The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-11-19
Hawaiian Primary in Polynesia.

THE article extracted from a New Zea-
land paper, which we published last week
under the heading A French man-of-war
at RarotOnga" should engage the ttentio
of our Government. 1t demonstrates in the
plainest manner an intention on the part of
the official persons who represent the Gov
eminent of the French Republic in the
South Pacific to seek, or make, a preteXt for
extending French dominion in that quar-
ter. Allowing everything that we nay for
the bias of mind of British traders who
fear interference with their present business
relations with Rarotonga and the neigh
boring Islands, it is impossible to mistake
the purpose of the visit of the " Hugon" to
Avarua. The slight put upon the recog-
niZed Queen of the Island, the objects
avowed by Capt. Menard, and the extra
ordinary threats he made use of, are all too
significant of an aggressive tendency to be
overlooked. That the circumstances which
evoked the expedition of the "HugoH -
nave not been fully related to us may be
probable. The more ground there may
nave been claimed for it in any conduct of
the natives of the Hervey Group, the more
probable it is tbs those business men and
officials at Tahiti, who see their interest in
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the group may prove successful.
The policy of thisk kingdom should be to
assist, in every way that is practicable, to
preserve the independence of all those COM
munities of Polynesian race which have
not already been driven by circumstances
to seek the protection of foreign Powers.
The example of Hawaii should be set be-
fore them, and we may be sure that they
are already only too willing to seek, by all
means, to assure n position similar to our
own, if they can but discover the road
thereto. The moral support too of Hawaii
should be extended to them in no half
hearted way. Hawaii holds the first posi-
ton among the native states in the Pacific,
and should recognise n duty as attaching To
that position. The people of the Southern
groups are her people, united with her by
no distant ties of race and kindred. And
that moral responsibility attaches to high
position is as true for a nation as for the in
dividual, and nothing can be more to the
and act up to it.
The Legislature of the country viewed
matters in This light when it resolved last
session to send a Royal Hawaiian Com
missioner to Polynesia. Such Commits
81 oner was to be instructed to represent
the enlightened humane and hospitable
spirit of our Government and people to the
kindred states in the Pacific Ocean," In
supporting this proposition which was
passed unanimously by the Legislature, the
author of the resolutions embodying it
referred to the significant fact that twenty
wears ago the Hawaiian Government had
been thus represented in the South Pacific
by a Commissioner, Mr.. st. Julian, whose
assistance had be en- gladly availed of by
the inhabitants of the principal island of
the Samoan Group in the arrangement of
their internal political affairs. Though
passed without opposition this resolution
has been left a dead letter, like too many
other measures passed by the Legislature.
1t remains nevertheless as an index of the
way in which Hawaiians view the subject
on which we are now speaking, and as an
assurance that the Government would have
the hearty support of the representatives of
the people in any steps they might take to
mediate for, and to preserve the independ-
ence of, other nations of the same race as
the Hawaiian.