The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-01-28

THE results of the experiment so tardily
set on foot in Honolulu ought to convince
the Board of Health that no time ought to
be lost in establishing Leper hospitals on
each of the other large stands. The man
ner in which this sensible improvement in
our mode of treating the Leper difficulty
has been so long resisted by those in
authority forms indeed a curious spectacle.
1t is u sad c~orroboration of those criticisms
on "The way they do things in'the Hawai-
ian Islands" which may be heard in any
company in other lands where those who
have visited our shores are to be found.
For at least four years the establish
ment of Branch Hospitals for Lepers in diff
ferent parts of the group has been urged
upon the Government. Numerous petit
tionsI in favor of this system were presented
to the Legislature in 1878 and so strong was
the feeling against the summary way in
which lepers were dealt with hat many
Hawaiian Representatives in that year
were prepared to oppose the appropriation
for the Leper settlement IN toto. Such a
result might have happened but for the
earnest advocacy of Mr.. Gibson. On this
point we may refer to the testimony of Mr..
w. o. Smith published shortly after the
emu Ol Tue ScSSlOA NOSC liz II y"
ADVERTISER of 18th Oct. 1851 He then
said-referring to the strong feeling prevail
ing in the Legislature during the session
Every member of the Legislature who
was present at the session knows that Hon.
w. NJ. Gibson the member from Lahaina,
did the country valuable service i'll endeav-
oring to overcome the opposition thus
manifested. He Was no more impressed
with the Importance of the subject than
some other members, but he was very
instrumental in overcoming the opposition,
and securing a larger appropriation than
ever before for the care of lepers."
In the letter just quoted from, Mr.. Smith
proceeds to say "It is wellknOwn that it
was repeatedly urged with all earnestness
that more pains should be taken than in
the past that the following principles
should be adopted. There should be a sys-
tenn of registering the names of all sup
posed to have the disease that they should
then be subjected to treatment and finally
that no one should be sent to MOlokai as
incurable except on the decision of not less
than three physicians. All these condi-
tons Were based on sound principles and
with the welfare of the Kingdom in view
and l nave no hesitation in asserting that
every Intelligent person in he Kingdom
who is familiar with the subject will en-
dorse these principles" Here then we
have, so far back as 1878, the strong feeling
among the native population, a consensus
of sentiment among the foreign residents,
and emphatic expressions of opinion by the
representatives of both in the Legislature,
which ought to have been accepted as Il
rule of conduct by the executive. Yet i'll
1880 the battle had to be fought all over
again. Once more the course pursued by the
authorities was condemned, and Mr.. Gibson
succeeded in securing from the Legislature
the appropriation of S4O,0 900 for the esCab-
lishment of Leper Hospitals. Nevertheless
such power of resistance AS remained with
the Executive was used to thwart the will
of the people for as long a period as possible,
and it is only when the new elections
are close at hand that in sullen acquies-
cence with the command of the Legislature
something has been done: Is the country
to be forever ruled after this fashion? Is
the science of " how not to do it " TO be for