The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-06-03
GRAND IURY'S
REPORT ON
RUSSIANS
United States Inquisitors Finds
That They Were Not
Deceived.
IMMIGRANTS QUESTIONED
Charges of Misrepresentation
Fade Away Under Official
Investigation.
IMMIGRANTS QUESTIONED

The United States grand jury has
made a thorough investigation into the
stories of bad treatment and misrepre-
sentation, so clamorously told by the
Russians not long since, and as a result
of that investigation viii report to the
encouragement of the United States
at Washington that there is absolutely
no foundation for the Russian yarns.
The report will state that 1t IS pos
sible the agents of the board of i'm
migration may have painted conditions
in Hawaii in somewhat more rosy tlnts
than the facts entirely warrant, nut
there is no evidence of any deliberate
attempt at Misrepresentation. Neither
is there any evidence, the report VIII
say, of any violation Of the contract
labor laws; no contracts, so tar as tne
grand Jurors have been able to ascer'
tain, were entered into before the hus-
slams sailed for Hawaii.
It appears that when the loud,mouth-
ed Russians who so vociferously pro-
claimed their grievances in the GOV
ernor's office, on the capitol GROUNDS,
nm the streets and elsewhere, found
themselves before the cold4blooded fed
eral inuuisitors, their certitude OF III
treatment suddenly vanished and they
did not even try to tell the SAD, SAD
tale they had so often told to others
There must be something in the at
mosphere of the federal court and OF
the grand jury room that taxes tne
assurance out Of the natural preVarica-
Tor and makes him more inclined to
10 &c "a NJ
NAV he that Breckons is able to hypno-
tize even Russian agitator INTO TOT,
getting himself long enough to deal
with facts instead of fancied grew
anees and manufactured tales of abuse.
A subcommittee of three members of
tbe Grand Jury was appointed to in
vestigate the Russian matter, ana THESE
tbree grand Jurors had large number
oF the Russians before them. And
these Russians did not claim that the
men were promised $45 month wages
and the women $40 to $35. Neither
ala thew saw anything about any prom
5ses made them by the recruiting agents
tbo+ tbe Russian women would be able
to earn $3.50 a day picking coffee:
There was nothing about an acre OF
Ion6 with n house on it, which said
acre and house should belong to the
Russian after he had worked for the
n1artation three years. Neither was
there ANYTHING testified to about any
5000 cash TO be paid Mr.. Russian IN
ease he should prefer to take the cash
and let the credit-and the house-go
The Russians forgot all about having
been promised free fuel for warming
fbeir Understanding their houses II
Hawaii. forsooth-and that fine house
with a kitchen in it degenerated lnt'
\ forgotten myth when they stood be
fore the inauisitors and told the sac
sweet story Of their lives.
And so the report of the grand jury
that will 90 forward to Washington
win he to the effect that all the rue
tion raised by the immigrants atte
their arrival at Honolulu was withou
justification in fact and that they real
" have no good grounds for complaint
Perhaps a mild suggestion may be mad
that Jack Atkinson was little to-
enthusiastic and that the Manchurial
SHOWS brought a little too wildly t.
his imagination the dear remembere'
halmy breezes of Hawaii-but tina
win be about all.
Incidentally, United States Distrlc
Attorney Breckons will himself max
a report to the attorneyge general
effect about the same as that to b
made by the grand jury.
The reports will be made in accord
nnee with instructions received froI
the department of justice by Nj
Breekons, the department of 1ustlc
having taken the matter up ON aceoun
of the fact that Russian newspape
IN New York brought to the attentio
Of the department of commerce an
labor the charges of bad treatmeT
made the Honolulu Russians as repor
ed in full at the time by The Adve
user.