14: THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. 



subsequent importations of labor have been 90 or 95 per cent. Japanese and Chinese 

 coolies. 



BUT THIS DELIBERATE BAD FAITH IS NOT ALL. 



The government of the islands, which is admittedly merely holding over until 

 Congress provides a permanent form of administration, has been diligently granting 

 additional licenses tc import coolies under contracts. These contracts run from three to 

 five years. It is now brazenly asserted in official circles at Honolulu that, even if the 

 United States government applies its alien-contract laws to Hawaii, the coolies who 

 are now being rushed into the islands will be compelled to serve out their time. Hono- 

 lulu advices dated October 11, 1898, and published in the American newspapers, reported 

 the arrival of 2,000 coolies, and it is stated that the total importations during the calen- 

 dar year 1898 will exceed 10,000 coolies. 



The "hold-over" government at Honolulu has thus not only violated its moral 

 obligations to Congress and the American people, but has done everything possible to 

 gain added advantages for the island planters, in opposition to the laws of the United 

 States. 



Still more: The Hawaiian planters now insist upon the right to continue the 

 importation of coolies. They have urged this point most emphatically upon the honor- 

 able commission appointed to investigate and report a plan for administrating the 

 islands. The planters have further boldly declared their purpose to maintain a lobby 

 at Washington until Congress grants them the right to contract labor in perpetuity. 



History fails to record so colossal an exhibition. of "gall." Granted free admis- 

 sion to the United States market for 20 years, this little body of Hawaiian planters drew 

 $70,000,000 in bounties from the American people's remission of duties, until they became 

 the wealthiest body of like numbers in the world. Annexation now perpetuates this 

 remission of duties to an amount that will probably exceed $10,000,000 next year and is 

 likely to largely increase in future. The planters are thus practically freed from 

 taxation to support the United States government. In addition to all these priceless 

 advantages, obtained largely as a result of bad faith, the Hawaiian syndicate now 

 demands the right to employ slave labor! 



ABUSES AMONG THE COOLIE SLAVES. 



The condition of these contract coolies is in many respects worse than that of slaves. 

 They are paid $13 to $16 a month, less $3 to $5 per month deducted for food furnished, be- 

 sides which they are given fuel, sheds to live in, and receive medical attention when sick. 

 Their roofed sheds are filled with bunks. The immorality among them is most shocking. 

 It cannot be even referred to in print. If the contract laborer refuses to work, the law 

 allows his owner to fine him and he is also imprisoned until he does work. These coolies 

 are procured by false promises of "an easy job." Japs resent the imposition and are 

 cross and anxious to better their condition. They are kept at work only by severe 

 overseers and fear of losing every cent they have earned, which can be taken away from 

 them by the legal system of "fines." In a word, these coolies are owned bodily by their 

 employers, and are so maltreated that they seldom renew their contracts and desert at 

 any opportunity. Once a coolie gets free of his contract, be returns to his native land, 

 or if he stays in Hawaii, it is as a "free" laborer. The very language of the plantation 

 is that of slavery, with its "contract-men" for bondman or slave, and its "free labor." 



SOME INTERESTING SIDELIGHTS 



oil the contract-labor system are afforded by the following verbatim report, copied from 

 the Hawaiian Planters' Monthly for December, 1897, Vol. XVI, Pages 595-6: 



