The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-03-18
Reply 10 His Esx. w. L.. Green.
To HIS EXCELLENCY W. l.. GREEN,
Minister Of Foreign Affairs.

AHiotani Hale:
SIR On the 18th instant [ received
from you a printed communication addressed
to certain persons by name "and to the other
gentlemen who signed the Address to His
Majesty dated February 22nd, 1876: !"
AS one of the signers of that Address, having
held official relations to yourself and the De-
partment over which you preside, in the course
of which / had the pleasure of receiving from
you expressions of appreciation and esteem,
and experiencing constantly such confidence
and generous assistance in my official duties
as to enhance the confident hopes for your USE
fulness to the country, which l entertained on
your elevation to the high position you occupy,
I beg to be allowed the privilege of responding
publicly and with the same candor which
marks your letter to the signers of the Address.
At the outset, l wish to say that your letter
seems founded on two errors, one, that the Adj
dress was a call to His Majesty to dismiss
His Ministry as not possessing the public con-
fidence, and the other that the signers were
led into signing the Address by some person
without knowing its contents. Had the former
proposition been intended, l assure you 1 should
have asked that it be stated in so many words.
At a meeting called at the house of Mr..
Gibson, that gentleman laid before a number
of gentlemen a sketch of a plan for an Immigra-
ton Society to be chartered by the Govern
ment in which the Government were TO be
asked to take a number of shares, or to aid in
some other way.
At a subsequent meeting this plan was criti-
cised by several, myself among the number.
1t was pointed out that all that private enter
prise could be counted upon to do, would be,
to provide so far as possible under the laws.
for the Immediate private wants of industries;
that any comprehensive scheme or plan for
general immigration upon a scale comInensu-
rate with the national wants would require
some diplomatic action that if immigrants
could be found, some public works would need
70 no uDInrtoEan fo furpich amnloumanf for
such when they first arrived and that the ex-
pense of initiating such a movement should be
borne by Government. L remember myself
suggesting that if the Ministry would press
Investigations with such objects in view, they
could levy taxes to meet the expenses in
such a way as to make those who were
prospecting in the country contribute to such
repeopling and that they would be vigorously
sustained by those who really desired the
continued independence of the kingdom.
1t was further stated that no persons were
better aware of the needs of the kingdom
than yourself and the Minister of FL
nance, who was present at the meeting, but
that for some reasons unknown to the public
no recent effort in the direction indicated had
been made.
Out of this grew the suggestion that a memo
rial TO His Majesty giving earnest expression to
the views OF those present would bring the
subject before the Government with what little
our names would carry to sustain
the Government III any effort they might make
with the Legislature about to meet, to provide
for the efforts which we understoodiHis Males
tvs Government were only too anxious to
make to meet a national want.
The only objection l had to make to the
memorial was that some demagogue would
take the occasion to try and work upon the
prejudices of ignorant Hawaiians by leading
to regard it as a movement to supplant
them in their own land and cheaper their
labor thus endeavouring to paralyse the minis
try in their efforts but / am free to confess
that [ did not expect such a course from any
member of the Government. The subject of
Retrenchment was earnestly discussed, and In
the same spirit. The present was deemed a
critical time because the Legislature was about
to meet and would not be convened again for two
years. 1t was also hoped that these subjects
would receive due mention in the address
from the Throne to the Legislative Assembly.
A committee was appointed to draft the me-
mortal, and quite a number of the slgners sub
sequently met to discuss the draft prepared,
a number of amendments and alterations were
all with the view of preserving a re-
tone while giving very earnest express
sion to what was felt to be of great Importance
to the throne and people of this nation. The
very word "muSt," to which you seem TO take
exception, was discussed, and, for my own
part, feeling that it was solemnly true, If the
independence of the nation was TO be preserved,
4 dullcICO W IL d. OllC Il lllObC NAO AALth q
among the "mellifuous phrases" would ar
attention and win for the memorial just
that attention which We desired for it, and |
believe the event proves the correctness Of the
l expected the reply from His Majesty, on
whose courtesy we knew We could depend, for
a fair consideration of our memorial and a gen.
erous judgment of our motives would be care
fully considered by His Ministers, and while
they might point out difficulties of which we
could have no knowledge, that they would &C
knowledge the Importance of the subjects pre-
scented, and avail themselves of any aid they
could get in carrying out plans which they,
with their sources of information might devise.
The Ministerial reply l should not have al
luded to but for your belligerent letter OF the
18th inst. An old story | think illustrates the
tone of the ministerial reply. a physician, COM
ing from the house ola patient just confined, was
by . friend, who anxiously inquired after