Hawaii Holomua, Volume II, Number 21, 12 October 1894 — FREEDOM [ARTICLE]

FREEDOM

Article 17. Section 1. of tbe Con-titntion of the Repnblic of Hiwaii says: “All persons born or miaralizeil in tbe Haw.nian is!ands. and snbject to the jnr;sJiction of the Repnblic. are citizens thereof. ' Section 2, of the same article, says: “Any j>ersons not a Hawaiian citizeu. who took an uctive j>art, or otherwise reudert:d sobstantial service iu the fonnatioa of. and has since supported the Provi sional Gcvernraent of Hawaii who shall ***** p ro . cure from the Minister of lnterior a certificate of snch service. as herein s*-t forth:and whoshalI t:»ke an oath to this Constitution * * * * ahall be entitled to all the jirivileges of citizenahip witbont tbereby prejaj;cing his uative citizensbip or allep | iunee.” In other words, au alien to thi> conntrv becanse of someser vice rendered to this government -is able to receive all those rights aud pririleges to whieh all Hawaiians aro entitled but who are debarred therefrora, by |. article 10 of tho Constitution 1 whieh provides, that no person ' (exceptiug “special r:ghts citiz en ’) ean have a voice iu the 1 managernent of afiairs in his own , 1 country unless he t ikes an oatli > ( that he wili not “either directīy | or indirectly, enconrage or assist i f in the restoration or est iblish- s ment of a raonarchiaI forra of 1 c governraent in the Huwaiian Is- * lands.’’ r

To enforco that clause, Hawai- ! iaus in the service of the goveru- ■ raeut of its supporters are eomjielled to take that oath or forfeit their positions. Goverument and mercantile officials of l?ug standing have bccn delfberately fired, j becanse they wonld uot support j the provisional Jgovorrunont or ) sr.u their “freeedom of thought ! and sj\ecch.’’ Such is the goveruraeut of to-

day. Jt is comj»osed of those j»ersons |for whom the Advertiser editor in 1802 was tho mouth pi« ee, aud no doubl he voiced their sentimonts anel oj)inion5. wuen he wrote his editorial for thc- issue of his paper 011 tho 10tb 1of February 1892. headed *’A Freo Ballot.’’ Thoso persons are evidently wanting in consistency now. Their editor siid on th*t oecasion: “lt is rumored that .dawaiians have been discharged by ditferent | emj>loyees for \ >tiug for Ashi ford. ’’ “The times aro so hanl thut it is not uecessary to seak a politioal reason forsuch an oeunenee." “It ia moro agreeab!e to supjx)se that economy and uot un infringemeut on the rights of ht'lpless employees is at tho bot- i tom of whatevor m*v have takcn plaee. ‘ “lt is with regret that wo have observed a tondeucv ou the part of m:\uy to condoru. if not to jostify these interferonces with the free<lom of tbe ballot."

‘*And yet they are \vithout a shildow of 0X0080.’* I . Tue laborer is paid f>r his labor and nothing else.” — * Tbe poor hardly get a fair | share of the gooil3 of this l»fe.” , | | ‘ One thing they have — the j freedom of their thonghts. Those aro not <old.' — The omployer has no more i to these than the emplovee | in his to rial control thethoaghts of his employer.” lhat coercion of employees is however not merely an ontrage,— it is \ery bad policv.*’ . i Tt rouses a $ense of injnstice , aml wrong i n the laborer.” i If it was wrong to interfere with < tlc froedom oi thonght of thopoor \

in 1892. is it aot jost as wrong to terfere now ’ Is the bal!ot boi NOT to be »s free now as it i* was tLen ; Are the employee and poor iu d:tGrent j>. sitions now tban they were ia 1992 Peruaps the enlightened e*.litor of the P. C. -I hxrti**r will favor the repob'ic with hi> views oa the subject. and eipliin nhy all that was wrong in 1892 '.s right in 1894 ” "Freedora indee>l!’! The Hawaiian b«s not any now. For how long does he propose to snbmit to bnrden '