New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-03-18

nearly All The State officers, and II other
4ests are to be demanded of men than their
peculiar fitness for the post to which they
are called, it is principle as applicable TO
otherdepartments as to that Of education, and
which logically leads to separate Catholic
government for the Romanists and Protes-
tant government for the Professionals. A mo-
ment's thought shows that among PoPula-
ton of which the vast majority is strongly
Protestant, no greater liberation than this
is possible. 1t is more than we have In
the State of New-York, where no separate
Roman Catholic or other sectarian school
is allowed. The teachers in the Hawaiian
schools of both kinds are equally paid, but
from the majority of Protestant children, II
results that the average of State allowance
is actually larger for each Catholic child
than for the Protestant, the former being
"a, and the latter 81 cents. Adding TO
these facts the statement that this principle
of liberation has fairly obtained in practical
operation upon the Islands, and it as clear
enough in this particular, also, that France
has sought, rather than found, an occasion
of difference.
With the other point, That, namely, OF the
restrictions upon the introduction of spirits,
we must be brief By an article Ia the
Treaty with France, the Sandwich Islands
reserved the right of imposing such duties
upon spirits as should not amount to pro-
hibitive duty. In pursuance of desire to
prevent drunkenness among the natives, a
very high duty, S. gallon upon brandy
and spirituous liquors, was imposed by the
Government This did not include English
beer and ale, but applied to all brandies and
other spirits imported from whatever nation.
Now the injury of this duty to France is
strictly matter of statistics. A high duty
upon any article may theoretically limit its
consumption 4; but the practical result mast
be looked for in the figures, and singu-
larly enough,-and so far as France is con
cerned, conclusively enough, it appears
from the tables submitted to the Legislature
of the Islands, that the effect of this high
duty has been eminently beneficial to the
consumption of French spirits, while it has
been very injurious to that of British and
American. The reasons of this are for the
consideration of the Hawaiian Government !;
the fact itself destroys the claim of France.
In truth, the whole action of France
toward the Sandwich Islands, in this matter,
is repetition of that of England toward
China, an attempt to impose its commerce
upon weaker power
The French agent insisted further upon
an unjust exception imposed upon French
whalers at Honolulu, which allegation was
equally disproved by the Foreign Secretary,
who showed that the complaint was desti-
tute of the slightest foundation. Is it sur
prising, therefore, that after few months
of correspondence and conversation, M.
Perrin, the French agent, returned to
France for further instructions?
The result of his report at home
has not yet transpired. Bot the difficulty
directly affects American interests in this
way, thas when French Admiral appeared
before Honolulu in March, 1916, he forced
treaty upon the King which was UNDER
stood to be reciprocal, and under that treaty
extensive operations were undertaken by
| American merchants resident IN the Islands,
and by the refusal Of France to ratify the
treaty, even after M. Guizot, then Foreign
Minister of that country, had stated that II
was acknowledged by his Government, great
losses were sustained. One important case
of claims arising from this state of things
is still pending.
In community of races and interests Sc
mixed as that of the Hawaiian Archipelago
there cannot fail to be myriad interests in
opposition But the French part of that op-
position is puerile, and the Sandwich Island
chaptsr Of its foreign policy is hatterine
neither TO the ability humanity or dignity
Of that nation.