Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 143, 20 June 1894 — WE AMERICANS. [ARTICLE]

WE AMERICANS.

Some Harsh Trnths B y One of Ourselves. I womier if we .\mericaus «ill ever le-.ni to eoiuil our own l>nsinoss aud to plnek the beum ont of our o«u eyes. Tho amouut of intor» 't th»t our politicians and ne\vsp»pers still tr<ke, or pretend t*> t»ke, iu tiie subject of lloiue Rnle for Irelaud is one of tbe m« st | reposterons of our many hl)snrdities. e do not koow anvtliinp abont it. as a rule. aud th *re is no reason why any Ameri»"vn w ho is > ot of Irish descent sho«ld care auything about it. The grt-at raajority of the edticated h ud well to-do pe»ple of |Great l$ritaiu are opposed to Home Eule. They aro cevtainlv »s competent to form an opiaiou of it as we are. The Home liu'e movement c»roe frora the l Uited St »tes. Thls om; of t!>e ni»in weaku-ssof the H.ime Unl» rs. 1 « clishn » n ua*Umllv iesont f> n*ipn iuterference iu th»*ir pnlitical iftiirs. It .s true that they tiave by n«> me us m : nded their own busine-s, but their syropatbies or prejudices L:»ve l»eeu only tbe syropatbies or prejndices of individa*l Eug|lishmen Xbey never gave Ihe «so of tbe House of Parliment to roeetiogs he d in bebalf of tbe Soutbern Confe J« r*cy Neither Libeials n >r C.»i serva ives bave * ■ ... . - - ,v <. :■ . _, .• --

n.a<le a declaration cf opinion ss to Americ.-n pliiie» a part of the r po!itica! manife>toes or j r gmrumes Thi' just \rhat Americao lolilieal j\-irties have been <loing (■ r \ear>. Convention after eonvent:uu pnts into its platform au expres«ion of sympathy witb the H' me Ilole cau~e: \Vhat h he:iut fu! rcw there wookl l>e in thi» c<*nntry if the Cir!ton CIub or the N;»tional Liberai Club sh• •"VI ji:«ss resolutions expr»ss ing ib> syrapathy with a protective tariti or a taj itf for revenue oniy. There are l unclre !s <>{ tfaousamls of i;d:tmnj:»ble p«triots who burn with a dame whenever tbe Ei:g Ii;i newspapers venture to eoiumeiit uj»ou the Anierican poliiieal news of ihe <lay. How the t cs;n wunhl be thamped airl hī«le t ken off t e war-drum if toe E j»oliticiansshould irnitate even in a f< eble degree the bad m :.ners :<n<l the bad t ste of oui s. We have no inore business with Iiish politics tlian the Eogl sh Ii;.ve witfa the politics <>f Indiana. Eng!ishnj<n are justified in reseuting Auierican interference j >t i»s Aniericafis wouhl be m resf«iting English interference. lf we really cared anythiug for II rne Ilule we conld not <lo niore for it tl:an to let it alone. As Uu g as it is identified in £ng!and \\ith imj ert nent and ignorant 1< i< gn intrusiou, so long at lea>t 11 will be under th<* b,<n. 15ut tl<* trnth is that tbere is 1.0 Ameiieau symj>atby with Home I'uie. 'i he )-o!iticians and 'he newsj)apeis are willing to howl an<l cuvort f<»r the sake of Irish votes an<l Irish subscribers. (,) couise the j»oliticiaus and the newspapers argue that it is \vise for them to siij i>ort Home Ilule becanse thero isja solivl body of li -,h-Ameiieun opiniou iu its fa\'or, and uo such solid body of opiuiou ranged in oj'ji< sition to t lluie are more Catbolic Irish than tliere are Orangenaen. If the rev» rse weie the case, \ve shonl<I fin<I tlie newspapers aud the politicians oj>posing Home Hule with tli«* same j>retense of ardor with uhie tbey now support it. The opiniou of Am *ricius not of Irish desc» ut is not felt and is not sv»ught. lf ;t were, thev wouhl * « be found to be vveary of tliis eontinual hnthibaloo nnd ashamed < f our iudecent interfereuce in the j<ol.tics of a foreign country. There is no hope that theacheive meiii of H ane linle wou!d be «olioweii by a retnrn of the kernes t Ireh<ud There is more money for tbe i hero. If therewere any probability th..t they wouKl go back. iho American desire for LI« iue llule woulil be quickeued immeasur«bly. No doubt it wouUl be very pleasant for tbe j>eoj)!e of the l mted iitates to be able to turn a\vay frotu the coiiteraj>IatioD of themselves aud bus\ thcmselves with foreigu artairs. lt was the oUl fashioned theory—a tbcorv s(ill held au<l rej>e<teil witb great ttf<Ugence of rhet<»ric by r iral !nembers of Congre<s - Ih >t the L ii tcd J>tate> is tae ndmirttion • nd tue »nw of tue rest of the w«*rld. \\ e are *’a lieaeou f<*r tho oj>j»ies8ed, ftr-seeu bv tbe tcujj*est-tu*»sed on the sea of desjH>ti~iu. * I »juote froiu a Cungres<man of fifty year» ago, but you e u find the same seutiment in tbe ‘CongressioD.U Keeonl*' any week. We are tbe greatest aud uiosi virtuous people, inteliect ua!Iy and moraily, that the world has ©ver steu, and foreign

ers pass a!I th» r spare tlme in wringing their hands md lamentirg tbat tbey are r >t we are Tbere is uo fiatterv t<n 4bsard or e<>.irse io ;u *ke the snau«Igy face of King Pe-*pie break iut*> a selfcamp'acent - ;īle. T<> tuy Aoier ieau tbat lov s the tratb a> well as bis e antry tbis ex »ggerated naiional seIf->at;-factioii seem~ | paīnful, Wuat are the ftets' Tbe beac u of tb* <>[ ; ressed’* bcsiue» h.i' r« >nlted :*t ■ >;ir becoming tbe « ommon smk-bole :«nd sewer • f the w<>rld. All tbe incaj>able and decea>< <1 j>o<>r devti>, the graduate> of th«* j>rison »u«I tbe La/..uetto, fht <:: gs «ud <lrij>- ; j>ings <>f ignoranee and poveitv ’ aud vice, have eome over here nd b< .’un to j><">ess the laud. S.d- bv si<le with the de\eloj> ment into the increise<I degeuracy of tiiis r<<ttei.est refuse <>f all civilizations ii s g<>ue on u vlevelopment of eniukhooil, of semiius me vioh uee attaining to political j‘Ower as a re>ult of the biiud ignorance and <lebasen)ent <•{ the mas>« >. Tbere aro more cmz\ m*'ii at largi* in thisconntry | tbar. aiiy\vhere else in the world. i Among some Or’enta! uations a maduian is regarded \vith peculiar reverence as j>:irtikiug in some s<*rt of iuspiration from God. Our barbariniis make rulers of tlieir iuadiiieii. Look at G<>vernor Leweling, of Kajisas; Govemor Pennoyer. of Oregon; Governor W:iite, of Colorado; Governor H<»gg of Texas. Tillniau, of South Carolina, seems to be rather a shre\vd and desperate knave thau a fanatic. Look at tbe whole Fopulist crowd, witb its iguorant and wihl deuiuiciations and it> crazy panaceas ! Look at Sovereign. the boss of * tiie Kmglits of Lahor‘. L<>ok at t!ie mad iucu(hings against 1 wealth and fi*iancial kno\viedge ! and experience in whieh three-j fmirtbs of the j>nlilic men of tlie South and West iudalge! See ; tlie way iu whieh newspapers like the‘ wor!d’’ fa\vn npon igno- . rance and -anarchy, and be-| spatter with fi!tb all the conserv ative and redeeming force of society. Look at our jniblic men, almost witbout exception toadies and tucklers to all tbe eheai* and windv delusīoos of an i - ignor mt poj>u!ace. Evorywbere, alm<>st you see j>oj>nlar 'guor »nce trans ating it>elf into bysterical dccl imation or frenzied action. Everywhere moderation isdecayI ing, and tlie reign of law dying | ont. 'iiie politic.il situation eonhl be ! expre8sed witb no great injnstice bv s iying tbat United States is a i countrv in whieh the cities tie 1 governed by lhieves aml tiie States by fools. Th s nsed t > !»e regarded as a temporiry condition. Wewef told thatever\this g was alright, heeanae the beart of the masses was still g ouu 1. The troub eis that tbe beart of tbe m tssesjis excee«Iing1y unsonnd. R 'v» rēnce for law. for the courts f>r tbe Const tution aud the restr tints an 1 limit> <•{ order and autboritv is dying out.A few ye.rs <go phii<-sophers used to talk wikh mild dre.id of tbe “Mexicanizati<>n of onr institatioo8.” We bave long passe<l tbat poinL Mexico is an orderly aud conservative llepohlie. j Uavti seems to be tbe raodel we bave followed. Tbe murderoa> passions that bre.«k out in the ' Plaek Kepublic are paralleled if not exceede\I by such fierce oatbreaks of violence as the Iloine i stead riots and the rising of the

Tenness»*tj minors in 18W Th® Stato of S n:h Caroliiui ;> at this inomeui invo!ve«l iu civil w.-«r.an<l a Winchestor rifle i> tho onle’ lepal prineipie recogai»»v! there. K in»i$ ami C«lora lo h.w-» bo:h narruwly os.Mped b;-i:ig inv >!vevl ia siiūil r e:vil wars through the vioIence of their ev‘oative», Thi> organize 1 violence is onlr the Mprossion <«n -i 1 ■»r_r r 'Oale of tbe tlisregar l for I iw, nn l the reckles> >ubstit »t .n of p r>»r. il for leg:il re<lres> tbst provail thronghoat the eoanin*. The annaal nuiiib?r of ynchings is enormons. aud seems to bo iucre%sing. Both N w \«>rk >od Pennsylvai;ia are ine'n 1-1 in tbe lvnching S{ates. aud there ' no l<)Ctlizatiou of that disresjtoet of law of wh ch lynehing i>only one form among mmy'f.»rms. The comiug of bnndre>ls of tbon>an ls of foreigners. to whom lem«>cracy moins simply a relo .s> from all !egti rostriint, seems to h;i\o stimnl »ted t ! <e o!d native teadeney to lawlessness -a tendenoy that origina!iy may h:\ve had some excnse in the diflicultie> of >orving legal prooe>s in a thinlysett!ed co!umunity. Bat, whatever be th<* cause, the eHect is cert;iin. Lawlessness of all ><>its is n tlie increase. The nnrnber of mnr<lers in tlie United States amount> to ah >ut one an honr, and when you add t » tliose instances of ndividnal violence the instunces of conibinati<iu for violent pnrposes. araonnting, in many oases, to actnal insnrreotion—the lynchings the strikes, the riots. tho conntry seat wars, aiul so on—tlie annual aggregute ain nnt of acts of mnr.lemns violeuce in the Unit»?<l St »tes is : m<>nstrous. In tho cities in the \vinter. and rnaming throngh t!ie. conntry iu tbe snmraer. j»r ving upon tbe conn‘ry, incural*lv worthless an.Voften crimiua), is a I gre.it collection of tmups—:n >u that n*?v.«r worked mueh and that 1 will nevtfr work »gain. V r hy shonld they/ Sentimental philoaopbers, ■ 1 rgymen of the fri<>n<ls of the pe ple ord.*r, and blatherskites of raany naines are eonstantly impressing npon t l iem th.it the worId owes tham a l!ving. and j that plutocrats, gol 1 bngs, money sb »rk? au 1 b)oated bond- , holders have defrau led th«3 n of tbeir rights in somo w.iy. T:io pbilanthro;*istsand the ref rraers of societv, and t!ie labor reforraj ers, baked and halfbik* l are, j stimulating as f,»r as they eaa tho Latred of tbe poor f<>r the rich.< So thU is the lovelv actna! c >n—dition of the Unitod St vtes. i Ignorance increasing, violenca increasing disregard, for Uie lavr increasing, hatr*?d <>f tbe worthless and igaorant for the well todo »ud edncate,l increasing, wiI1ingness <o work decreasing. crankis u increasing Every Araerican dai!y uewspaper is a record of the vi<>lence, the crankisra. the lawiossne»s, the .sc")ttish and incrodib!e ignorance of tha American peoplal Tbey have i dis*»ppointe 1 the hopes of lheir few g nerous and c\ndid frien<ls | »broad. T;ieir failn\es an<l their foll es have p<)t\tpone l indafinitely the honr for repabiicanism n ( England. Thay are neith**r loved I nor a<imired nor envltd nor even i h »te l They aresimply daspised. It is more th.»n time for tbesa grimaces of vaoity to cease. The Amenean people shoald stop admiriog itself — a compo>ita ' pbolograpb of tha ig >oraoce aud i the lawlessness of many alien | n»tions. It shoold stop balier-

in£. with Mr. Loweli spolitici«n, *‘in free loui s caase far »way as Paris is," an<i Iet tbe foreign nations alone. There is no more foreign nat;on in compositk>n an 1 want of real nation.il soiitiment thau t'iis. Oir historica! yelliug anj bally:ng abroa*l aris<‘s fr >m i s-?cret consciousness that there is really no Jeep aud tonmon national spirit ainongus, <he al ien> of a h -ndretl bloods. Let ns pnt away our guns and take np onr pens, »top shooting and shooting, mind onr owu bnsints8, r*-spect the law. cease trailing after cr.inks an l skit<-> as if tbe whole Arnerican peop’o were a C >x *y 8 Con # hi** weal, s*‘t onr h >’.ise n order, Hve cleanly, repent iu s;»ekclot'i and asl«e*, an l s!iut np Amsn Thk Amebican'. — In Tovn Topics.