The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-09
UNITED STATES JUDGE HAS BUT
ONE KICK.
Charge to Federal Grand Jury This
Morning-Says Iwilei Must be
Abolished.

1t dealt with but one subject, that of
alleged conditions at Iwilei. 1t was a
sort of a monologue on the subject.
The theory is good, but it is not
practical" was said to Theodore Rich
ards after the reading of the charge
in the court this morning.
Then we want the theory" calmly
replied the gentleman addressed.
Judge Estees charge was delivered
with force and earnestness.
After explaining to the Grand Jury
the nature of their duties and respon-
sibilities Judge Estee proceeded to the
Iwilei matter as follows:
Complaint has been made to this
court, and indeed, it is publicly charged
to be a fact, that a species of involun-
tary servitude exists at a notorious
place in Honolulu, known as Iwilei, and
that certain women are kept in servi-
tude there, for the purposes of prosti-
tuition. If this be so it is contrary to
law and should be stopped. l charge
you that this Republic and all Territor-
les belonging to and which are subor-
dinate to the United States, are dedi-
Gated to human freedom; that neither
slavery nor involuntary servitude can
legally exist anywhere on American
soil.
That the most debasing of all servi-
tudes is where women are sold for the
purposes of prostitution. This is bar
barous and is not only AN attack upon
good government but most vital blow
upon the decencies of civilized life.
TT appears from the recent official
report of the Territorial Grand Jury,
published in the Commercial Adver-
tiser for March 6, 1901, that there were
then 143 female prostitutes in Iwilei, II
of whom were French women. all the
rest being Japanese, not one Hawai-
ian or American among them. None
were citizens.
That there are 225 rooms in Iwi-
lei each room renting for from IL to
Is dollars a month, and one man,
Mr.. Masuda, a Japanese, paid to the
owner of the property bonus of $4,000
to control it, and he does control 1t.
1t is thus a mere money making insti-
tuition, but it's existence is all the more
| dangerous to society. 1t is safe to say
| that there is not another town of 10000
| inhabitants in America, where there
are congregated in one place and pro-
tected by public officers 149 lewd wo-
men now 194) openly and publicly ply
| ing their calling as prostitutes. 1t is
not necessary to inquire how this cry
| ing evil was first started 1t is as
sumed that the public officers who gave
| it the sanction of their approval,
| thought they We're doing right; but it
! is our duty to remove the evil, because
| its existence is illegal and immoral. The
mere pointing out the mistakes of those
| who created it will not alone do that
| 1T seems past belief that in this
! small community, where there are so
many pure and religious people. there
| should be found any number of per-
sons, who think that prostitution ceases
| to be an evil when it becomes public,
or when sanctioned by public officers,
| or that official recognition of this So
| cial offense does away with its dan
ger to society or that authorized
| houses of prostitution is any more pro-
| lection to good people, than would the
! creation of dens of thieves be a seCur-
ity against stealing. 1t seems to be
an admitted fact that the presence of
| criminals increases crime, and that all
| forms of pubic offenses should be era
diCated by the punishment of the Grim
| inals. Every crime which goes un-
punished is dangerous to the well being
of the people, and any crime like that
| of lWilei is an attack upon the purity
| of the home. There should be no de-
| batable ground about such a place as
Iwile. When public prostitution is
maintained by the pubic as it is at
| Iwilei for the money there is in it, it
| lowers the standard of our home life,
| disgraceS the fair name of our Terri
! tory, and to some extent it 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. Others
are not yet born. Indeed the story of
Iwilei is too disgusting to repeat.
1T will thus be observed that the
history of affairs at Iwilei 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 1t 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, if not born in place of prosti-
tuition, which of necessity must be a
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 offspring
of Iwilei assocHtions Practically all
the japanese women and most of then
are Japanese, have masters who re-
ceiVe the money they thus earn. These
masters, if not fathers, husbands OF
brothers. are purchasers of the women
and they control them as much as q
livery man controls his horses. The
oft repeated statement that if we
close Iwilei it viii scatter those pros
titutes over the town, is not true; they
are scattered now.
"These women do not live at Iwilei
they only go there of evenings. They
seek their homes up town about 10 OF
IL o'clock at night. Some have homes
of their own and live at home; som,
are servants in families, but all 60
back to town. They are in no sens,
isolated; Iwilei is not their home; the!
neither eat or sleep there, and so thu
place is a greater disgrace to the com
munity, and growing danger to civn
lied government.
Continued to page five,)