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

and will I hope, continue to do So I
do, however. not object to being con-
suited upon that point In professional
way.
Only this: Let Congress repeal the
laws against contract labor and assist
ed immigration. There is no "ra! son
d'etre" for such legislative stupidities.
James w Girvin, accountant. formerly
Hawaiian Consul at San Diego, and for
the past five years in charge of Chinese
immigration to this country, writes:
l am not interested to one cent in
the products of contract labor. 1 have
seen it in operation for over thirty
years and have seen it rarely abused
by the employer. Occasionally an EN-
pioyer who has risen from nonenttty
abuses the trust reposed in him. In a
hundred instances to one the laborer
takes advantage of his position to the
loss of his employer. In over " per
acts merely as an imaginary fence.
The rare instances In which the par
venu or some one put In authority
abuses his position have been so mag
nfied that contract system has be-
come a bugbear.
1 think the. system could be dis,
pensed with if there no longer existed
necessity for advancing the passage
money of the laborer. An unbiased
Legislature should have the deciding
as to retaining the penal contract law.
I consider a proffer to share the prof
its with the laborer will be Induce
ment sufficient to bring all the re-
is so full of laborers in need of work
that good agents could select from ev-
cry nation thousands of men en- who
would make good citizens and tillers of
the soil. Occasionally the agents
would be deceived. but to no greater
extent than other employers now are
A diversity of people is deslderatum.
No one race should be brought in dis
proportionate numbers to others.
Professor NJ. NJ. Scott. principal of the
High School, says:
am emphatically opposed to penal
contract labor laws. l have no sug-
gestion to make as to the protection
Of the EMPLOYERS of labor" unless it is
to let the laborers protect themselves.
Hon. H. NJ Whitney, the Nestor of our
press and editor of the Planters monthly
says:
have always preferred free labor
where obtainable Whether this is prac-
ticable or not in our Isolated position
remains to be seen.
Dor from Europe is allowed to US as is
the custom of the United states see
no reason why there should De any
scarcity of labor in future from Japan
or the Philippines. This latter country
may soon be the open door for US in
this respect.
Hon. A V. Gear of the Hawaiian
House of Representatives says:
No. I am not in favor of retaining
the penal contract labor laws and l
consider that they were done away
with when the American flag was
raised here, notwithstanding the de-
cisions of the Supreme Court to the
contrary.
should look after their own protectlon
in their investments and that with
proper treatment of their laborers
there will be no serious difficulties In
the labor market.
Capital will command labor and the
problem of securing sufficient labor
for the needs of our agricultural in
dustries is not a difficult one if labor
ers are properly treated and SUFFICIENT
ly paid.
Wallace r. Harrington, editor of the
Evening Bulletin, writes:
Emphatically no. The best protec-
ton l can suggest is the speedy eX-
tension and strict enforcement of the
constitution of the United States and
American labor laws. Since our ma
ton has settled the question of human
slavery at a cost of millions of dol
lars and thousands of lives it i'll be-
comes any citizen of the United States
to request a reconsideration of the
problem.
A purchase the value of which de-
ponds upon penal contract labor laws
should be promptly confiscated like
any other contraband American goods.
Sugar production is the only industry
possibly threatened by insufficient la
Dor. 1t has yet to be proved that the
institution of the profit-sharing system
will not solve this problem.
Henry Smith. attorney and chief CLERK
of the Judiciary Department and an Ha
Waiian, says:
am not in favor of retaining the
penal clause to labor contracts.
A. S. Humphreys, a leading lawyer, who
states that all his investments are IL
sugar securities, says:
Emphatically no. The employers of
labor here need no protection in their
investments except such as is afforded
pmDl0NerS
countries. Legislators are concerned
in other countries about protecting la
Dor against capital. The employers of
labor in these islands can easily stand
an increase in wages of so per cent, and
with such increase sturdy Anglo
Saxon yeomanry can be secured for
our plantations. In these islands, as
the laws now exist and are enforced by
complacent officials. the laborer is re-
garded as neither worthy of his hire
nor his liberty.
1t is not possible to secure self
respecting white men to work on our
plantations, under penal contracts, for
SIS or 500 month Plantations that ne
paying 80 per cent on watered stock
have it in their. power to dispose of
what they are pleased to call the ia
Dor problem" by paying better wages.
Bruce Cartwright, general insuranc,
agent, says:
I believe in contract labor laws with
out the penal clause. L further believe
in vagrancy laws and their strict en-
forcement.
l have every confidence in the wis
dom and ability of the members of the
Planters Labor and Supply Company,
and believe them able to cope with the
labor question intelligently.
George A. Davis. another of our promi
nent lawyers, says:
AS long as Asiatic labor is imported
and employed the penal clause is the
only protection that capital has, and
II should stand. If white labor can be
employed and do the work on the plan
tation the clause must be repealed I
must confess that l fear that the work
in the canefields cannot be performed
by white laborers.
The business interests of the country
must be protected. Congress should
give the planters time in the matter of
the penal clause as to ASiatic laborers
Corporal punishment should be done
away with, and any manager who al
lows it on the plantations should be
prosecuted
would like to see the negroes of the
South sent here in large numbers.
They can do the work and would make
good citizens if treated properly.
Frederick w. Hankey is one of the
bright lawyers who have recently Joined
us from the mainland. He says:
No. Capital protects itself. The most
engrossing problem of the age is as
to how labor shall be protected, not
alone from motives of justice, but to
solve a question vital to the endur-
e