The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-04-03

DURING the past ten days it has been reported
that Lieut.. HOapili Baker, of the Kings House
hold Troops, one of the members elect for this
city and supposititious author of certain singular
electioneering manifestoes that were circulated
last February--was about to issue another docu-
ment from the Gazette press. in the shape of an
answer, in the English language, to the Minis
terial Utterances'' in regard to his insane project
of borrowing ten millions Of dollars as well as
to the comments of the press upon that PROPOSE
ton. The expected brochure did not however
make it's appearance in public, although it was
known to be have been printed, stitched and COW
cred ready for circulation. 1t began to be limited
that it was such a heavy and fiery affair that
it would be suppressed altogether. 1t had in the
meantime been seen in the hands of private indi-
viduals public curiosity as to the real nature of
this last piece OF political ordnance ran high; and
the Gazette whose types did the printing, helpless
ly asked US to "rise and explain" We addressed
a note to Lieut.. Baker, requesting a copy Of his
phamphlet, ''for the purpose of review, p" and that
gentleman with reasonable promptness and due
courtesy acceded to our request, so that although
the general public has not, and perhaps may not
get access to the curious production, Tin the event
Vi lS euppIceoloh,I gob VIC u idElJ III leBib-
mately In a position to in some degree satisfy the
public curiosity as to its nature and contents.
We remark frankly in the outset that VI do not
give the honorable and gallant Lieut.. the credit
nor discredit-of being the actual author Of the
literary moDstrosity before US and to which his
name is appended. The voice is Jacob voice,
but the hands are the hands of Esau." We trust
he is able to write better English than is found
in the first seven or eight pages of his pamphlet,
and therefore do not discredit him with its perpe-
tration. The remaining one half, with the excep-
ton Of the postscript, displays a certain familiarity
in the use of the English language and a general
perspicacity of statement, which is strikingly in
contrast with the inane utterances of the first
half, and for the production Of which we should
have grave doubts about crediting our friend the
gallant Lieutenant, or any other aboriginal
Hawaiian with whose literary requirements we
we are at all acquainted. And the first half, which
is as plainly the production of a Hawaiian mind as
the last part is that of a foreign one-is ~fearfully
and wonderfully made. Big sounding word sand
thunderous adjectIves seem to have been thrown
into the pages at random, and with very slight
regard as to sense or fitness. Sentences start off
glibly and sonorously, and after wandering inco-
herently over several may lines, come at length to
a period withouta point OF a conclusion. We have
painfully labOred over some Of those sentences,
vainly seeking to comprehend their hidden mean
ing, until compelled in sheer mental exhaustion
to give up the conundrum. But perhaps the style
was intended to be enigmatical, and purposely
pitched in a key beyond the reach OF ordinary
intellects. We trust that a copy oil this unique
document will be carefully preserved in the Ha-
waiian museum, for tho inspection of future
statesmen and curious book-worms.
Aside from the absurdities of the composition,
the first portion is filled with venom and v%itupera-
tive abuse OF the two Ministers whose cutter
ances' and whose policy are attacked. After heap
ing terms of abuse and insult upon these gentle
men as far as language can go,-and despite the
obscurity of sentences this animus is quite plain
the writer says: alt is time, then, to think of
a change for the better" This sounds like BUSH
ness; but in the same breath he relieves our ap-
prehensions of a Ministerial revolution by decid-
ing that ''we need not go so far as to ask for a
change in the administration" And he is so