The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-09-28
STEVENS MEN
RAISE ROW

agents now engaged in securing labor.
ers for the sugar plantations from
Panay met with trouble recently when
they invaded the Island of Negros TO
enlist men to swell their ranks.
At Silay, where they made their
first effort, several public demonstra.
tons were made against them, they
were warned against turning tne pan.
tation laborers away from their pres.
ent existing contracts, and threats of
violence were made against them if
they attempted to take laborers away
from that island.
The lloilo Enterprise calls their ac.
ton in invading Negros "lamenta-
BILE indiscretion,' and sums up the
| efforts of the agents in the following:
'Up to the present The Enterprise
has been in full sympathy with the
efforts of the Hawaiian Sugar Plant.
ers Association to secure Filipino la.
borers to replace the Japanese upon the
plantations in the Hawaiian Islands.
''But the local agent of the asso.
citation has now displayed a woeful
want of tact and discretion by send.
ing employment agents to Negros Is.
land, who will seek recruits from
among the laborers who are and have
been domiciled upon our own local
plantations.
When it is understood that most
of these laborers are living upon or
about the plantations under agreements
with the plantation owners and often
have been brought there and provided
with houses at great expense by them,
the approach of agents who are delib-
erately offering inducements to the la-
borer to become contract jumper
could hardly be expected to be view
ed with coolness and equanimity.
SIN white community in our West
or South, violence would be expected.
In community of people naturally
more excitable, such as the Filipinos,
it would be even more probable.
'The agents went to Silay. 1t is
to the everlasting credit of the natives
there that there were no real overt
acts and actual violence. The agents
were undoubtedly intimidated, and
their withdrawal was effected by means
of threats.
According to reports the employ
ment agents proceeded to Silay on
Tuesday morning. Upon landing they
were Informed by personal friends that
if their object in coming was to Sc
cure men, that they had better not at
tempt it, because they would get into
trouble; that the plantation owners of
Silay would not permit them to take
any of their men.
"Later the President of Silay is said
to have visited, the agents and to have
informed them that if they proceeded
to take laborers from the plantations
that he would not be responsible for
what might happen. Later on a pro-
cession passed the agents with band
and banner marked DO not be de-
ceived by the Judas and Down with
Judas, and they were hooted by the
crowd. The agents by this time were
much disturbed, and they report that
at about nightfall another crowd of
men came by their house and made
threats, and they also report that some
bore as arms, axes and other imple
ments. This was enough for the Fill
pino agents, and at three O'Clock in
the morning they report that they beat
an orderly retreat to Bacolod to the
south, and there cabled to Mr.. Steven,
the head agent, for a launch. The es-
Gaping agents report that THE taos
Qaborers) on the plantations are anx-
| ious to leave for Hawaii, and the hacen
deros are taking these measures to stop
them
"Mr. Steven is quoted as saying
that he had met with so much opposi-
tion on the Island of Panay that he
wished to secure, if possible, the friend
ly offices of the planters on Negros,
and visited Silay on Sunday for that
purpose; that his views not being IA
vorably received by the planters, he
did not feel that he was under any
| further obligations to the hacenderos
there to keep his men off the island.
| Mr.. Steven thinks the threatening at
titude of the people there was so fool
ish that it needs no comment, and he
wishes it distinctly understood that i'll
! treatment of his men will not be toler,
ated, and that as the local authorities
of Silay did not afford them protection,
the whole matter will be laid before
the Acting Governor General on his
arrival in Iloilo.
"'The attitude of the Acting Gov
ernor General in the matter will be
| interesting to observe. He is but re-
Gently from a conference at Zamboanga
with the American planters of Davao,
who had grievance almost similar to
the present one, of the planters of
SHAY There he put himself squarely
on record as opposed to contract jump
ers.
SIN all probability he will advise
against any active campaign for labor
ers in Negros, where, at best, the plan
tation owners have but a scant supply
of labor and where every year thou
sands of laborers have to be brought
from Capiz and Antique to meet the
needs of the harvest season.
An editorial in the Cablenews on the
subject follows:
The Affair at Silay.
1t will probably dawn upon the Ha'
waiian agents who are seeking labor
ers in the Philippine Islands that they
are attempting to rob Peter to pay