The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-07-19
THE PACIFIC
Commercial A0Otrtlstr.
sATERDAY. yELY 70.

taxing steps al once IN the ulIectIOu oL lcCI-
procity based on an offer to cede Pearl HarbOr,
We used the following words This therefore
is the golden opportunity for u TO make q deter
mined, 4 vigorous and an extraordinary effort TO
secure the desired boon Of 4 reciprocal treaty
with our nearest neighbor, who il also for that
reason our most powerful friend. The circum-
stances which have now induced the Government
to come forward and declare its policy in favor Of
the negotiation Of such 4 treaty, are substantially
the same rs existed FIVE or even eight months
ago. There was then the same depression aV-
parent in all branches Of business, our principal
staple was selling at barely a saving figure, and
everybody was forebOding worse times to come.
The political events which occurred from the llth
Of December up to the accession, and the taking
Of office Of the present Ministry, served to dis
tract public attention from purely business affairs,
but the causes Of depression and the need for
action still existed and have continued TO exist
and to increase in force. But with q deliberation
and hesitancy that might have been expected Of
a cabinet Of the court Of Pekin. our Ministers
have been months in coming to 4 conclusion that
should not have required as many weeks. Surely
no sound reason existed why General Schofeld,
when he left us in May last, might not have been
the bearer of proposals from this Government to
that Of President Grant for the opening Of nego-
%tiations. The only reason to be adduced why it
was not 50, must be, not that there was no cause
for prompt action, but that our Government was
not ready to act. Large bodies, it is said, move
slowly but the degree of hardness does not
always depend upon the size.
However. let US not find fault with the past,
but rather congratulate ourselves upon the evil
dence we have Of an intention on the part Of
Ministers to act in the future, and as 4 support
and a stimulus to the desired action let us COM
bine to afford all possible moral aid. In these
days, in other cOuntries-and possibly in some
degree in this-men in official position are prone
to expect and wait for some demonstration or ex-
preston Of public opinion in regard to important
measures which may be under discussion. Thus
it may prove of advantage to all concerned if, at
the present ~juncture, our citizens shall assemble
together in public meeting for the purpose of in
terchanging views on the present situation of the
country, and the policy of the Government as de-
clared. \ formal endorsement of that policy by
a public meeting properly called, could not fail
to be of value in Strengthening the position of
Ministers, and would not be without a beneficial
effect in other directions.
WHEN ONE LOSES TEMPER over his OWL b%lunders,
and proceeds to fling epithets at those whose line
of duty has led to the exposure and correction of
those plumbers, (as does the Editor Of the Gd>ehe)
it would seem perhaps a waste of time and space
to further notice the matter. But it appears by
the explanation now given, that the note of the
Minister was sent with the official declaration,
and " most likely, was torn up unObserved with
the envelope" The written explanation as to
how the accident occurred" was no explanation
at all, for it reads thus; lowing to some acci1
dent, the note was not received by the Editor of
the Ga@eue.'' As we were advised at the time
that the note had been sent with the manuscript
of the official declaration, we naturally enough
declined to say that the Editor of the Gazette had
not received it, but preferred to say, as the facts
justified us in doing, that for some reason he had
failed to publish it, leaving him to explain what
that reason was.
But aside from the ignominious fate of the
note sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the
disposition made of the article which accompa-
MED it, by " passing it to the cOmpositors" like
any ordinary editorial screed, might give the i'm
pression-which we hope is unfounded-that it is
by no means an occurrence for His
Excellency to contribute editorials for the Gazette.
For ourselves, if honored with q communication
in writing from a Cabinet Minister, we should
not fail to carefully scan both the inside as well
as the outside of the envelope, and we hope W
should be able to distinguished the tone of an
official declaration. But as we do not happen to
be subsidized by either n government or a corpora
ton, the opportunity is not afforded to exhibit our
penetration and circumspection in these matters.
The Gazette of July ID, under the heading
of "A Forlorn Hope undertook to very sum-
marily dispose of n project which has latterly at
tracted considerable attention here, the proposed
attempt to negotiate with the Australian Colonies
for a treaty of reciprocity. The Gazette, in its
usual rough-shod style Of treating those who
differ with it in opinion, suggests that those who
even talk about the possibility of free trade with
Australia are doing so either for the sake of hear
ing themselves talk, or because they are simply
ignorant Of what they are talking about; and
that such takers are intending solely to
detract [sicl the public mind from the main ques-
ton Of seeking 4 reciprocity treaty with the
United States This is certainly very cutting
and severe, and ought, perhaps, to close the
mouths of those who have dared to suggest that
if we fail of getting what we need so much from
our American friends it may be well worth our
while to make an effort in another direction.
But we fear that this style of argument will, as
usual, fail of convincing or silencing those who
believe that the attainment of reciprocity in one
is Just as feasible as in another. While
the natural advantages of such an arrangement
with our nearest neighbOrs are sufficiently patent,
the difficulties to be overcome in seeking its ac-
complishment may not, to say the least, be any
greater in another direction. The quotation
given of proceedings in the British Parliament is