The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-09-30
A Change of Base.

At the meeting of the subscribers to the Hotel
Bonds, held at the Finance Office last Thursday.
the Ministers surprised pretty much everybody
by a sudden " change Of base" While the
Hotel scheme was from it's inception quite well
understood to be a joint stock enterprise, or, as a
writer in the Gazette two weeks since declared
emphatically and uncontradicted,' it was
strictly a private enterprise, the Ministers have
now declared quite as emphatically and officially.
that it is a government operation. The sub
scribers have loaned their money, SIMPLY with
the public spirited desire to assist the government
to provide a hotel, with the promise of the Min
listers that the amounts advanced will be repaid,
without interest, at the end of FIVE years. II the
subscribers are willing to iepd their money %
that security, they should not manifest any con-
Germ as to what is done with i, or how much or
how little the hotel may cost. and that Is al
there is aboutit.
After al that has ben sad on this mueh-talked
of subject, and ths Unknown tone 81 public
sentiment, this -iroit movement is quite worthy
of {. the g.Alus.'' Comparisons are odious, but
one 70 reminded of NcClelian's famous " change
If base > at Yorktown, only that in his case he
got severely handled, while our strategist success
fully moves bis forces from the field in the face of
the enemy, folds his arms complacently and says,
-. Gentlemen, how is that for high?" 1t may
be remembered however, that in 80 little Macs"
case, when the second, sober thought of the peo-
pie took form and expression. the hero of the
adroit movement was-removed. While pen
etrating the necessity which has led to the move
ment, we cannot but concede q sentiment of adj
miration for its supreme audacity. Why, such
a general would even deploy under fire!
TIL new phase of the situation is very sugges-
tive of remark, but our space to-day is circuin-
scribed, and we can only slightly touch upon one
point.
The argument was frequently brought forward
by the Gazette, before this change of base was
efected-and it Will doubtless be urged with still
greater earnestness now-that the building of the
hotel has given employment to many mechanics
during the dull season, who would otherwise have
been idle, and has thes been a public benefit. So
far as it goes, this is a correct statement, but it
is only reasoning in the abstract after all, and
to make comparisons again-it is following out
the Napoleonic idea. The Emperor kept the
people in good humor by the opening up
of new streets and the erection of vast structures
in Paris, and they were told that he was really
their friend and SO long as they got bread and
lmusement,-they believed it. Now, does our
: genius propose to go on piling up structures
Of concrete and lumber, simply in order to keep
employed? 1t will hardly be proposed to
,redit him with such an extrayagant amount of
generosity. The construction OF the Tower of
gave employment to a large number of
during a long period of time, and money
circulated freely while the work was go
ng on, but the conclusion of the enterprise was
but satisfactory.