Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 170, 28 February 1893 — Untitled [ARTICLE]

In a few days fmm to-day Pre«ident Harrison T s term of offioe is ovtr. and, he and his admini=tration r»-tire from pahlie life. If it wa« the ambition of Harrison tobe known in history as Benjamin the ■ we cou!d understand hie molives for acting towards Hawaii as he has done. but his repatati«}n is that of being a modest and teraperate man t«i whom Imperialism is objectionab!e rather than that of a polilieal adventurer. We cannot under~tand though, why he and his goverument did not eome out in an open and manly way, if they did covet these fair Islands, and after a declaration of war lake pos?ession of the land. They needn’t have been afraid of resistance. The feeling of superior numbers and superior means of war should have assured them that they did not run »nv other risk bv fighting this country than the ridicule and contempt whieh deservedly falls en ihe head of any bully who shows off his streugth on a child. That Beujamin Harrison should have lent himself to be a pariaker in the miserab!e farce whieh is now being perforraed between the Provisional Oovernment of Hawaii and the Republican administration of the United States is a surprise to the people who formerly considered him a dignified, wise and honest statesman. Fancy the United States getting up a revolution here, placing a Provieional Government in power (selected by themselves), then hoisting their tiag over the headofsuch Provi8ional Government, selecting comtnissioners to go to Washington under the sham pretense that they represent the Hawaiian Islanda,then presenting a treaty whieh of course would meet witb the approval ofthe htrelmg Comraissioners. having it ratified by the republican Senale and forwarded to their self-appointed Provisional Government iu Hawaii for ratification. What a miserable pitiful farce and what a disgrace to American atate«manship and policy. Here ie a Provisional Government whieh couldn’t, if a vote was taken to-morrow, find sufficient supporters to stay in office for one minute. except through the prot®cting Amenean bayonets. Even if a vote was taken amo.rg the AngIoSaxons alone the government would be in a minority. With excoption of one or two members of the Provisional Government none of them would be able to eecure an eleelion for any office in the gitt of the people. The few of thera who have been members of former Legislatures had to crawl into that body lhrough elections in some pocket-borough where the plantation mauagers bu!lied or bribed tbeir men to vote for them None of themcommanded sufficient confidence or respect to be elected in their plaeee of residence and nueh men are being paraded before the United States ae represeuting Hawaii! Tht Adviaory Counoil rtprtetnta iht minonty in the leg»Uy eiected Legi9lature of 1892. At they h»ted to be in lht minority they

revolted with the as5i;tance of J. L. 8levens. and the country is now hiving ihe pleasure of minority i rale. Laws passed by the msjority «if the Legislature in a legal ; a»«i constitutional manner and signed by ihe Queen are being repealed while the laws whieh were defeated hy the repre«f ntatives of the people are being en Personal sentiments and wism-s ’ppear to be the main rii<}b}rs in that august l bo«Jy. The Legisiature, fo!lowing numerous petitions lrom a «m&’.l country di=trict —North Hilo — lhat that district be granted a dis-trict-court. enacted a law for that purpose. A plantation owner in that district holdiog a eeat in the Legi~lature opposed the law because his manager objected to the change as it might make his d kanakas too d independent if they had a judge in their owa district and perhaps of their own ehoiee. His opposition had no effect and the law passed with a large majority. One of the first acts of the Advisory Council in whieh the said piantation owner also has a seat was to repeal the act and deprive the district of its judge directly in opposition to the will of the people and their repreeentatives in the Legislature. And who believes that men like that would tolerate self-goveru-ment. The golden dream of their days and nights is that blessed millennium where they shall rule as autocratically as does the Czar of Russia. Whenever there is a vacancy in their eouneila they fill such vacancy themselves. And it seems likely that there will be many vaeancies as most of the members take a government billet (well-naid) and make room in the eouneil for the next office-seeker. If the government simply acted ag a temporary administration so as not to stop the ordinary running of the governraental business nobody would oppose its legitimate actions for such purpose, but the tampering with and changing of the statutes of tbe country to suit their sweet fancy, is more than any free-born man ean stand. They will awake from their dreams some of these days and the awakening will be like an earthquake —to their pockets. Without eheap labor the planters cannot exist. If we heeome a part of the United States, eheap labor will be impossibIe. There ean be no doubt that the mimile the annexation treaty is ratified here and in the Senate. the Japanese government wil! eaneel ali labor-contracts. While Japan was willing to treat with Hawaii for the furnishing of laborers, because the men were well treated, and under tbe direct 8upervisioo of its owu representatives, lt will not enter into snch arrangements with the United States where all asiatics are heartily despised and the constant butt of persecuting legislatiou. If the Japanese eontracts are rancelled where will tbe happy prospects for the future be for our annexation-planters? Do they propose to bave their fieldlabor done by wbite men? Send an invitation to the white men in California to eome down bere and work in the broi!ing sun for thir-ty-five cents a day, and aalt aalmon. and salt beef for their food. Tell them that thev are expected lo attend church and 3un-day-echool. »nd that Oaiholiea are io bad odor. Teil them tbat no Iiquor ia allowed on any planla- ,

īion. and that they mujt risk that the manas:er will go to the landing or railroad iepot and break open ca>es marked with the laborer's name and de«tr>?y the b<>ttles and the liquor. Tell them that if they go to town and wi«h for a glase of beer to elean their dusl-filled throate that they will have to pay lwenty-five ee it« • 'Ut of their thirtyfive cent« f*r eaeh glags. and then tell them that the field lab*T :s the m >«t degrading. miserable, and u.ibearable kind of w >rk, on!y fit for «emi-barbariaii a«iatic« or negro* «—sc >rned aud rvfu«ed here by white meu and Hawaiiaus alike. And if n man wants to fill a plaee on a plantation as iuna or book-keeper, the agents for the plantation will ask him if he attends the Y. M. C. A. or if he is used to sing in a church-choir. Withoat such qua!ification, he needn’t apply. This is a weak outline of the way in whieh the psalm-singing landshark« want to run their plantations, and that is why just now, there, is so mueh gnashing of teeth and wailing over the prospects of being deprived of the docile and willing Japanese eoolie. It has so happened that the men who formerly represented the Japanese Eranire here were overtaken by the spirit, and became christians, and danced to the pipe of the planters. It seems that the imperial government has recognized, and disapproved of this fact. and has selected as its representative here one of their ablest and best-trained diplomats on whose eare the blandest, and most dulcet notes from the Central Union, have no more elfect than would the blustering and bullying tones from the Stevens-Wilt«e factiou. When the Japanese have Ieft, and the p!antations consequently eome to a stop, perhaps the planters will get to their senses and wish that they had left well enough alone and looked before they jumped. If we are to be annexed why «hould we not be granted Stateahood from ihe begining. A territorial government ie generally used f«w new districts with partial selfgovernment as a terra of trial to see if eueh district ia fitted for all the rights and privileges of selfgovernment. Such trial period ia usuallv five yeara. Now Hawaii has had self-government for more ihan 40 years, and during that term ahe has made pn>gress w hieh ean compare favorably w:th any country in world. The educational svetem ie as well developed as in any other country; the criminal rec*rds give an extremely good ehowing. This country ia in at civilized state as any European country or American State, and the finaucial state and credit ia perfectly sound and aatisfactory. As long as the planters made money they were satisfied. They would even have tolerated the fact of being in a minority in tbe governing of the Iand. although it was a bitter pill to them that their number of a few huodreds could not rnle the thoua*nda. They woald have got bravely over it if their planialiona bad cout’.nued to pan out 50 per-oent divident. 9 Now for them or their tools ia the government tu aay that the conntry ianot fit foreelf-government is aimplj OQtrageous. Hawaii haa gone throogh the period of autocratic mooarohy, and through that of a

limited o>n«titntional monarchy, and we elaim that she is as ripe f r Statehood with all it« r:ghta of Liberty and Fquality as is any Sute in the Union. Th;« coontry is not to be compared wiih a strugg!ing frontier d ?triot where Judge Lynch «it« in offioe, and where the court house, and Ja.il. and saloon are in the «ame buiiding. N>r is Hawaii a coantry full of naked savage« or semi-«avage« a* «ome wouid make it oat. H iwaii is a fully developeil civilized country witb telephone«. electric I:ght.«. tramcars. raiiroada. i>ansian fishions, handsome and well dressed women, a merchant raarine, a marine r;iilw,iy. SumlayIaws, bank«. public libraries, h >te.«. bankruptcy, court«. and pree«-cen-sors, and she takes no back seat in any of these|lines to any stateor city in the*world. In the Volcano liue «he beats the worid. and in cant. hypocrisy, bigotry and phariseeism, she is a worthy off«pring ami imitator ofthe Amenean Hub. But eome and see for yourself! Let the United States send a eommission of reliable unbiassed men—the more. the merrier—and l«t them feel the pulse of our people. Let them investigate f r theraselves, unassisted by provisionaI chowders. or roya!ists luans. Let them study the peoule. and our institutions; let them see for themselves if we are titted for self government or if we are to be treated as a set of ‘*reservated” Indians to be driven out of existence. If the United States Senate and congress arecomposed of honest and just men they will do this inueh. and, whatever the report of their eommissioners be, we wlll submit to the result. We, of course know what they will find here. They will find a peaceful, intelligent, well-educated people who are as well versed in their polilieal history and principle9 as ia any American laboring man in hia. Tbey will find a contented, easiiy satisfied people, who only wish to be left alone. and attend to their own affairs. They will find a British colooy, reserved and courteous, and English. you know. making and spending their money in a quiet unssuming way, paying lheir taxes, without wishing or trying to interfere with the government of the people. They will find a l»rge number of f>>reigners intermarned and allied with the Hawaiiana who plod along in their different courses of life. and with di?gust watch the capers of the Uu>led States representatives here. And ‘,hen they will find a lol of alleged Americans. mostiy offspring and connections or partners of the missionaries whose brains are seething with schemes for se!f aggraudizement. and power, and who only worship Mammon. A turbulent dis«atiefied elemenī, satisfied enough as long as g>>!d | rolled inlo their pockets, but kieking and revoltmg against God and man, when the seven lean years followed tbe seven years of &ffluence. With quoUtioos from their hihle on tbeir lipa. but with curses deep in their heart. lhey have assumed the reina of government and try now by miarepreaenUlion and iies to retain them. This they will find and m*ny other things aome good. aome bad, and aome neither, but all we aak is that tbey eome and look for ihemaeWea. Why eiaoa Spreckels is in £avor of annexation ia a mysterr to ua. He has with hia oaaal financi*l

skīll handled the Hawaiian ?’J«r plant«r». eo he ha» g>t them at his mercy for the next five years. When the planter.< here entered into a contract wilh him they did uot dream that their anueulion s<'hemes had any immed:ate 'h '«r of heine re.ilirtd. N<>w they have only one ihounhl, and lhat i* how to get out of ihe 3preckela’ eluieh and take advantage of the sugar bounty if ihe democr.itic party doeen’t knoek thal on the head. It <eem< that the planter? have found out that a cargo <>f sog»r ha? heen sold in New York t >at b.»«’co factory ai a figore higher than what Spreckels haa jviid them. he being obIigi>d under their eontact to i>ay according to New Y >rk quotationi. Ba?ed on -aeh fact that a sūngle cargo of s,!ir.ir h;is bt »'n sold at an advance figure-.it a r«te whieh would make a difference of $500,000 in the years cr >t> —liie plantere now contemplate brea»ing their contract wiih Spreckei>’ providing the annexation comes off. Th**y have agr« ed as 3»x>n aa we are annexed. that they will 9tart a refinery in Hawaii aud ship their refined sugar t«> Oregon importing eoal, lumber, and produce ia exchange, aiul so make the Sugar King the uexl victim of their dethroning m.inia. These little facts may be an eyeopener to the Oolonel and we rej>eat our question why is Claus SpreckeU in fawor of annexation ? It has heen well-known here since the arrival of the last mail that the powerful and numerou» United Order of Workingraen iu the Umted States were «lead against annexation. It is rutn««red that a delegate of that important order is in town investigating the silu«tion of Lab*)r here, and that the order will use all their power in fighting a move whieh will bring the free laborersof the States into competition with the c«>oIie labor from Hawaii, and will hring into their ranks besides our honest and independent working men, the degeaerate mechanics who t«>ady to the capitalists here, oniy to be thrown overb«)ard, wherever ehineae or other eoolie iabor ean perform the work in a !ess than half* Bkilled manner fc«r mueh less than half the wage«. and who theraselves prefer to employ Ohinaman to white men, and coo»equently are high in favor wlth the congregational church. the Provisional Governraent and the mĪ9sionaries generally.