Hawaii Holomua, Volume II, Number 25, 30 January 1894 — Clemency Not Justice. [ARTICLE]

Clemency Not Justice.

It is really amusing to notice the inexpressible horror with which the jingo press and the local echos of it here shriek about the Queen’s “blood-thirstiness,” and savage and cruel inclinations because she told Mr. Willis that she thought that the men who committed treason toward their country on the 17th of January should be punished. We wish it to be understood that it has all along been the desire of the loyal citizens to forgive and forget the late revolution partly because the men connected with it are mostly kamaainas and to a certain extent acted in a way which they honestly believeed to be for the country, and partly because they were lead into the nefarious scheme by the unscrupulous adventurer John L. Stevens. But we cannot see any justification in the howl which is set up by the whole lot because the lawful ruler of the country thought it proper that they should be punished for their treason. If it had simply been treason committed against the Queen and her form of government, things would have looked somewhat

different and we might have been able to see some mitigating circumstances if they could have proved provocation but the hideous offense of treason was committed against the country which they tried to sell and against a Nation whom they de sired to deprive of independence and self-government. Where in the world would such a crime go unpunished? What American would forgive or tolerate such offense against his country and his flag? The less that the Americans talk about brutality, savagery and blood-thirstiness the better. Anyone betraying the United States of America and make designs to subvert them to another power would meet a swift and decisive punishment and the whole nation would approve it and applaud. The annexation organs have expressed themselves strongly in favor of upholding what they are pleased to term the self-respect of our country by giving passports to the foreign representatives. If the self-res-pect of country is to be vindicated in a small matter of an alleged discourtesy by punishing the supposed offenders, what shall we say where the very life of the nation, the independence of the country is at stake and imperilled. As a matter of expediency and policy, the amnesty granted is a step in the right line, but it should be remembered that it is an act of clemency and not of justice and right.