Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 172, 15 April 1891 — Justice and Equality versus Color and Party. [ARTICLE]

Justice and Equality versus Color and Party.

The unjust c]iscrhiiinations made between natives and foreignerg fca3 long been one of the standmg of the Hawaiiags, and, in the same manner, there has always been a loud wailing in the eamp of that sanctimonious portion of our population who joves the native race, —(but only |Wr the porsonal profit they ean derive throngh that race), — when<;ver anv representation has been pnb]ished about the way in \vhich justice and e(|uality. are respected in this country as soon as eonnected with the fact of color. Or conrse in a cosmopolitan country like this, it ought to bo considered a crime to forster race prejudices and to appeal to. race n ntipathies But wliat is the eonpeieneioue puhlie writer to do v when every day he sees justice and eouality violated in favor of racft und ro!cr of skin ? The Leo thinks ihat clarkiouring for right, juKtiee anū eqtuvlity for all, not appealing to race prejudice, but is a duty, whieh in the long run, will redoL»r.d to the benefit ofp.ll, specially when the abuses complained of exist in th« vcry government whieh, according to our "venerable and intangible" Constitution, is to be conducted "for tbe Gommon Good," not in favor of any particulait class or race. We elaim, therefore, as a right, to say, that ever since the time when the men known under the appellation,—correct or errou missionary or reform partv," have been in power, class or color discriminations have been made a rule by thoge in office, and the nati ve element, to whom, by right, this countfy belongs to, have never been treated by that party, m a fair manner and on equal footing with foreigners; irresp®nBible foreigners, adventurers to all, have reDeatedly heen appointed to respoDsible positions, and as compared with the native sons of the land, either as a rule the strangers got em- i ployment in preference to equally ; well-fitted uatives, or else, if the natives did get the appointment, | it*was invariably at a lower salary than what the white man Would obtain for the same office, vrhilst at the same time the native would be subjected to the most arbitrary dismissals. Hundreds of examples could be found | iiv our past history to pr®ve this a ssertion, in all branches of public service, from the humble poliee-! men upwards. A foreign polieeman would receive '$60 or $70 per month, when $40 was eoneidered amply sufficient for a native ; for the poliee captains, $90jyi£d $100 a month wereal!owed to foreigner£ against 60 or 70 to HHwaiians, with no other excuse but that a foreigner cannot live as cheaply as a nātive. But here could we r,ot pause to say that. if a foreigner who wants' governmenl employ. cannot live ascheaply as a native, why do£s he eome to these islands ? The sam« shameful discrimination is practised amongst the governnient teachers; it was made the subject of a question to the Board of Education during the last Legisīature acd it was not denied, but here again the only justification presented. was that fo-

eign teachers 44 eost more" — 6aturally enough, when discriminati®n is made the rule of a party or government, under the flimsy pretense of color, it is but natural and easy that it should be carried a little further and made party discrimination as well, as we have seen it since 18&7. Men, whose only title was to have carried a rifle in the holy revolution, were given all the best billets at thē expense of valuable and tried servants, and when no offices were available, new ones T ere created for the pnrpose, the fattest sa*lary being awarded, not to merit. but to tlie hotest profeßsiotis of revolutionary feeling, whilst the poorest salnries were given to the men of doubtftil enthnsiasm. Thus, under the k< ref<>rmed" state t)f afliiirs,; the unj. , . , .ct . color discriminatkm slirled mto a iio iess unjust faction discrimination. Of'Course, we cannot ext>ect to mend the past, but what is tr'i3y nanseating, is to see that the £>ld routine was r not onlv continued ijpder the last l iiberar' Cabinet, — the cixB ■'■{pabmet under tlie skin, —but that it now being pt;rfected, yes even now. under a ministry who pretends to be the most liberal <>ver known here. and who assnmes to represent the truly liberal, the native and national party of the nation; and we contend that even under this administration, constant injustice is being done to the native race as well the l\ational Party in general. The present Premier may personaily wish, —he has givon his word to that effect,— that prefprence in all puhlie app©intments should be given to Hawaiians, whenever there. is equality of fitness and capacity l»etween native and foreign officeseekers, and also to members • of thb National Party when they are better fitted than old reformers, But evidently the Premier's good intentions are defēa tf-r' i >\ his colleagues or by minor influences. Comparisons are generaliy "odious," as the old saying shows; but they are sometimes necessary, and here, in order to convey ou r point clearly to the minds of our reauers, we must, hbwever mueh we de regret it, go briefly into pprsonalities and meniion a few names. Beginning with the departmeut so autocraticany administered by that would be yice-king Wundenberg,—[who, d—m it, rules his ofhee as he d—m pleases and witbout alluding to the arbitrary whole sale dismissal ©f all the u Hawaiians boys" to satisfy a vile personal spite, * does not the public notice that Mr. Oaik a foreigner, who took the plaee of young Hart, a native, gets $125 for doing tb§ same work that Hart was prefectly competent to do for $75 ? In the of Education, Potter, a stranger of only a few years residence, but a "pr«tege" of C. R. Bishop and perhaps a rifle bearer in 1887. gets $150 for doing the work that P. Jones, [who is nearly a native by his long residence and acquaintance with the Hawaiians] was obligt'd to do, for years. for only. $12(J; but perhaps Jones may have been suspected of "natiwnal" tendencies—Last, but not ieast, W. Tell, a native of the highest character, is sent to Melokai for $100, in "lieu" of T. EvanB, who on'y got

īhe "bagatelle" of ns a r&\ ward perhaps f.>r p liii'enl services'; reudered- during the insurrection; of lcSB7, or fv»r his friendßhip to $. O. Garter, the man of whom; tho liEO has already said so tnuch that it will suffice t© add here ! that, by the nati\ r es, he is eonsidered as the r*iOst obnoxious of alLtbe whife of the reform| awolf.in disguise. Is it «ecessary to mention other casesi of injustice, like that of Testa.i ene of our most intelligent young natives, who c©uld not obtain a| plaew in the P(.gt Office, w)nlat. young Wodehouse is .retair,ed-i without even having -?t coniplied i with the law on citL nsl i.} re-| gulating* the selection of publb! ollicials ? Many ©ti «.r - reoent, caßes we do wish to re£,ister bnt, for want of snace. we si,all have, to make, a pause for the present, c!osing with this roniark. triat, even now, when a natives applie? for a government situation, thē headg of dopartment3 sav that the is so dcpletod " that thev cannot afford to give a large salary, but ns soun as cQmes the case of a foreigner or a ex-r:fle]iian ; then that sjmo salary, together with the capuc:ties of ,the Treasuryj eweil out like and indiarubber balloon. More anon. unless, in their future and expected appcjintnients, the :adaiinistration show that they have changed their policy and are determined to give satisfaction to public opinion, by making 4, equality" t'heir rule and "merit" only' their ehoiee.