The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-06


proportion to their incomes for educa-
ton than the Anglo Saxon can appre-
ciate.
Although the Chinese knew the hard
ship of the United States Exclusion laws
they made no outward objection to The
annexation of the Islands to the United
States, probably because such objections
might have been futile tbut more than
likely because they had confidence in the
leadership of~the parties who advocated
it. They We're intensely surprised and
indignant, however, when it was found
that the United States authorities pro-
ceeded to put said laws into force i'm
mediately, even before Congress had sup
piled the machinery for carrying said
law into effect. The United States Off
GERS began by refusing to honor permits,
issued in good faith by the Hawaiian
government, in accordance with an epin-
ion rendered by the Attorney General.
The American community on the Islands
was shocked at such an opinion, and on
appeal to the full Cabinet he evidently
was directed to issue a contrary opinion
Which held a more liberal view of the
situation and it was ordered that all per-
mits issued by the Hawaiian government
should be honored. 1t gave the Chinese
a taste of what consideration they were
TO receive at the hands of American Off
Gals. Notwithstanding such a ruling, the
extent to which the ramification of de-
csions, opinions of the Attorney General,
opinions of the Secretary of the Treas
ury, etc, etc, on law which was prim-
arily intended to exclude "laborers'' has
gone has imposed great hardship on a
people who were here by invitation and
TO whom the country is so much in
/ debted.
Section of the Organic Act declares
that all persons who were citizens of the
Republic of Hawaii on August 12th 1898,
are citizens of the United States. The
Constitution of the United States de-
clares that all persons born or naturaliz-
ed in the United States and subject to
the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of
( the United States. Under the former all
! Chinese, born or naturalized in the Ha-
waiian Islands become American citi-
zens, and under the latter all born since
1898, August 18th, are citizens. There
were but few Chinese naturalized, about
! 20 in the past fifty years, but the births
cannot be approximately estimated. The
United States census recorded ali child
rem of the half blood as part Hawai-
J ian,' but in course of time the Census
Bureau will give the details of parentagt
of all who were enumerated.
It is unfortunate that the record Of
births kept by the Hawaiian government
was so careIessly kept that it is value
less in proving facts of birth of Chinese
as it makes it difficult for the older Chi
nese to obtain witnesses to the fact o
their having been born on the Islands
Section 101 of the Organic Act provide
for the registration of all Chinese labor
ers, and prohibits the Chinese resident
of the Islands from going 10 the main
land. While this law gave them one yea
in which they might register, the machin
cry for such registration was not proyid
ed until seven and one half months o
the year had elapsed. Then again on tn
application of some merchants for regis
ira ton, they were refused on the groun
that their business or investment was TO
small for them to be entitled to tn
status of a merchant. And yet Section
of the Act of 1898 defines the word "mer
chant as employed herein and in tn
acts of which this is amendatory, as haN
? ing the following meaning and non
/ other: a merchant is a person engage
? in buying and selling merchandise, at
f fixed place of business, and who durln
5 the time he claims to be engaged as
merchant, does not engage IN the pei
formance of any manual labor, exceI
: such as is necessary in the conduct of
, business as such merchant. Money Is NJ
: mentioned as a means for determinin
/ as TO whether he is a merchant or no
! few hundred merchants were burn.
s out during the fires for the suppressio
S of the bubonic plague. and pending re-
: ompense by the Government they wei
e compelled to seek employment at oth'
t businesses These were denied registr;
e ton as merchants. 1t was exceeding
: unfortunate that they should nave 10
d the high status of merchants, which Il
s treaty and law gives, on account OF
o ton of the authorities.
n OF late there have been some con
nents on the hardship to Chinese whl'
:, have arisen under the Registration AZ
d as to those who were not able to regi
y ter for reasons of which they had no CO
: troll. The law makes due provisions I
J. such cases and they may be registered
j, Washington on order of court havi1
r jurisdiction.
i The Registration Act does not requi
5 the exempt classes to register,
If though it says they may do SO. Inc
st are citizens, teachers, students, me
ID chants, travellers for curiosity, etc.
ir J. w. GIRVIN