The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-12-14
TIE PACIFIC
Commercial AO0rttlsrr.
-sATrRDAT. DECEMBER u.


form ;hci- duty % their own governments was to
cavil at and by every possible means to oppose
and annoy the weak and struggling government to
which they were accredited. The Hawaiian
Government has had 4 very extensive and un-
pleasant experience in past years Of fault-fpdiDg
and misunderstanding foreign consuls and diplo-
matte representatives,. The late Mr.. Wyllie's
Official career as Hawaiian Minister for Foreign
Affairs, up to within q short period OF its close,
was made up Of a constant succession OF v~exatious
controversies with foreign officials of the style
to which We refer. OF late years, however, all
this has been changed, and the representatives. Of
foreign Powers in this little Kingdom have
treated it's government with due respect and con-
sideratiOn, and have, as a rule, acted towards US
in the spirit which undoubtedly actuates the
governments from which they are sent-a spirit
Of sincere friendship and IIberality towards little
Hawaii mel. 1t is therefore with surprise and
regret that we have recently seen the American
Consul at this port leaving his post Of duty and
journeying to the United States, apparently for
the sole purpose Of marring the prospects of the
development of this country by prejudicIng Con-
gress against the Treaty of Reciprocity. That he
Is strenuously working for this end, is made very
apparent from published statements in the news
papers and from private advices received here,
and is plainly set forth in the letter Of our San
Francisco correspondent, which appears in to-
days supplement, and who is in a position to be
reliably informed upon all matters pertaining to
these Islands.
As a genial gentleman IN private life and in
social circles, the present incumbent Of the
American Consulate at Honolulu is highly es-
teemed but the mistaken course he is now pur-
~suing-perhaps from an unselfsh conviction of
his duty to his own government-must in the end
have the effect to ALLEVIATE the esteem and friend
ship of not only his fellow-countrymen here and
on the Pacific Coast,-the latter being closely
identified with the material interests of the
Islands-but he will find himself in antagonism
with the people Of all other nationalities residing
here who feel an interest in the welfare and
prosperity of Hawaii nei.
The Consul is reported to have land before the
Secretary of State an official communication, in
which he states, and undertakes to show by
figures, that the United States have received no
adequate return for the REIMBURSEMENT of GUS
toms duties on Hawaiian productions, and recon-
mends that the Treaty should be amended-we
do not learn IN what particular. Secretary
Sherman (who as a Senator opposed the Treaty
at the time of its negotiation) is also reported to
have prepared for submission to Congress an
elaborate statement of the working of the Treaty,
whereby, as he undertakes to show, the United
States are considerably the losers. But, as the
s. +. Bulletin remarks, 9 there is nothing new
in this While the Treaty was under a
lengthy discussion during two sessions of Con-
gross, it was repeatedly shown that its operation
would necessarily be more for the advantage of
Hawaii than for America.
But the opponents of the Treaty at this time
quite ignore or suppress one or two very import
ant points that should be made to tell in favor of
its continuance as it is, without amendment, and
which must show to any unbiased mind that
while the United States las was we'll understood
at the outset would be the case) are giving US
more than we return, it is also true that Amerl-
can citizens are to a large extent the gamers by
the Treaty. American capital has already been
freely invested here on the strength of recipro-
city, and it is still coming in. During the first
year of the operation of the Treaty, the gain in
the sum total of exports from the port of San
Francisco alone to these Islands amounted to
nearly a half a million of dollars. We have no
exact figures at hand as to the imports of lumber,
fish, ETC., from Oregon and Washington Terri
tory, but merchants who are largely engaged in
the business inform us that the receipts of lumber
from those sources have more than doubled since
the Treaty went into operation, and that the
arrivals of American lumber vessels now average
about one a week.
Mr.. j. L. Warehouse, a well-known English
merchant, who has large interests here, pub
fishes a very timely letter on Hawaiian Recipro-
city in the San Francisco Chronicle of Nov. 25, |
which we quote in full
Il notice in your special dispatches from Washington |
a statement in regard to the reciprocity treaty with the
Sandwich Islands. as well as the statement of DR.. Scott, |
Consul at Honolulu, that need some explanation.
u am an English merchant, having q residence there
nearly twenty-eight years, and well acquainted with the
native race When reciprocity was secured, the magnates
erratic manner toward other friendly Powers, as well as
the United States. from whom the Islands had received
well a. those not included in the free list of American
make good the loss on the duty surrendered. Such action
crippled the WI 1nt g. OF Il. the FeGiPG3Gity treaty in its
wrong-dOiug and put the tariff nearly on its former basis,
procity. 'iA' u Ieo
Il am not surprised at DR.. Scott being prejudiced
against the treaty by the previous conduct of the Govern
dices after atonement has been made for past errors.
whilst the figures are no doubt correct if the supple
mentaFy evidence was taken the showing would prove a
far greater benefit to the United States than the dry fig
ures. In consequence Of reciprocity there have been
three steamers built in California for the inter-island /
trade a number OF schooners have also been built and
purchased which does not appear in the Customs report
As manufactures do. There is also 3 very large amount
of tonnage used. furnishing employment and prof. .HHs
the United States. Besides is there no political {. Appar-
GRAFTON in receiving, by the treaty, the key so.5F1sf rate
by Great Britain in case Of eventualiue 'WF@%R &c co
bid. but which yet is not impossible. ars ~
Let reciprocity come to grief WI . !
for all parties concerned Snd 1 sh IECH !
do our level best. with the natives FETINTF
obtain the discarded political ad rS,N d TVO6S The
ain, and thereby secure a recip "ers, Parties ~, Su- I
Australian colonies. Could YOU Z ? 10 mrDisb p, GGrconEr r
the least doubt. when they full ever gar ma
ton and position Of the United 20. ~
Islands. they would fully inc VI
their action in regard TO the ReCiprU~ az
there are two more steamers for the iuterIs.-
the course OF construction"
In concluding our present reference to this i'm
pOrtant subject, we may reasonably indulge the
expectation that our Government is fully awake
to the necessity of furnishing the Hawaiian
Resident at Washington with every
facility in the way Of facts and figures. so that our