The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-08
HAWAIIAN LAWYER
jailed, BOUNDED
FOR STRIKE AID
Denied Parole; U. S. Su-
gar Kings Control Board
BY LAURANCE TODD.
Federated Press)

WASHINGTON, June z (FP).-
Pablo Manlapit, Hawaiian lawyer of
Filipino race, who encouraged many
thousands of Filipino workers on
sugar plantations in Hawaii to strike,
in 1924, for a 81 basic wage, and who
has served two years in prison as a
result, is the center of a fight between
the sugar barons and their territorial
government at Honolulu and the hui
manitarian element in the Hawaiian
Islands. Manlapit's story has come
to Washington. Efforts are about to
be made by progressives to compel
the territorial authorities to answer
for their arbitrary and vindictive at
titude, which seems to be due to the
fact that these officials are in the
sugar business. Manlapit is victim
Of the class government which the
sugar companies maintain for their
private protection.
AS the story has been told by Amer
leans who have brought it to Wash
ington, the Filipino plantation work
ers in Hawaii were brought there to
supplant Chinese, Portuguese and
Japanese labor which had in turn sup
planted the native Hawaiian workers
on the plantations. Native population
had fallen in so years Of hard toll on
these plantations from a total of
100000 to 21,000. Japan's govern
ment refused to permit Japanese peas
ants to come to Hawaii to work at
$40 a month and company house,
which was the rate paid Chinese and
Portuguese on 2-year contracts. So
the Japanese were paid more, and the
Chinese secured better conditions, I'M
til some Is years ago the Filipinos be-
gan coming, under a contract system
They accepted the offer of $50 a
month, with return passage guaran-
teed at the end of years.
Shoot Down Strikers.
Manlapit became counsel for q
union which was established among
these Filipino plantation hands. Sym
pathizing with their misery in coun-
/ try where the cost Of living was rap
idly rising. he inspired them with q
hope that they could win better terms
by striking. The stoppage Of work
that followed was joined by thousands
who were not under contract. Amer
lean owners of plantations, organized
in the Hawaiian Sugar Planters
Assn, became panic-stricken. They
feared that the strikers would form 8
/ permanent union which would force
them to pay wages far above the old
level. Manlapit was denounced as 9
dangerous agitator Police were sent
out to COW the strikers. Many were
arrested. Crowds of strikers were
shot dead and a score left wounded
The strike was broken. The Filipinos
went back to the fields. Manlapit wa:
arrested on conspiracy charge, anc
was convicted and sentenced to serve
from to 10 years in prison.
Refuse Him Parole.
After two years he was entitled e
parole from the prison board, but
when he applied for it, in January
1927, the board ruled that unless he
would submit to deportation to the
Philippine Islands he would not be
paroled. He had never lived in the
Philippines. His wife is a white Amer
lean citizen. He has four small chill
dren. The sugar planters influence
| had been such that organized charity
in Honolulu found pretexts for refus
ing aid to his family. His wife went
to work in a laundry at SO week
and she was induced to sign over The
custody Of her children to an orphan
asylum. Under these circumstances
Manlapit refused to accept deporta
ton to the Philippines unless his fam
lily were sent with him. The boart
refused to consider such a suggestion
Even after the states attorney decide,
that the board could not order hin
deported, the board refused the pa
role. Two of the three members o.
the board are prominent in sugal
companies, while the third is a formei
l. w. W, converted to Y. M. G. A
and Boy Scout work. lie spoke sym
pathetically Of Manlapit-and votec
to hold him in prison.
Gov. Harrington, who could fore,
the board to release THIS victim o.
sugar planters vengeance, is a part
ner in a newspaper enterprise with
one Of the biggest men in the sugar
planters organization. He has evadec
the issue, claiming that it was a mat.
ter for the board to handle.