Blount Report: Affairs in Hawaii
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HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 701
Q. You think the contract labor system would be done away with if there was annexation ?
A. It is so understood.
Q. When these contracts are out do the laborers leave the country?
A. Not necessarily.
Q. Some of them - the Chinese - would have to go back, would not they, under your last legislation?
A. I am not very familiar with the last legislation. My attention has been taken up with other political
aspects.
Q. Do you think the Chinese would remain here?
A. They have remained here in very large numbers. There has been a very large decline in Chinese
population.
Q. Would you expect the United States Government to permit the Chinese population to remain here in
the event of annexation?
A. Just as they permit the Chinese population to remain in the United States. I suppose on the same terms.
Q. The Japanese population - would you expect them to remain mostly when their term of service was
out?
A, I believe the Japanese are under some obligation to their own Government in the matter, which may
constrain them.
Q. Do you think if that is not true that they would like to remain- most of them?
A. I think they would.
Q. Well, the Portuguese element - is that permanent here?
A. I think it is unless they are compelled to leave here for want of employment.
Q. Now, taking your native population - the Portuguese population and the Japanese population that
remain here - it would be overwhelming in point of numbers against the white element?
A. The Portuguese we count as whites. They are whites. They are whites in intelligence when they receive
education.
Q. I do not care whether you call them whites or not.
A. I am disposed to insist that they are whites. They have the European Christian ethics. They belong to
Christian civilization by inheritance.
Q. With the Japanese population living here, and the Portuguese population here, and the white
population here, what would you do with the question of suffrage? Would you be inclined to the lines you
have already indicated in that condition of things?
A. Well, it would establish English as an absolute condition of suffrage.
Q. And the property qualification?
A. Yes; but the English would exclude the ignorant Portuguese, and exclude the Japanese and Chinese
almost entirely.
Q. You mean the qualifications for reading English would exclude most of the Portuguese and most of
the Japanese?
A. Yes; it would exclude Portuguese who were not educated. I was going to say that it is my opinion that
there should be an exception made from the educational qualification in reference to all persons who had
voted hitherto for a considerable number of years - say fifteen. It would be an injustice to a large class of
intelligent and excellent natives not to let them exercise suffrage.
Q. You desired to express some views a while ago on some subject?
A. On the question of the expectation of intelligent people here in respect to the action of the troops of the
Boston. On the Sunday following the establishment of the Provisional Government Mr. P. C.
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