The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-02-06
SARGENT
MAY COME
TO HAWAII
To Study Labor.
Problem on
Ground.
lie Feels a Need
for Further
Light.
A Bright Man Who Can Be
Educated on Real
Situation.

Il When President Roosevelt visits san
, Francisco early in May he will be met
in that city by Frank P Sargent, Com
missioner of immigration, VINO viii seek
plan which the Commissioner has form
ed to visit these Islands and look into
the labor situation on the ground. If
Mr. Sargent carries out his purpose
in this regard, as he has written to
| friends in San Francisco that he in
tends to do the people of Hawaii will
doubtless unite in an effort to give him
a liberal education on the labor prob
lem. Mr.. Sargent is said to be man of
exceptional breadth of mental view. and
so can be educated.
1t viii be remembered that Mr.. Sar-
gent in a conversation with Mr.. Hay
wood some weeks prior to the hearings
before the Senate committee on Inmi-
grafton of the matter of restriction of
Chinese immigration. said that he saw no
particular objection to the admission of
Chinese laborers into Hawaii provided
there were restrictions that would in
sure their return eventually to China, |
and which would prevent their being |
smuggled into the United States. Mr.. |
Haywood then drew up an amendment
to the immigration bill, following along
the lines laid down by Mr.. Sargent in
that conversation, which amendment /
was introduced by Senator Burton.
In the face of this, Mr.. Sargent went
before the senate committee on Immi-
grafton and made the following state
ment, which is taken from the stem
ographic notes:
Mr.. Sargent.-You are going to be
asked in the Senate, gentlemen, to ad-
init Chinese into Hawaii. You are go
ing to hear complaints about the con-
ditions IN Hawaii, and you are going
to hear about the admission of Chinese
into the Philippines. Let US remember
ply to the Philippines, and we are
enforcing these laws just as rigidly in
the Philippines and Porto Rico as we
are here"
Senator Fairbanks-Would you re-
gard the admission of Chinese into Ha-
wall as injurious to the interests of
American workmen?"
Mr. SARGENT most certainly
would, Senator. The admission of Chi /
nese means the admission of them into
the United States. Hawaii is United
States Territory; and the subterfuges
which are used today to deluge this
country with Chinese would be used
more vigorously then, if they were near
~ and handy to get in. Let US remem-
'er this. We do not want any territory 3
# the United States filled with cheap q
abor. Labor is cheap enough today. q
We do not want to put into the hands q
f these great corporations men who b
an be employed for % cents a day Il
We have passed that period"
Inasmuch as Collector of the Port &
traitor, of San Francisco, now in this
ity, has ruled that Chinese from Ha-
All are not admissible to the United 8
tates unless they have been born in the D
stands, it would seem that there were
0me problems in the immigration sit
alton not yet studied out for all that 4
In them by the Commissioner. New "a
'theless, it is unquestionably true that ss
II. Sargent has almost succeeded in kE
coping the smuggling of Chinese into
lie United States over the Mexican and
anadian borders. and that was a
ans work. Also, a man who could 4
D that and also do the other work that
r. Sargent has succeeded in, is capable
being enlightened as to the real
tuation here.
Mr.. Sargent was grand chief of the
of Locomotive Firemen
hen he was called to his present po-
ton, in succession to Powderly, was
Urn in Vermont in 1857, and served one
llistment in the United States cavalry
Arizona. After his discharge from
le army he went to work as an engine