The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-01-24

just here the Lieut.. has apparently felt the in
fuence Of foreign rum, for he abruptly DIVORCES
on to the subject of the domestic article, in this
remarkable paragraph " We send thousands of
dollars out Of the country for duties on Hawaiian
rum il tbe duty were repealed the money would
stay here" Then we are told that we have
growing here hundreds of thousands of tons of Ii
root. which, if distilled, would bring large mon
eys into the Treasury.
Here is the way the Lieut.. wrestles with the
currency problem: I'm lss0-sl we could coin
silver and gold to the extent of $3.50, 600, and
issue paper, $50, OOO,-and so on, each year,
for three years. The interest we would have to
pay on the loan would not be less than five per
cent. We borrow one million the first year
$50, 900 in~terest-then make a law forbidding
the export Of our coin, and this would stop Chin
amen from sending money out of the country.
But, he says, Brewer & Co. send away $50 900
a year; Hackfeld & Co. $50, 900: and Austin
$4,000 being more than is sent by all the
Cinnamon. And here the Lieut.. takes breath,
possibly because he cannot see just how to pre-
vent people from making money.
But, says the doughty warrior, " the plan L
advocate will make money plenty in everybody's
pocket The bow to keep the money is planned
after this wise: Z" Buy the bonds of the govern
ment for cash, which will remain in the Treasury
for the government to use in repaying the loans,
while paper money will be circulating and in
creasing. Thus you see, money can be made to
increase and pay for ITSELF"
Having thus finished off his financial policy the
Lieut.. proceeds to grappie with Foreign Relations
and War, with the latter of which of course he is
more at home than when discussing filthy lucre.
- Perhaps the reasons for preparing to defend
ourselves from external enemies may not be clear
to you. 1t is true that when we were poor we
were too insignificant to think of our being an OBJ
ject of war by the great powers. But things are
changed now. England at FIJI and Samoa Ger
many and the United States at Samoa also China
and japan on the North and West France at
Tahiti the United States and Great Britain on
the East we stand alone on the Pacific Ocean.
Wherever We look the guns are pointed at US
and which of these powers will be the first to
come and take US? Wherever we look the differ
emit governments stand open-mouthed, ready to
swallow Hawaii. We must be brave-be pre-
pared. To do this we must borrow. We must
spend five millions Thus: One million the first
year to build two forts, one each on Diamond
and Coco Heads, armed with 100 ton guns, torpe-
does, repeaters and gatlings, and manned with
two hundred soldiers. The second year we must
spend another million in the same way. Then in
the third and fourth years we would have several
war vessels to defend our coasts, for which we
would spend another million. In 1889 we should
be thoroughly equipped and able to care for our
selves. England, France, Germany and America
would look on with admiration, for they would
see that we were able to take a place among the
nations that we were no longer so weak as to be
liable to be slapped in the face and cry like a
baby. Should the Great Powers engage in war,
we could preserve the neutrality of our ports"
This happy future condition of Hawaiian af-
fairs, as ~presaged by the Lieut., is very neatly hit
off IN a cartoon by our Hawaiian Mast, and which
has attracted amused crowds of spectators on
Merchant street during successive days of the past
week. We have a view OF the bristling f~ortifca-
tions, the feet of ironclads and the army, the lat
ter commanded by the Lieut., who has evidently
been promoted in the meantime, and who is
mounted on a meek-lookiDg donkey, representing
Hawaii.
Thinking it may be barely possible that those
whose votes he is soliciting may scent an unpleas-
ant idea Of taxation to support such a grand mill
tary and naval establishment, the Lieut.. suggests
that the government could create a large sugar
plantation of it's own, Of from 5000 to 5000 acres
in extent, the profits from which should go to the
Department of War.
We do not anticipate that any of our readers
will experience any alarm at this effusion Of a
simple addle-pate but we do say, that the dis
tribution Of such a mass Of bOsh by one of the Of
fcers Of His Majesty's household troops may have
the effect to unsettle the average Hawaiian legis-
lator, and lead to the waste of valuable time dur
ing the coming session ,--besides making us a
laughing stock among our neighbors.