The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-12-22

HAWAIIAN SEAMEN.-Our modest effort to
give our readers some idea of the amount of
Inexperienced at the Harbor Masters Office,
during the fall shipping season, has given &C.
casion for our brilliant neighbor of the Adgey-
tiser, to waste great deal of sentiment on
the whalemeu and our native seamen, as well
as the opportunity to have his usual fling at
our planting interests. We do not propose
to enter into any heightened discussion on
the points raised on this question, some
what gratuitously, by the advertiser. We
say gratuitously, because after careful peru
sal of our article. we cannot find anything
in it which candid, not to say a sensible
man, could construe into a proposition TO
prohibit our native seamen from engaging
on board of foreign vessels. We did say,
and we repeat it, that "this draft upon our
most able-bodied and enterprising young
men, is a serious drawback to our home de-
mand for labor, and it is thought by some,
that If native seamen were not permitted to
ship on board foreign vessels, it would be a
great advantage TO our agricultural and COM
mercial interests" Now, taking the Guano
Islands and foreign shipping, there are at
the present time, one out Of every twenty
of the native males of this kingdom, be-
tween the ages of fifteen and forty, engaged
in the service of foreigners out of this king
dom, n very small proportion of the products
of such labor ever reaching here, to benefit
the people or country. These "some' who
are Of the opinion that it would be better
not to allow SO great a proportion of our
people to enter into the service of foreigners
out of the country, might well ask the poll
tical economist of the Advertiser, if the Gov
ernments of the United States, Great Britain
or France, would quietly permit one in every
twenty Of the very best of their people to
enter into the service Of foreign people
We may be permitted to express our opinion
that neither of these countries would allow
the mercantile marine Of any other country
to make such a draft upon their people. We
do no. at the present time advocate any such
prohibition as regards our seamen, preferring
to let the matter regulate itself, although
should the Legislature think it to the ad-
vantage of the country TO prohibit Hawaiian
seamen from engaging on foreign vessels,
we have not the slightest doubt but that the
thing would be fearlessly done, notwith-
standing the covert threat of the Advertiser,
at the close of its article The Kuokoa has
also, something over column on the same
subject, in which the editor expresses great
admiration for the whalemen and a high
appreciation Of their services to this coun-
try and people. This, on the part of that
gentleman, is certainly not case of "love
at first sight" as we can all remember, that
one time, when be was engaged in another
pursuit than editing an independent
newspaper, and when he probably did not
look upon himself as the Boanerges Of
great % party, he took occasion to express
views quite the reverse Of those be now en-
tertains, in regard TO the Whalemen. From
the experience of the past it viii not be too
much Tor too little) TO say that his opinion
on this subject is not altogether reliable
In bis case the "Independent'' journalist
seems TO take different view Of the bless
ings that foreign commerce showers upon q
people, from that of the Christian Missions
n, and when they are both united in one
person we may well doubt the candor of
one, or perhaps both views