Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-04-09

be found any number Of persons, VINO
think that prostitution ceases to be an
evil when II becomes public, or when
sanctioned by public officers. or that
official recognition of this social Of
tense does away with its danger to
society, or that authorized houses Of
prostitution is any more protection to
good people, than would the creation
of dens Of thieves be security against
stealing. II seems to be an admitted
fact that the presence of criminals in
creases crime. and that all forms OF
public offenses should be eradicated by
the punishment of the criminals.
Every crime which goes unpublished Is
dangerous to the well being Of the peo-
pie, and any crime like that Of 1wilei
is an attack upon the purity OF the
home. There should be no debateable
ground about such a place as Iwilei.
When public prostitution is maintained
by the public as Il Is at Iwilei for the
money there is in 1t, 1t .owers the stan
dard OF our home life, d.. races the
fair name Of our Territory. and to some
extent 1t makes every citizen party to
the wrong done.
Gentlemen Of the Grand Jury:-The
official records OF the Board OF Health
Of the Territory OF Hawaii, show that
during the past year not less than
forty of the one hundred and forty.
three women formerly at Iwilei became
pregnant while there. Some children
have been born to them and have al
ready become objects Of charity. 9th.
ers are not yet born. Indeed the story
OF Iwilei is too disgusting to repeat.
II will thus be observed that the his.
tory Of affairs at lwilei conclusively
shows that that institution Is not only
an attack upon the laws OF the United
States, but upon the morals of the COM
munity. and It is a most painful at.
tack upon the honor of American citi.
zenship. here. by flooding this Terri.
tory with ill-begotten children, con-
ceived, II not born in place Of prosti,
tuition, which OF necessity must be q
breeder OF criminals.
In any phase of the matter. Iwilei Is
a school for crime. Over one-fourth Of
the women there have children. born
before or within this year: most Of
them are now infants and the OFF,
spring of Twilei associations. Practi-
cally all the japanese women, and
most Of them are japanese, have mas
ters who receive the money they thus
earn. These masters. II not fathers.
husbands or brothers. are purchasers
OF the women. and thcy control them
as much as a livery man controls his
horses. The oft repeated statement
that II we close Iwilci II will scatter
those prostitutes over the town. is not
true: they are scattered now.
These women do not 1--we at Iwilei;
they only go there Of evenings. They
seek their homes up town about 10 or
II o'clock at night. Some have homes
OF their own and live ut home: some
are servants in families, but all go back
to town. They are in no sense isolat-
ed: Iwilei is not their home; they
neither eat or sleep there, and so the
place is a greater disgrace to the com.
munity. and a growing danger to clvi.
iized government.
The truth is that Iw!lei is not. as is
often stated. resort Tor seamen-.it Is
rather a resort for the lowest order Of
men-Americans and Asiatics alike.
instruct you. gentlemen, to fully in
vestigate the facts in this matter. SO
that we may know whether or not. at
Iwilei, women are sold for the purposes
OF prostitution. You Will also find out
who claims TO own them. and TO whom
the proceeds of their vile practices are
paid. What men are accessory to these
crimes; who manages the place and
collects the rents for TIE rooms: and
the names of all who receive the
spoils: and II the servitude OF these
poor women exists for this or any other
purpose: and in a word. II they are
held to any form of subsection by their
pretended owners. You will subpoena
and examine such witnesses as the Dis
trict Attorney. or others shall point
out. so that the whole truth may be
made known.
II is due to the good people of these
Islands that these shameful proceed
ings he stopped. Two Territorial
Gand Juries have given the broadest
publicity to the situation at Iwilei
without affording any remedy. This
duty, Gentlemen Of the Grand Jury,
Iavnlvnc \ IirArt