# Hawaii Holomua

The Hawaii Holomua was an American daily and weekly newspaper published in both Hawaiian and English. It was founded in 1891 with four editions: two versions were published in solely Hawaiian daily and weekly; and another two were published in both Hawaiian and English, also daily and weekly. The bilingual versions were replaced by an English-only version in 1893, following the newspaper's purchase by the Holomua Publishing Company. The newspaper was a vocal supporter of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and actively opposed the Provisional Government of Hawaii following the kingdom's 1893 overthrow. It was the only newspaper in Hawaii to publish Queen Liliʻuokalani's protest against the overthrow and her appeal to U.S. President Grover Cleveland. The Hawaii Holomua and its various editions suddenly ceased publication in 1895.

## History

The Hawaii Holomua was founded on May 2, 1891, by Joseph Mokuʻōhai Poepoe. Its name can be translated in English to "go-ahead Hawaii". Poepoe served as its inaugural editor. The newspaper began with four editions: daily and weekly Hawaiian-language versions and daily and weekly English-language versions. In the editorial of the first issue of the Hawaii Holomua, they said that it did not hold any affiliation with the two major parties—the Liberal Party and the National Reform Party—and hoped that the newspaper brought unity and ended disagreements amongst Native Hawaiians. In February 1892, Poepoe appeared to have resigned as editor of the Hawaii Holomua, returning to law. He was succeeded by Kahikina Kelekona and G. Carson Kenyon. During the 1892 elections for the Hale Aliʻi and Lunamakaʻāinana, the Hawaii Holomua did not stand for a specific party, but rather any party supporting Native Hawaiians. In 1893, the newspaper was purchased by the Holomua Publishing Company. With its purchase, an English-only edition of the newspaper titled the Hawaii Progress Holomua replaced the bilingual version. Its first issue was published on September 18, 1893. The newspaper was published every afternoon with the exception of Sundays and holidays. Its motto was "The Life of the Land is Established in Righteousness." In 1893, the total circualation of the Hawaii Holomua and all its versions was estimated to be around 5,000.
The Hawaii Holomua was a vocal supporter of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Progress Holomua opposed the Provisional Government of Hawaii and was the sole newspaper in Hawaii to publish Queen Liliʻuokalani's protest against the overthrow and her appeal to Grover Cleveland, the then-president of the United States. The newspaper's editor, Edmund Norrie, called the provisional government "bogus" and "fradulent", claiming that most people in Hawaii disavowed the provisional government; in the December 21, 1893, issue of the Progress Holomua, he stated: "For the provisional government to pretend to represent the Hawaiian people is an outrageous absurdity, induced by their fear of taking a vote of the people, knowing that it would overthrow them." From 1893 to 1895, the provisional government created laws to discourage newspapers from "incident and seditious language" and "conspiracy", in fear of newspapers opposing the government sparking a counterrevolution. As a result, Norrie was arrested five totals and made to pay a $100 fine three separate times. Following the murder of Waimea deputy sheriff Louis Stolz in June 1893, the Hawaii Holomua and their sister publication, the Daily Bulletin, split from fellow pro-monarchist papers and called for "justice at any cost" for Stolz. The Hawaii Holomua blamed William O. Smith for starting the conflict and ending it without having captured Ko‘olau, a kupua. In the lead up to the upcoming constitutional convention in 1894, the Hawaiian Holomua frequently ran attacks against it. In the article "By the People", its editors demanded "the return to the constitutional government approved and supported by the people, previous to Mr. Stevens coup d'état," and stated that they would continue to advocate for a government "by the people of the people and for the people."
The Hawaii Holomua was also very critical of the use of spies. The paper's editorial described the use of spies by the government as "an act which is both unnecessary and expensive," and that "many of the men thus clothed with authority, or supposed to be, are not of good character, and their training and instincts make them an undesirable element for the peacefully disposed citizens of Honolulu to come in contact in the light or dark." In April 1894, the Hawaii Holomua identified spies outside of Washington Place by name. The paper continued to criticize spies even in their final issue.
On January 5, 1895, the Progress Holomua abruptly ceased publication. In their final issue, the paper stated that they did not believe that there was "the slightest reason for fear of uprisings." The following day, the Wilcox rebellion broke out, which lasted for three days; Norrie and other similar journalists were imprisoned. Throughout the 1890s, opposition papers, including the Hawaii Holomua, accounted for nearly 85% of readers.