The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-06-25
BIRTH
TIE PACIFIC
g commercial A0bertlsrr.
SATURDAY
1881.

To GOVERN his country ought to be Il
comparatively easy matter. y sufficient
knowledge. i'm order to lie enabled To direct
wisely, Is all thai j. required in the govern
mcnt Of this kingdom. y posted notice
is all that authority has to- put forth here,
i'm order to carry out any detail of executive
administration but elsewhere n posse has
To accompany the poster; or, ut least, has
u be ut hand TO support the authoritative
maudate-and force must accompany
knowledge in the art of government in
other lands.
How much happier are we, that know
ledge only i required to maintain order.
But if knowledge is wanting or having
ii, is not applied then is our condition
weak and precarioUs, and liable to disorder
at any day.
We are led To these reflections i'm con-
temPIatiug the present situation. This city
and the Island Of Oahu have been for five
months under AN embargo, or quarantine;
we have lost over three hundred lives; and
LOST and spent over one million dollars, on
account Ofthe ravages orau imported disease
that had, we may say, only II opportunity,
one doorway, for entrance into This archi-
pelleO. Other countries afford hundreds,
and even thousands of opportunities, in a
multitude Of ports, and railways and steam
ships, for the ingress of an epidemic but
the channel of the harbor Of Honolulu is
substantially our only portal; to be watched
and guarded by an intelligent government,
by a vigilant Board of Health, by a quail
fled medical staff, by an efficient police,
and by many guards and detectives. AND
our officially, in the exercise of their duties
in relation to the Port, are especially ell
gagged to watch two things: to ward off the
approach of any deadly foreign contagious
disease and 10 prevent the smuggling of
opium. Now what has been done:
this single port and short lin to watch and
defend? Our authority has allowed infec-
tious disease, every time it appeared, to get
through our lines, into our camp; but did
not fail to capture and confiscate opium.
Was il for want of knowledge. that in
lection got inside and ravaged us? No!
our red tape knew how to watch for and
detect small pON a. well al opium but
There was 40 one on the qui UiUC, no
thoughtful, vigilant, indcfatigablc head, to
detect and spot "a case Of Infection because
there was no money in il; but there was i'm
a ease of opium.
Yet the leading and governing mind of
our authority should have felt the value of
human lives, and felt that there was more
than money in them. Authority no doubt
knew what to do, but did not act up To the
knowledge at the right time. 1t fully ap-
preciated that prevention was better than
cure, and yet allowed disease to come ashore
IN gangs; spread infected garments abroad,
and allowed the lumber of the hunks of
diseased and lead men to be sold for fire
wood among an unconscious people. And
then, when disease was i'll our midst, and
Staying our people, authority reused up to
do something and devised Il Special SAM
taTy PTivy Council Committee to show
how not to do it. And nothing was done, ut
the right time, except under a pressure and
driving of public opinion and thus the
leading mind of authority has not acted up
to the reasonable knowledge, that ought to
be possessed in order to govern so small,
and so easily governed a country. rs our
Hawaiian Kingdom.