The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-07-26

To the Effor Of ne Pacific Commercial advertiser .
SIR The ministerial manifesto announcing the
policy Of the Government. which appeared in your
Journal Of last week, seems to have been gratefully
received BY the mass Of the business community,
who seem to approve Of the proposed cession Of
Pearl River lagoon as an equivalent for a treaty of
reciprocity with the United States, as 4 dcrRcir re-
sort in the present depressed and rapidly declining
condition Of the great sugar interest, and through il
Of every other interest in the Kingdom. Many Of
the most strenuous and eloquent advocates of the
treaty, seem entirely to overlook and ignore some
very important considerations which ought to beduly
estimated and my present purpose in prcsumiug to
interposc in the discussion is merely TO call attcn-
ton, in a concise form, 70 some Of the principa!
drawbacks and impediments which seem to me likely
to render the early achievement Of the expected re-
lief through the means Of such a treaty, a matter Of
extreme difficulty if not wholly impossible. My own
views as 10 the policy Of the measure are quite im-
material.
1 have emphasized the term early, because it can
not be denied that any measure intended to bring re-
lief to these interests, must, to be efoctual. be neces-
sarily a speedy one else it will probably be difficult
for them to stand up against the rrinous price now
a44 - S1IN NAAAN pass AA1AAS y SO "a N1A
Francisco, a continuance OF which must, it is alledg-
ed, result disastrously TO all. Allow me to refer to
some of these impediments.
In the first place, the length Of time which must
inevitably be consumed in the preparation Of Il
treaty, and in its discussion and final settlement by
both the contracting parties before being submitted
to either Legislature, must necessarily be very con-
siderable and after that shall have been accom-
plished, we know from past experience the vexatious
and harassing delays and postponements which it is
pretty certain to encounter from an interested Sec
ton of both Houses of the United States Legislature,
before it can arrive at a anal issue, which may per-
haps result like its predecessors. Again, its ratifca-
ton by our own Legislature is generally considered
very p~roblematical, and if achieved eventually, it
must in any event involve a prolix and heightened
discussion.
Again, if the treaty shall have finally escaped all
these trying ordeals, and been duly and fully ratified
on both sides, we cannot expect to reap any benefit
from it until we shall be in 4 condition TO make over
to the United States the legal title TO, and actual
possession of, all the ceded property in the lagoon
and the belt of land around it, some miles broad. |
am informed that not an inch of the latter belongs
either to the Government or the Royal domain, and
if such be the case, it will be necessary to treat with
the several prOprietors for its purchase, at a great
disadvantage and if any refractory owner shall re-
fuse to treat or sell-an occurrence by no means i'm
probabie-his title can only be acquired by means Of
an inquisition and a finding by a jury, for which
there is not at present any statutable provision in
our law, and which may therefore involve the neces-
sity of converting a special session of the Legislature
to pass a special statute for the purpose.
How much valuable time may be consumed in
these several operations, cannot be foretold but as
not one of these can be abated or dispensed with, it
is not difficult, by the aid of late experience, to con-
lecture that they must inevitably consume a dreary
and protracted period of perhaps years, which will,
as it is said, sufice-if the present high duty on su-
CARS shall not otherwise be reduced or abolished-to
work our ruin.
1t is the duty of every one to look these facts
fairly in the face, instead of allowing themselves to
be deluded or misled by a phantom. which, like the
ignis fatuus, may lead them into the "slough of
despond."
There is however one other consideration of q
brighter aspect to which | wish to refer, viz. the
great improbability of the United States Government
much longer continuing the present high rate of
duty on sugars, for the reduction or extinction Of
which their own people are clamoring loudly. The
comparatively small amount of the war debt now
unpaid fully enables the Government to yield to this
demand, seeing that they have already reduced both
tea and coffee duties and inasmuch as the Chan
cellor of the Exchequer in England is reducing the
sugar duties there to q mere nominal amount, it is
not unreasonable to hope and expect that the Secre-
tary of the United States Treasury may go and do
likewise Should such be the case we shall perhaps
be giving away a part of our territory without any
equivalent. y.