Mccook to William H. Seward, September 14, 1868

Mr. McCook to Mr. Seward.

Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith, marked No. 1, a printed copy of an official notice published by me calling the attention of American residents, ship-owners, &c., on these islands to the laws of the United States and the late resolutions of Congress concerning the coolie traffic. I deemed this necessary, both for the information of all concerned, and for the salutary moral influence the publication of these laws, &c., would exert upon the members of this government, just at this time, when they were endeavoring to inaugurate a new scheme for the introduction of bonded laborers, under the name of “immigrants.”

In my dispatch No. 54, dated August 14th, 1868, I expressed the opinion that such an effort would probably be made; since then, the Hawaiian Board of Immigration, as you will see by the inclosure marked No. 2, has solicited proposals for a vessel, to be sent under their auspices, on an expedition to the Gilbert, Caroline, and other South Sea Islands for the purpose of procuring “immigrants.” As the savage inhabitants of these islands possess nothing but muscle, which could be available to the people here, and as the further importation of coolies from China or Japan has been pretty effectually stopped, I can only regard this new enterprise as a project to obtain plantation laborers, by bringing them here under the guise of “immigrants.”

The stand I have taken has led to a very thorough discussion of the whole system of coolie labor by the press of the kingdom; and caused the government to abandon their South Sea “immigrant” scheme, at least for the present.

I inclose an article, marked No. 3, cut from the Ke-Kuokoa, the leading native paper here, which undoubtedly reflects the sentiments of that class of the native population who have any sentiments, and indicates, as well, the feeling of a large majority of the foreign population of the islands.

Hoping my course may meet with your entire approval, I have the honor to be your most obedient servant,

No. 3.

The Commercial Advertiser of last week has a leader devoted to the question of bonded laborers, or, to be plainer, the coolie system of these islands. This is a subject which we have been convinced would sooner or later force itself before the public. It is a question which vitally affects the principal manufacturing interest of the group, and for this reason, no doubt, the discussion has been evaded by the writers for the press; but the time has arrived when the subject must be met and fully ventilated. The article in the Advertiser is simply an answer to one in the Gazette, by which the ministers have evidently sought to mislead foreign communities, for reasons best known to themselves.

We indorse the Advertiser article until it proposes to transfer the prosecution of the coolie immigration from the hands of the government to those of private parties. In this we cannot concur, believing that the coolie system should be abolished and forgotten, the sooner the better. We will neither propose nor support a compromise with a system which tend to degrade a fellow-man. We have no sympathy with a measure which has for its aim the classification of his Majesty’s subjects—the setting apart one class as better than another in the eye of the law. It is our belief that when the Senate of the United States declared that the coolie system only differed from the African slave trade in that it used fraud instead of force to secure its object, it published an opinion which unbiased individuals must indorse. We do not charge that this government is knowingly a party to the fraud. That deceit has been practiced upon the coolies we need no better evidence than the assertion of the Gazette, that during the first years of their bondage they are continually seeking to know the nature and force of their contracts, and it is our belief that they only discontinue their efforts from a sense of utter hopelessness of being righted; yielding in despair to superior force and intelligence. The Japanese recently imported seem to labor under the same ignorance as to the nature of their contracts, and recently we heard that the whole force of Japanese engaged upon a plantation refused to work, and suffered imprisonment, on account of a misunderstanding as to the terms of their contracts; again, the board of immigration notified the employers of Japanese that $10 alleged to have been advanced to them in Japan should be stopped from their wages, which the Japanese deny having received. We believe that fraud was practiced upon both Chinese and Japanese. We were surprised that the Gazette should have stated that the coolie was, upon arrival here, upon equal footing with native laborers, when an act was passed at the recent session of the legislative assembly which empowered the minister of the interior and board of immigration to make such rules and regulations as they might deem best for the proper government of imported laborers; but we are certainly more surprised that the Gazette should dare to deny “in toto” that coolies are brought here. If so, they have practiced the grossest deceit upon planters whom they agreed to furnish with “coolies,” and their agent in China certainly advised them of the shipment “of two hundred and forty-six coolies per Chilian ship Alberto,” and proposed shipment of more per Roscoe. Why not deny that there is a Chinaman on the group? It can be done with equal propriety.

It is of no use for the Gazette “to beg the question” by worse than silly denials. Let the subject receive the attention of the ablest apologists they can secure, or they stand convicted of a grave charge.

It is a source of gratification to Americans that the United States minister resident has taken an early opportunity of declaring, by proclamation, the sentiment of the United States Senate on the coolie question, and we trust that he will receive the sympathy and support of his countrymen in any endeavor he may make to rid these islands of a system so utterly at variance with the spirit of the age.