The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-27
sn. who brought US emigrants te

Assn. who brought us emigrants to
Hawaii
Is it fitting and just, Honorable Sir,
that, as the Bible says the just be paid
like sinners? Is it possible that we
Porto Ricans are treated all alike and
that no distinction is made?
Such, we are sorry to say, has been
the custom among the managers of
| plantations. That manager or overseer
IS indeed "rara avis" who makes some
show of r1agnaninity to the one among
us who contributes his regular quota
of rude labor in the luna's tirne-book
Our information is honest and correct
Let there be an honest, impartial IN
vestigation; let an unbiased. impartial
| commission be named, one that will re-
ceive suggestions from neither side. and
we assure you, sir, that our complaints
| will be found to be well founded.
In this plantation (Kekaha) there is
movement in course of progress which
is unqualihedly inhuman, to which move
ment we energeticallv protest, denounc-
ing it, within the limits of our perfect
right to the prime gubernatorial author
ity of this Territory whose prestiges
in re the laws and Constitution are
above those of defamers who make no
secret of it that the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters Assn. has more power in
Hawaii than Plus K has in the Catholic
world
Honorable Sir, the case in question is,
that we the subscribers have been notf-
fed that we will have to look for work
and shelter elsewhere, this being the
determination of the man who repre-
sents this plantation. This is all well
and good, but, Sir, we are here Gin
Hawaii and were made to leave Our
homes for the end of working in agri-
culture and to work in a natural and
Just way and never by brute force being
used to work for an existence. TO procure
the necessaries of life. And since we
love life, and since we have an unde
niable right to preserve it, we cannot
and nor will we tolerate now to be con-
den1ned to die of starvation.
We are not willing nor can we be
made to submit to worse conditions than
those of brute animals, of those animals
who have been useful To man in The
diverse works of human activity.
We have worked here ever since we
have reached here from Puerto Rico, |
hard and steadily whenever we were able
until the wear and tear OF our organ |
isms began to tell the sad story of old |
age and irfrmity in one and physical
debility in another. This, far from fill |
ing. one with disdain and cruelty should |
90 far in being productive of respect |
and sympathy.
Among the subscribers there are wi !
dows with children, elderly people FAM
lilies. some sick ones, and others almost /
useless for hard work. / would res
refer you to one OF them,
Secundo Troche, so years of age, whose
left arm has become useless by the TIM
railing of a car The plantation is res
Tor this gruesome deed. The
poor man has not, up to date, put IN
any claims,
And again. others among Us, though
suffering are working as much as they /
can. and others are living on charity
coming from our fellow countrymen. No
aid whatsoever is given by the planta-
ton. nothing more than the small and
poor habitations where we are sheltered.
This situation Honorable Sir. IS terrible
without our being able TO remedy it.
We have not thrown ourselves on to the
mercy of the public, beggi- & aims, be-
cause the laws of the Territory strictly
prohibit it. Nor have we ever made
,nv attempts on our lives, because we
40 not feel ourselves neither valiant nor
,owardly enough for fulfilling such an
act. Nor can We have recourse to vio-
ent and criminal extremes, because we
wish to maintain our character and
principle of docility and respect for the
avs.
What then. Sir, are we to do? Is
here any other course left to us than,
~ means of this missive to appeal to
-ou and demand justice?