Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-01-16
The Sandwich Islands.

AGENTLEMAN who resided several years
on the Sandwich Islands, and who held
an official position which enabled him to
become very thoroughly acquainted with
their agricultural resources, commercial
advantages, and form of government,
fun nishes some information on these sub
jects that is of special interest at this
time. His views are in accord with those
which have prevailed in the State De-
part since the days of Seward; and it
must be remembered, therefore, that the
following facts and opinions are those of
warm advocate of annexation. He
saws that the Constitution of Hawaii pro-
vides that the succession to the monarchy
shall be in the female line in preference
to the male, and that the person with the
best title to the throne is now the late
Kings half sister, Princess Ruth. The
King is authorized to name as successor
any member of the royal family, and if
he fails to do this before his death, as was
the case with the late King, the Parlia-
ment elects a new monarch, but cannot
go outside the royal family In making a
selection.
The form of government isthoroughly is
republican in spirit, the monarch being
little more than a fgure-head 10 repre-
sent the executive power. Form
erly the signature of the King was not
enough for the approval of laws passed
by the Parliament, but there was an Off
cial whose function was to revise the ac-
tion of both the King and Parliament,
and who had to sign the laws after the
King to give them validity. The last per-
son who held this curious position was
the Kings sister, Victoria. AT her death
the office was abolished. The system of
government very closely assimilated to
that of the United States, and the New
York code is adopted for civil procedure
in the courts. When General E. McCook
went out as our Minister, during Presi-
dent Johnson's Administration, most of
the Government offices were filled by
French and English residents, but during
McCook's stay the American influence be-
came predominant, and has since remain
ed so. About one-half the entire foreign
population are Americans, and fill many
important administrative and judicial po-
sitions. The native islanders, called Kan
akas, are an intelligent, quick-witted peo-
pie, and it is said they can all read and
write their own language. They are not
industrious, however, and, although pos
sessing fine physiques, they appear to be
deficient in vitality, so that the race is
steadily dying out.
The population OF, the islands, which
| is supposed to have once exceeded 3OO,-
900, is now barely 10000, of whom about
| 10 600 live in the town of Honolulu. The
total surface of the islands is 60,000
square miles, but much of it is bare, vol
canic rock, and the area susceptible of
cultivation does not exceed 10000 square
miles, and this would never support a
dense agricultural population, because
the chief staples, sugar and coffee, can be
i ,raEtahlxr cultivated nnlx- 1orna
plantations. AS a strategic point for
naval purposes, and as a commercial en-
trepot, the importance of the islands can
not be exaggerated. Any second or
third-rate naval power obtaining posses
sion of them could dominate the COM
merce of the North Pacific. They lie
directly in the path of nearly all the trans
| Pacific trade AS the commerce of the
North Pacific increases with the
settlement of the western coast OF Amer
ica and the more complete development
of our relations with Japan, China,
and the Indies, great city must,
it would appear, inevitably grow up in
the Hawaiian group, to serve as supply
and coaling station for the merchant
marine of all nations navigating the
Pacific Ocean, and as a naval station of
tie power which fortunately gets posses
sion of the islands. Until within few
years England and France have coveted
the islands, and probably nothing but
their surprising importance to the United
States has so long preserved their indie
pendence. During all the time that Mr..
Seward controlled our foreign policy, the
standing instructions to our Ministers at
Honolulu were to watch the doings of the
British and French Ministers, and to in.
form them that any attempt on the part OF
either of their Government to interfere
with the independence Of the Hawaiian