Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-02-26
SEABURY ON CHINESE
CAPTAIN TESTIFIES
BEFORE COMMITTEE
Says Chinese Are Best and Cheapest
Sailors 80 Arguments for
And Against are
Offered,

Chinese exclusion, the California
Commission sought to rectify the blum.
der 1t had committed in recommending
the free entry of five representatives
of every wholesale house in China.
Whether the Commission heard from
the people of California on the Ques.
tion is not known, but it was evident
that a change had come over them.
Their attitude was so much in line
with the action Of the San Francisco
Chamber of Commerce and Merchants
Exchange that a speedily protest was
to he expected from California against
their action.
L. J. Livernash, on behalf of the
Commission, announced that the Com.
mission wished to rcCCde from section
.. the proposed amendment in ques.
ton He said the Commission, after
considering the matter further, had
reached the conclusion that 1t was i'm.
possible to frame an amendment that
would extend the exclusion laws re-
garding merchants without opening
the door to gross frauds. This, of
course, was the attitude OF the Cali.
fOrnia members of Congress from the
beginning. There would have been no
voluntary overtures to the enemies Of
exclusion except by the California
Commission. The California deiega.
tion is gratifed that the members OF
the Commission saw their blunder and
reCeded from 1t, but they fear the
harm has been done all the same by
giving the Eastern interests to under
stand that there is some strength be.
hind the preposteTOus reCommenda.
of Commerce.
1t was learned today that section 8,
TO "liberalize" the exclusion laws. was
first proposed by James ID. Phelan, the
champion of exclusion. who called the
convention at San Francisco. Phelan
told the other Commissioners that he
must insist upon more liberal provi.
siOns for the admission OF the repre-
sentatives of Chinese mercantile
firms. Representative Kahn, who was
present at the meeting OF Californians,
objected strenuously to such an
amendment, but the Commission
adopted it despite his warning. To.
day ne had the satisfaction of seeing
sition and adopt his own.
The speakers at today hearings in.
cluded Maxwell Evarts and Captain
| w. b. Seabury for the Pacific Mail
John NJ. ThurstOn, ostensibly for the
| Philippine investors and Representa-
| tive Kahn, in defense of the Mitchell
Kahn bill. Evarts spoke on the same
lines as yesterday, attacking the de-
tails Of the bill. He read the resolu.
lions of the San Francisco Chamber
of Commerce and Merchants Elk.
change, to show that the people of Cal
| iiornia themselves are divided on the
exclusion policy. He said. regarding
section 81, relating to transit cases
that he stood as he had before the
| Supreme Court, and suggested that
Congress do nothing until the Su
pTeme Court had decided the cases
before 1t, involving the validity of the
Scott act. He declared that the pro
visions Of the pending bill, while pre-
tending to regulate the transit O
Chinese, in reality prohibited transit
Senator Fairbanks drew from Ev
arts an admission that the Pacific Mai
Company did not institute inquiries IL
China regarding the good faith of Chi
nese coming to the United States. al
though the transatlantic COmpaniei
exercise great care in this respect
Coming down to the section prohibit
ing the employment of Chinese crew.
} on American vessels, Evarts was yer,
emphatic. He declared that the Pa
cific Mail would have to lay up IT.
steamers If this provision were en-
acted.
Captain Seabury was then question
ed by Evarts to bring out the CLAIM
that the Pacific Mail is forced to EN-
ploy Chinese crews. Seabury prove,
a first-class witness for the exclusion
lists. He declared that the Chimes
were better men than the average
white crew, and much cheaper. In re
Spouse to questions from Senator Ola,
and others, he said the Pacific Mai
paid Chinese sailors 500 Mexican an,
board, while Write sailors could no
be obtained for less than $25 or S3l
gold. The steamer China, he said, haC
100 men all told, over 100 being Chi
nese. Captain Seabury said Chimes,
had displaced the Japanese even OF
the steamers Of the Togo Kisen Kai
sha Company in certain departments
and had even displaced the paid Las
cars on the Peninsular and Orienta
steamers. They are working out al
, other classes Of labor on shipboard,
he said.
When asked why the Spreckels lin
, not use Chinese in the crew
Captain Seabury said: They cannot
because the Australian Government
which pays Spreckels a subsidy, wi
not allow Chinese to be employed. Tn
; Spreckels company say they hir
whites to protect American labor bu
: it is not so. 1t Is because they canno
} employ Chinese without losing tn
subsidy"
Here Il. j. Livernash announce
tnat the California Commission wish
, ed to recede from its recommendatio
on section 5, liberalizing exclusio
laws relating to merchants. I'VE fec
now that it would be a mistake If
were adopted" he SAID
= Ex-senator Thurston next spoke
= He said he represented the Philippin
! capitalists who incidentally had inte
! ests in China. He opposed any ne'
exclusion legislation, and said tn
q best thing to do would be to re-enaC
, the present laws. At the very last {
, his argument he deity inserted a pie
that no law should be passed for NOR
than two years when the present trei
ty expires. He also advocated the al