
out of sight with German friend Of So
cialistic tendencies-is being made not
only by the Government immigration Off
Gals but also by private attorneys for the
different interests concerned.
1 have conversed with the warden OF
the prison, Mr.. Henry, and also with the
editor of the Independent, Mr.. Norris,
VINO nTSl CdlIeu dlleHllOn 10 the gross III
justice attaching to the imprisonment OF
these men, and both state emphatically
that until the interview with the editor of
the Volcano no mention of such cruelty
had been made by the men.
Mr.. Henry states that the interview was
an honest one and honestly reported, but
he thinks it strange that they had never
told him previously that they had been
brutally treated. He imputed the trouble
to their being absolutely green hands at
any kind of field labor and to the natural
irritation of lunas who did not speak
their language. His lunas had consider
able trouble to teach them road-makfng,
but with kindness and patience they have
become willing workers and expert at
their work.
But they will not listen to his advice to
go back to work on the plantation, hold
ing that they understood before they left
Bremen that they were to be employed
at their different mechanical trades ana
to have a house and lot of land. This
matter has now reached such a stage
that a demand has been forced for prose-
cution either of those publishing the facts
of the alleged cruelty or of the plantation
lunas for committing 1t, and the resigna-
ton of Mr. Hackfeld will probably expe-
dite matters.
1 have been reliably informed this morn
ing that it is the intention of a number
of the opponents to the penal contract
labor laws and to the continued tucar-
ceration of the imprisoned Galicians and
other laborers to raise a fund by private
subscription to send an attorney to Wash
ington to confer with the Washington au-
thorities in regard to the cOnstitutlonallty
of this Imprisonment under existing con-
ditions. The name of George d. Gear,
toned as the special commissioner. An
effort is also being made to induce the
Government to call an extra session or
the Legislature TO repeal the penal law.