Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-01-19

Washington, Jan. 13-The senate
committee on Porto Rico and the Pa
sific Islands met yesterday to receive
he report of the subcommittee ap~
pointed at the close of the last session
# congress to investigate conditions
n the Hawaiian islands. This sub
committee consisted of Senators
Mitchell OF Oregon, Burton of Kansas,
Foster of Washington, COckreu OF
Missouri and Blackburn of Kentucky
The last two named did not visit the
Islands, but Senator Blackburn joined
in the recommendations, numbering
&c. The visit to the islands was made
asst September and covered 25 days,
during which time 43 meetings were
aeId and ITO witnesses We're tnterro-
gated.
Leprosy.
The condition of affairs i'm the leper
settlement on the island of Molokai
excited the Iiveliest interest. The
committee made a quite thorough in
1uiry concerning this settlement
which is under territorial control, with
the result that it recommends that the
management of the colony be trans
ferred to the marine hospital service
with headquarters in Washington and
that a general leprosariO or retreat Tor
all the Iepers of the United States be
established ON that island. At the
time of the visit of the committee
there were S58 IeprOus patients in the
settlement. The opinion is expressed
that there are many hundreds of other
cases of lepposy in the territory. In
the past year on the Molokai settle
ment there were IA deaths and 16
births in the colony, eight of the chill
dren BORN being flIegitimate. Much
diversity of opinion was found IN the
territory as to whether the control OF
the settlement should be retained by
the territorial government, though all
the territorial officers were found to
be favorable to such retention. The
committee takes strong grounds in IA
vor of a change, and in this connec-
ton freely discusses the conditions
with reference to morality which pre-
vail, saying:
your committee has been some
what surprised to find that under eX-
listing management of the leper settle
ment, indiscriminate Legitimate and
iIlegitfnrate Capitalization is permitted
in the settlement. Marriages are SUI
fered to be celebrated between lep-
rous men and women, regardless of
their physical condition. Children are
born in the settlement of leprOus
union and las IA result, of concubinage,
and, strange as it may appear, the
leading officials seem to regard all
this not only 3as permissible, but pro
test vigorously against system of
segregation that would prevent it,
F'urtaaBr along tine committee says
that unrestricted ilFegitimate associa-
ton is permitted by the authorities,
and adds: THE only attempt seem
ingIy to abate or minimize this evil is
by cOunseIfng and earnestly urging
marriage on the part of lepers, even
going so Tar in this direction; as to aid
facilitating divorce where a leprOus
man or woman has a wife or husband
outside of the settlement, so that the
husband or wife thus released from
he marriage obligation might again
De married to a leper and inmate of
he Ieper settlement. %
Labor Problem.
In connection with it's discussion Of
he labor question, the committee
axes up the effort on the part Of the
BUSINESS men of the islands to secure
he removal of some of the restric-
ions on Chinese immigration. This
esire is conceded to be very general,
ut Senators Mitchell and Foster, rep
esenting a majority of the sub-com
littee, take very positive ground in
opposition. They say that the condi-
ions are not different in the islands
rom what they are on the mainland,
nd make the usual argument against
Chinese admission. They contend al
o that the Chinese do mulch to intro
luce and maintain bubonic plague and
}ther contagious diseases.
Senator Burton takes the opposite
Eew. He says that neither the ma
ives nor white men will work IN the
sugar fields and he calls attention to
he freedom with which oriental labor
was brought in in the days Of the mon
lrchy. ut is" he says, "a we'll known
TACT that the country over there was
very prosperous when it was king
]Om. and continued very prosperous
under the provisional government and
Inder the republic. It's period of de-
Zine began with annexation and mat
ers have gone on under annexation
rom bad to worse until today the
pecter of hard times is found every
where throughout the islands" He
avs the Chinese are preferable to the
japanese and he urges that it is an
nfair discrimination to allow the lat J
er to come in unrestricted and not to
ermit the former to come in at all. :
lie suggests that Chinese be allowed
euter to perform agricultural labor
nd for no other purpose.