The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-06-10

Upon The resolution offered BY Gorsra0r Rdpsaa
that the assembly aPPTOrs and endorse the action
q the -MRtstTy IN nesoiiaiiRg the Reciprocity
Treaty.
Mr.. President | shall vote for this resolution be-
cause I te,ieye-as l stated fully when the resolution
expressing a want Of confidence in the Ministry on
account OF their action in this matter. was before the
HOuse-iu the great benefit tc this kingdom of this
treaty, aud that the Ministry have but faithfully
carried out the law, enacted expressly that they
might, If possible, negotiate such treaty without
delay For doing this they have my approval and
endorsement. Il will help TO keep in operation the
sugar-plautiug interest, which is the great interest
OF the land. As | before said, the plantations are
the fountains which send out fertnizing streams,
causing the verdGre TO grow along their banks
And. as the Honorable Messrs. Aholo and Birch said
in their remarks. it viii benefit those who viii work,
but il will be no benefit to The idle They may
starve and 60 naked in the midst of plenty.
The Honorable Mr.. Preston said that he would
vote for the treaty if it were brought before the
House, TO sustain it, to carry out the national faith,
and give u vote Of approval TO the Ministers and
Commissioners, as well as pay the expenses of the
latter but this resolution covered more than APP
peared on the face Of il, and the treaty should have
been brought before the House. He intimGfei that
the law of the last Legislature. authorizing the
treaty without future legislative action, was uneon-
stitutional.
| am not a lawyer, and | know that the word
g ratify,' in its usual acceptation. applies to ante
cedent action but in legal instruments it is not
always so. The principal. in giving 3 power of at
torney, usually says something like this - Hereby
rdtVBtHg and confirming all that my said attorney
or substitute shall do lawfully or cause to be done by
virtue hereof He clearly ratifes the acts of his
attorney beforehand. 1t seems that the Chief Justice
so understood 1t, when, to the inquiry OF the Secre-
tary of State whether the Hawaiian Legislature had
anything further to do, he replied that they had not.
destinations have been thrown out during this
debate that this treaty was the first step towards
possession, and evidently some members are hostile
on that ground. The honorable gentlemen from
Waimea and Wailuku ably and nobly viudicated my
native land from any such sinister purpose, by their
recital Of the unceasing acts OF friendship from the
United States through all their long acquaintance;
and | am happy in the belief that the King and
the great majority of mobiles and Representatives and
people feel so to-day. And | will add that this
treaty, by which they r%elinquish about 500, 900 in
duties, whilst we relinquish about 100000, is the
GROWING act of kindness. But l want to reiterate
in my own language the substance of what the hon.
orable gentlemen said For sixty years have the
United States ships of commerce and war visited
these islands. Have they ever presented unreason-
able and unjust demands, enforcing their compli-
ance with threats, when there were more Americans
in the islands than Of all other foreigners united
Have they ever threatened to seize the islands, when,
if they had felt disposed to do so, they could easily
have found Il pretext Have they not always dealt
generously and justly with you, and were they not
the first to acknowledge your independence? l have
no hesitation in saying that the United States have
ever been influenced in their acts by kindness to-
wards this kingdom the more so as their benevo-
lent citizens have contributed most literally, to the
extent of hundreds Of thousands of dollars, to give
them a written language. and books, and schools,
and churches. The fear of trouble from without has
sometimes been felt, but it has not been from Amer
leans. | remember a time when at midnight 4 mes
senger from the palace took his way to the residence
of the American Minister, with the inquiry whether,
in case of a certain contingency which might hap
pen, the flag of the United States could be relied
upon for protection of the kingdom from apprehended
danger. The Minister promptly replied, yes"
The anticipated danger passed away, but it added
another to the opportunities in which the United
States had shown their good will to this people and
| am glad to believe that this is the view Of the great
majority of the people of this kingdom They do
not suspect danger from the friend who has ever
abounded in acts of kindness. If the people do
right they have no reason to fear for their ~independ-
ence. The day has gone by when the strong seized
upon the weak without cause. If we provoke those
who are stronger than we are, we must expect them
to redress their own wrongs but if We do right v
have nothing to fear from the United States, Gre
Britain, France, Germany, Russia, or any otlS
State. Only be right. and God will be our p
tector in the future as in the past. l cordially al
prove of the act of the Ministry in negotiating tha-t
treaty with our fast friend.