The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-11-29

The CELEBRATED Paginini, with all his won
derful command over the tones Of 4 musical in
strument, never succeeded in playing more than
one tune at Q time and herein that great per-
former is excelIed by the Ministerial Organist Of
the Government Press, who this week executes two
distinct and separate airs at one and the same
instant. The one is 4 dolorous strain OF . IN
tense disappointment and modification " ut the
sudden " change Of base on the part Of the
Ministry, against It's conviction of sound policy -
which action - throws a blight over the hopes Of
planters" as well as - those Just embarking
in new agricultural enterprises, - and all who
are engaged in mercantile persuits or are in any
way connected with our agricultural prosperity. -
This is a sad as well as a truthful view by the
organ of the certain consequences Of the Minis
terial abandonment of a declared policy. Now
turn to the next column and we have quite 4 diff
ferent tune, on a Ministerial pitch, and bearing
internal marks Of emanating directly from the
Government house. 1t by turns begs, expostu-
lates, whines, and complains, and winds up by
declaring that it is worse than folly to a continue
negotiations for 4 measure that has not brought
out the hearty cooperation of it's professed
friends" Those who now complain Of the action
of Ministers, are twitted with the fact that % no
one has risked or invested anything but talk on
Pearl Harbor.'' 1t might be retorted that what
the Ministers have risked and lost hav9 been their
official regulations. The whole article entitled
The Common Sense View of IT, is n very
pitiful attempt at an apology for the miserably
vacillating and thoroughly weak-minded course
pF tho Mipiafrv Thou aop,rIoin thaF fbo C-;apIy
Of Reciprocity failed to afford them the support
Of calling public meetings to advocate the meas
ure. Such q course, as is well known, was pro-
posed, Immediately following the official declar-
alton of July 18th, but it was distinctly intimated
through Ministerial sources that it was considered
better policy not to agitate the subject at that
time, and following this came the semi-official
statement in the Government Press that His
Majesty had requested his subjects to suspend
their judgment until n reply should have been
received from the American Government.
But in all this labored apology for the lament
able Ministerial e~scapade, the burden of the wall
is, that " native sentiment and prejudice - have
been developed against the measure, and that on
that account alone it has been abandoned. What
n pitiful helplessncss is this We had thought
that the duty of the Hawaiian Ministry, among
other things, was to devise measures for the i'm
proyement and advancement of the country, such
measures as were suggested by their superior
knowledge and ability, without regard to the
shallow sentiment and ignorant prejudices of the
multitude, and having once deliberately con-
cluded upon the proper course that they would
have bent all their energies in its pursuit, re-
Oardlcss of unreasOninO clamor- excent IN on
deayor, by all proper means in their power, to
eElighten and instruct the ignorant masses.
Such however does not appear to be the theory of
duty as understood by our Ministers. After
having been "spurred" to adopt an important
measure, of the urgent desirableness of which
they are fully convinced, their subsequent policy
relative to that measure is one of : mastery
inactivity, " until, becoming frightened at Il mag
nified native sentiment and prejudices which they
have not lifted q finger to correct, they inconti-
nently drop the measure, with the result of the
general 50 intense disappointment and mortifca-
ton at home and prospective ridicule and con-
tempt from abroad. But they retain their po-
sitiOns.
Is there no remedy for this condition OF official
Encouragement to which we are brought by our
eminently respectable Ministry, and are we to
continue, faciHs deoelsuS arerno, OH the downward
road to national ruin?