The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-08
POLYNESIAN CORRESPONDENCE.


My DEAR Sir | send you single number of
the Polynesaa, Government paper, together with
this sheet, to the care of Lewis Tappan, Esq,
our mutual friend. He will forward you this
and the paper, and, perhaps, make some other
communications from me. | shall write in
small hand, as wish to say many things and
say them in as small space as possible. will,
however, try to write plain, 30 that the labor of
reading may not cost you more than the intelli-
gence is worth.
Ia the Poiynssian which | send you will see
" Resolutions passed by the King 10 privy coun-
Gil, the 2lst day of December, A. d. 1892 These,
hope, you will give your readers, ! think you
will rejoice, as friends of Humanity and Liberty,
in the passing of such liberal resolutions by
Government hitherto sufficiently oppressive You
will see what the editor of our paper has to
say on the subject. cordially sympathize with
him in the qualification which he feels and ex-
presses in those editorial remarks also SYM
pathize with the poor Hawaisns in the JOY
which they may be supposed to feel, which
they all ought to feel, and which many of them
doubtless do feel, on reading those resolutions.
For next to the Gospel of the blessed God, moth
ing half so important has reached their ears since
| 1t was announced that the "gods Of Hawaii are
destroyed
As have heretofore written you on the sub
ject of " land purchases" and have expressed my
fears that the country would be sold to foreign
ers, allow me, IL consistent, to remark briefly on
the resolutions Md you may be DESTROYS Of
knowing through whose influence the prospects
Of the people have been 30 strkingiy changed
for the better What ] know on this subject |
will tell you. The influence of the mission, and
of those formerly connected with the mission, has
been made to bear steadily on this subject for
many years, and has been greatly strengthening
g latn L.. ,,N, \ af, ,ba ooI,1
hearted friend Of Humanity and of the late Ed
win Locke, both formerly Of the mission, was par
ticnlarly powerful and salutary. So Of others
now in the field. The chiefs have been instructed
that it was not only their duty to put their
people in possession of their lands, but that
it was their highest policy to do 30. They
have been addressed publicly and in private and
appeals have been made to them through the
press What has been said publicly and through
the columns Of the native newspaper, has reached
the ear and the eye Of the common people, and
they have thus learned more fully their own
rights. In compliance with our advice, they have
respectfully but earnestly petitioned the King
and chiefs to sell them small farms.
Another thing You are aware that have
acted as agent for the Government in disposing Of
lands In this district Some 1000 acres | have
sold and the greater part Of ID to the people. Ev
cry native In Makawas has small farm, or might
have had do not Mt this moment recclect Of an
individual in the place who has not purchased
more OF less land, though some few have sold out.
Now, this experiment at Makawas may have had
some influence 10 inducing the chiefs TO adopt the
resolutions above given at least 1t had the effect
Of increasing the desire Of the people to obtain
homes for themselves and their children con-
fdently expected, from the time we obtained per-
mission 10 sell these lands that this would be the
result, and am happy In the belief that this re-
suit has been 30 speedily and safely obtained.
Others besides the missionaries had done all In
their power to induce the chiefs TO sell, and the
people TO purchase lands. Judge William l.. Lee
will name, because with him have had much
conversation on this subject and ! understand his
views better than do those Of any other man out
Of the mission. Alta public meeting at Molokni,
last year, heard his glowing exhortation to the
people, to obtain lands He assured them that
the only hope of the national existence of the
Hawaiian race was in their obtaining lands The
middle and lower classes said he must have lands,
or oil Is lost. He then said, with great earnest
ness, "Ask for your lands, beg for your lands,
fight for your landsn
Mr.. Wyie and others have also advocated the
rights Of the people TO lands. The Polynesian
newspaper has taken the same ground. OF late,
o good deal has been said by the editor and cor
respondents of that paper, Yon can easily see
through whose influence the above resolutions
were passed
3D. The passing Of those resolutions was an
act creditsble to the chiefs
II Is well known that Hawaiian chiefs have
gained the unenviable reputation Of being OPP
pressors Of their people. That oppression has
been rife among the rulers Of all these islands,
no one at all acquainted with their history pre-
tends TO deny. And the chiefs have oppressed
their subjects on the ground that the lands all
belonged to them that their own right In the soil
was absolute and exclusive. And though things
have Of late years been improving, still there has
all along been not little grinding Of the faces Of
the poor by land proprietors and land owners.
Up TO the passing OF the resolutions above refer
red to, the acquisitions for labor made by chiefs
and headmeu were no exorbtant, that no civilized
people would have submitted single month.
Nov, II these resolutions ere carried into effect,
oil this kind Of labor will cease, and this kind Of
property 10 bones and sinews will be known no
more.
You can see at once, Mr. Editor, that II must
have cost the chiefs NO little struggle TO give this
all up. Considering the long standing Of the
labor tar and the natural indolencs Of the chiefs
also their love Of rule and love Of money, they
do deserve much credit. And ! en- sure they
will secure commsndstion; and God will bless
them for II, 20 that they will hud that no man,
be he chief or day lsborer, will be the poorer
for doing right In selling lands also 70 the pso-
pie instead Of letting II al 80 10 forsgusrs, they
show disposition 10 do right, and they deserve
credit for 70 doing and this they will secure TOO.
am oor~usded