Nuhou, Volume I, Number 6, 14 March 1873 — MR. PHILLIPS PROPOSES A PROTECTORATE. [ARTICLE]

MR. PHILLIPS PROPOSES A PROTECTORATE.

We eannol sibe whal else lie proposes. AVc are to annex, but " the King is to retain his Orown, the royal Btandard still to floa*t, and natives to retain their old allegiance,-or become,eitizens of the United Stātesi" That is the Freneh Tahitian tune wfth American variations. This is a seheme intended to please everybody, and as nsual with such excess of complaisant accommodation. wont please anybody. Why insult a King with a moek crown, wheh he would have a master ■from Washington to regulate his kingdom? The learned gent!emeii must have been recalling his reading of Keinan history,—Jugurtha, and other royal puppets of the Boman Senate. Would he have our Court and -olticials be all a show; and King, and Colonels, and Ministers, and Majors all bedizan=ed with insignia, that signified nolhing, and to bc paraded as a moek for republican eyes ? Tliese are the views of what we will eall a sophomoric statesman. Such discussions atford a display for scholarship, but not for eommon sense. Why occupy so mueh of our time with wearying historical summaries? We* nēeded no such lengthy history of the u Monroe Doctrine, !, whieh originated with George Canmng, and is familiar to i all readers of modern political historv, al- , though il may not be to tlie Gazette. Bv the way if that " I)octrine ? - is to extend 2,000 miles from the Coiitinent, wliy not make it 3,000 at onee? Sueh historieal elaboration, and such a prōlix panegvric of the advantages to be derived by the Hawaiian from Ameriean tutelage, are liowever not intended for this unappreeiative latitude; but for the home consumption of Massachusetts. The gentleman who says he lias no longer any interest here, and is going home, woukl not go mueii out of liis way to spend oiiinions on us for our own sake; but he wants to return to liis old u stamping ground n witli a good polilieal reeord in rebpeet to tlie rights of man, our f plantatioii labor system, and Hawaiian annexation. Probably he wou!d not eaie wliether we got annexation or not, after lie leaves liere, un!ess he is sent to negotiate it. Tlie gold laee of an ex-Minister might- pass at the republiean eourt of Washington for a royal ambassadorial uniform.

However ? tlie gentleman may not Have a inission in'pi!ospect ? he is evidently dis.posed to he eritieal to\var'ds the King and Mimsters. He says ? u the ha|:ive people mourn the loss of the strong arm H of the Jate* K.ing,—and does not the arm of the King they love above all oUiers replaee tliat loss? * And has this one invited revolution beeause he has invited a free ehoiee of his person? Ah, Mr. ex-Minister, is this said heeause your eminent fbrensie abil|ty was not«uilieiently appreeiated as to he ealled lor in the stippori *>f the new government ? But let us pass dn to the leamed gentlemau!s evideut retleetions upon the statesmanship of our ISlinisteiu He justly eharaeteri2es tiieir Fearl Harbor prt;>jeet as " annexatiou iu disguise, M aiui rein?als the sGitement of Ihe Nniou, that you mighfas weil olter Honohiiu Harbor as l*earl Harbor,—that it woukl be all tlie satne in the end, He says, give ns the *!genuine arti-' ele," that is annexation without dlsguise;

am! llie Aien*]* of 11ie nn a*urc inlglit well !say|to him, give us the genuine artiele, annexjation M pure and simple ? " and nof the absUrdity of an impeniim, in %mperlo, su<A j asyou said Pearl Harbor U. H. station woulel j be within this kingdom ; fbr woukl not the ! | moek kingdom, eircurnsenbed l»y tlie pow- ! |er and iaws of the United be thc sanjething? j ! He asksi 44 have yoii ever tried the intt\es m respect to annexation ?" We would ad- [ vimMm not to try, judging from the re-J marks of a number of natives who did not j Bnter the hail, but who, standing in the ad-' jacent passages, listened to his discourse. j Sonie indulged in Baxon profanity, buf aU I said energetically, u e hoi koke ia"me kpna I aina ponoi, n —let him get outof the way ! quiickly, and get baek to his own land, We j though devoted to our Hawaiian home ] and to the Hawaiian people, Ainerican in! ail o\ir political ideas, hopes and aspira-! tiojis, and \ve propose to be a humble senti-! nel, eyer watchful of Ameiiean interests in ! the Pacific; but.we cannot regard otherwise t than as unwise and iHjudicious these decla-! ratioiiB of a favored and trusted Minister of! tiie late Hawaiian King ? made so ostenta-! tiously 011 the point of his departure froni' the country. He took the oath of allegiance 1 to the King and to the Constitution. andl boasted of having shed his Ameriean feat-h-1 ers, and he would have done better not to | venture on liis present political''flights until 1 he had become fully purged of his Hawaiian !' lieresy, and had grown anew an Amenean | plumage. \\ e tully admit the vaUiable .suggest:iveness and scholarship of the speeeh of Mr. ' Phillips. His voiee is agreeable. and his passages are beautifully rounded, but this is what we object to, —we would have more point to them. and more praetieal eommon sense. The learned gentleman airs his erudition, and wouki astonish our weak nerves ! witli rather too mueh evidenee of his eramming for an oeeasion. He is too prolix for etfective politieal diseussion ; he is evidently not titted to be a politieal leader, but we ! think lie may sliine in a ieeture-room as a sophomorieal statesman. jj