Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 198, 21 May 1891 — Page 4

KA LEO O KA LAHUI.

"E Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono."

THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1891.

 

NOTICE

            Copies of the KA LEO O KA LAHUI can be found every morning at noth the News Agencies in town.  Price 5 cents a copy.

 

FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVE.

            Our minister at Washington has resigned.  There is also a consul to be appointed at San Francisco.

            We consider it our duty to address a few remarks to our Minster of Foreign Affairs on the subject of these important appointments.

            No possible selection could have been made more exasperating to our people and more detrimental to our interests than have been those already made by the foreign office.  The canvass of candidates and the fixing up of these appointments to Washington and San Francisco are being carried on in the usual secret manner.  All sorts of influences are being brought to bear and all sorts or “pulls” are being worked.  The underground wires are working at their full capacity and in the due course of things the nominees of Spreckels & Co. or a compromise between that firm and other planters will be bought forward to represent Hawaii abroad.

            Of all the names that we ever heard mentioned not one is a Hawaiian, nor even an independant man, only clerks in banks or sugar houses have been proposed.

            We wish to call Mr. Samuel Parker’s attention to the fact that he is a Hawaiian,-like any other;  that the planters did not put him in his present position and that they are going to drop him at the earliest opportunity, not later than the next session of the next session of the next legislature.  No matter how pliant a tool he may be, nor what promises they may make, they will if they get the power in their hands again, prefer a man of more intelligence and one of their own kind.

            By making the appointments dictated by sugar interests he is breaking into fragments the party that was successful in the last election, and forever ruining the native hope of self-government.

            On the contrary if Mr. Parker should have the courage to sent honest native abroad, or their friends of the natives, great good might be accomplished and he would secure the support of his own people, the only support he can ever depend upon.

            An honest native minister at Washington would so represent our civilization, intelligence and peaceable disposition to the American government, that they would not again land troops to suppress a popular demand for a free and representative government, as they have twice done before.  That the United States has used American soldiers and American bullets to support in power a slave-dealing commercial concern is due solely to misrepresentation by our minister abroad and the intrigues around the American Consul here.

            The American people are the last in the world to support a tyranny, especially one run by the ili-famed sugar-ring.  But we have been represented abroad as a savage, dissipated people, indisposed to sustain an honest government, and the specimens of the race put forward by the sugar magnates the have confirmed accusations.  But these have been tools of their own, rather than representatives of the best material of the Hawaiian people.

            Let it be remembered that Kalakaua came in protected by American bayonets, the protege of the sugar-octopus.  Perhaps five years hence the incompetence of Mr. Parker and his cabinet will be pointed to as an excuse to deprive the native entirely of his right to vote.  They will say if the native vote produces such effects as the Cummins and Parker cabinet let us have no more of them.  And backed by American rifles sent out by the request of our Minister at Washington.

            They will quitely make that lit-change in the constitution.  It was the manifest intention of the framers of our present constitution to pratically disfranchise the natives, but like many other provisions of that document it did not quite fulfill the expectations of its originators.

            We would be happy to see Parker come out like a man and a patriot and declare that whatever others may do, he will be true to honest government, freedom, equality and fraternity.  It is a real opportunity, the like of which does not come to one man in millions, to secure liberty and a national existance for his people, and for himself a fame and glory greater than that of Kamehameha.  Is it to be patriot or traitor?  No sh@ffling, no evasions are longer possible.  The people will know the truth and give their judgement accordingly.

            The working men of the Kingdom hold the ballot and the real power.  They are partly native, partly foreigners, but they are of one mind.  They may be frequently humbugged and often betrayed, but they will still vote to send to the legislature those who will defend their interests against confederate capital.  And if the cabinet sells itself completely, impeachment will be a more appropriate expression of the popular will than a vote of want of confidence.

 

THE POST OFFICE

            We are particularly interested in the improvement and reform of the postal department.  we hope and expect that under the impartial and efficient management of Mr. Hill we will hereafter be able to send our papers to every post office in the Kingdom and have them delivered to our subscribers.  Certain post offices of the outside districts have long been impervious to KA LEO.  Last year during the election campaign no paper of our passed the Wailuku post office for a period of nine weeks.  Our subscribers persistently inquired at the post office and sent complaints to us.

            No KA LEO or “Ka Oiaio” was delivered at Wailuku until after the elections when the copies for the whole nine weeks were passed out one at a time.  Recently we have been giving a certain amount of notice to the government representatives at Hilo.  This naturally increased the demand for copies of KA LEO;  but suddenly Mr. Borden, the news-dealer at Hilo, fialed to receive the paper through the post office.  The paper had been mailed in the regular way, but up to date no KA LEO has run the blockade at Hilo.  Complaints have come up from Hilo to the general post office concerning opened and not delivered letters and other irregularities;  but nothing has been done to remedy the evil;  nor any notice taken of the accusations against the incumbent, and persistence was rewarded only by displays of official insolence.

            Mr. Severence has extensive official connections by blood and marriage.  Through his own and his wife’s relations he has had a “pull” that gave him every office on the island of Hawaii, several of which he retains till the present time.  It takes a certain amount of hardihood to approach this local magnate on the part of a plain citizens, who usually retires crushed and withered by official dignity and official contempt.  In ante-bellum days Mr. Severence came out strong as a kanaka and cultivated r@pal favor with the greatest success.  When the reform party was the young opposition he was a stanch and mighty conservative, of course every professional officeholder is anxious to conserve his emoluments and per quisites.  No one spoke native so fluently, no one was so active in torch-light processions and brass-band eratory.  The notorious Kaulukou, whom we still have with us, was a candidate for the legislature on the side of the King’s party.  He was supported by the official flunkies and toad-eaters high and low.  When the news of the election came, that Kaulukou was successful, Mr. Severence and Mr. John Scott elevated that fat and complacent kanaka on their shoulders and carried through the streets of Hilo amid the acclamations of the populace.  Thus-exhibiting their patriotism and devotion to the side that wins.

            When the reform came in it might have looked a little dark for Mr. Severence if he had not had a number of blood relations among the successful party.

            It was a hard game.  Mr. Severence’s timidity had prevented him from declaring for reform until it was an accomplished fact and that rendered him unpopular with the bayonet league.  Still he was a great reformer after the reform as were the whole family of barnacles.  At last a compromise was arrived at; he was deprived of the office of sheriff, tax collector and road supervisor and a few others, but left the post master, collector of custom, port surveyor, school agent; and many minor appointments amounting to about $10,000 a year.  Later he lost the collectorship, but with the rest of his diminished glory he continues till the present time, a lofty and exalted member of Hilo’s official white-kanaka aristocracy.  He delivors letter afters he has seen them that they are alright, and he will not deliver KA LEO at all.  So we are compelled to use our influence to secure an administration of the post office by some one less prejudiced and not a respecter of persons.  We believe and maintain that every citizen has an equal right to the benefits of the post office, and to receive any paper he chooses to subscribe for.

 

MR. WILSON FOR HIMSELF.

            Marshal Wilson was very much enraged by an allusion to his participation in the Wilcox conspiracy in a recent number of KA LEO.  The matter referred to was mentioned indirectly with no thought of offending any one.  We are sorry that the Marshal took the matter so seriously as we have been endeavoring to support him in what we believe to be an honest effort at good government in his department.  To stir up old feuds is a very unpleasant and unprofitable business, and not overly interesting to the general public for whom we write.  But there would be no pleasure in editing a paper if we were debarred from referring to the recent history of the country by fear of offending some of those who were part thereof.

            The affair in question was fully gone over in the Legislature of 10890 from the proceedings of which we took our facts.  The whole matter has long been public property.  Why did he not settle the affair at the time?

            Mr. Wilson by his own statement sat as chairman at the meetings of the so-called conspirators, and within a week made a statement to Thurston, then head of the cabinet.  The document being too lengthy to print in full, we quote that which is applicable in his favor.  Mr. Wilson represents himself as endeavororing to prevent any resort to violence.

            * * My argument was that if the King was supported by the Constitution, it would be our duty to support him: but we should support the government.

            “I knew of no more meetings till the last one held a week ago, Saturday night * * I found present Kalua, Poepoe, Tests, Nowlein, T. Spencer * When I went Nowlein was chairman; they called me to the Chair.

            “A paper was on the table, a copy of which I hand you.  I read it over and said I could not see any use in signing it; it might get lost and make trouble.  * I said they should work with the Legislature and the elections.  I told them if they wanted a new constitution to draw one up for submission to the Legislaiure.  I finally signed the document above referred to and to satisfy them, and then destroyed it after the meeting, before doing which I made a copy in pencil on the other side of the original copy, which I now give you.  I appointed Poepoe, Kalua, and I think Wilcox, to draft a new constitution.

            “I said to Nowlein that the best way was to get the King resign in favor of Mrs. Dominis. * * The same evening I was at Mrs. Dominis’ before going to Nowlein’s.  She said that a third party had spoken to her about taking the throne.  I said: Suppose I make the proposition to the King, it is better to come from kanakas than haoles.

            Monday, Wilcox sent for me to meet him at Mrs. Dominis’ at 2 o’clock.  He was living there.  He showed me the form of an abdication for the King to sign.  I read it, and said I could not see my way through it.

            “Mrs. Dominis said Wilcox was head strong and she could not manage him; she said she did not want it to be done that way.  I said I would bluff Wilcox off and see the King.  Wilcox said that he heard that the haoles were going to force the King off any way.  Wilcox wanted to force the King off with a gang of regular soldiers.

            “Then Wilcox and Nowlein, and I went to the Palace and saw the King in the tower-room.  We were with him from an hour and half to two hours.  We made a proposition to him to abicate.  He gave us no decided answer, but agreed to do so in a few days.

            “Then we left the place and nothing else was done to my knowledge.” (Jan. 24, 1888.)

            To the judgment of the reader we leave the subject, as to the purpose for which this statement was made.            D.L. HUNTSMAN, 15 Kaahumanu St.

            The editor and publisher of the LEO does not disclaim his responsibility on account of Mr. Huntsman’s signature

            That the concert by the boys of Kamehameha School was a very successful and excellent intertainment.

 

THE PREMIER.

            The Duke of Maunakea reached Her Majesty at the Volcano House, accompanied by the Captain, early last week.  The goddess of the fiery regions, Madame Pele, who is a grand aunt of the Premier, started up from her slumbers and welcomed the Prince and suite by a pyrotechine display, from the terrors of which the gentleman has been thrown into a sort of melancholy; that may lead him to repent and join the church.

 

ON DIT.

            That all the Lepers were taken away last Tuesday, except a few who were under a special dispensation from the powers that be whose orders poor President Dayton was unable to gainsay.  Oh! what a life to be made a plaything, to be kicked about, first by the Board, then by some one else.  It would make a man sick to be made a football, and we cannot understand how a person can stand it.  It makes us disgusted to see such a farce in the exercise of public duties.

            That the Board of Health, for once had to back down last Tuesday, in the case of Mr. Hobron, and a child of the late Samuel Maikai.  So that the immaculate, the upright and impartial Board, who was a great champion of freedom once turned a clean somersault, and is now right the opposite way, ready and willing to bury a man alive right or wrong.

            That the Paradise of the Pacific should be published in Japanese for circulation in Japan where all our immigration is recruit at present.

            That through the energy of its guardians a young child, which was to have been buried alive last Tuesday, and whose funeral was to have been performed on the Kilauea Hou, and whose burial place the Leper Settlement on Molokai, was saved.  It appears that the poor little fellow was condemned unseen by the Board, and when some of it members were asked to reexamine the little unfortunate, the applicant was waved out of the office, with one of those knowing smiles, “We know what we are doing.”  The guardian not satisfied, however, forced the President to look at the child, and Mr. Carter returning to the Health office.  [unfortunately for him, as he is said to be the most anxious to send the sick away without taking a look at them and see for himself], saw the child who was as perfect evidently as any one.  The only satisfaction was a grunt, and that the child did not appear the same as he was told.

 

AUWANA A AIHUE IA PAHA.

            Ua nalewale aku mai kahi o ke Kanikela Iapana, alanui Nuuanu, kekahi lio ano hulupalu hauliuli, he 8 makahiki, he 15 ana peahi lima ke kiekie, a he kike keokeo mawaena o na maka, paa eha wawae a pau i ke kapuai hao.  O kekahi mea e hoihoi mai ana, a e hoike mai ana i kahi e loaa ai, e uku ia no me ka maikai kupono, ma ka hele ana aku ma ke keena kanikela Iapana.            Mei 18, d5ts.