The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-03-31
HARDLY ANYTHING transpires in this

HARDLY anything transpires in this
community by which some Individual is
Inconvenience that il not seized upon by
the opposition Press as a grievance against
the Ministry. An attempt Of this sort has
been made in connection with the decision
given by the Judges on the application of
Mr.. Clarence w. Ashford for admission to
the Hawaiian Bar. As will be seen by the
report we give Of his Judgment in the
present issue the difficulty which stands in
Mr.. Ashford's way originates i'm the change
made last session in the law which regu-
Iates the naturalization of foreigners i'm
this kingdom. 1t has always been neces-
sary that the candidate for admission TO
the Bar here should, prior to his admission,
become a Hawaiian subject. This rule Is
common throughout the world, and, 80 far
as we are aware, il is only in certain parts
of the United States of America that a con-
trary practice obtains. As the Chief JUS
tice remarks, in the judgment under con-
sideratiOn, il cannot be said that the re-
strictfon of n right to practice law in our
Courts to subjects is unreasonable" There
Is no reason to suppose hat this community
cannot furnish from itself all the lawyers
who are necessary for the conduct of its
business-and this the more so, that in this
country the practice of cOnveyanciug is not
confined to members Of the legal profession.
AS a matter Of fact, about eight foreigners
nave been admitted to practice law here
during the last ten years, and several Of
these are no longer here. We cannot,
therefore, discern any probability of incOn-
venience arising for the community gene
rally from the present condition of things.
If others see this in a different light it is
still not merely unreasonable, but absO-
Iutely foolish on their part to make the
matter n ground of complaint against
Ministers, and to jeer at the Attorney
General on the assumption that he has
Just discovered, and is much discounted
by, the effect on this particular matter of
the recent change in the law of ~naturali-
ZatiOn.
AS n matter of fact, the cry that the pro-
cess of naturalization here was too easy
under the old law was first raised by the
very journal which now makes this ungen-
tlemanly attack on the Acknowledgement.
The cry was raised, and made much of, by
the opposition Press, and the new law passed
through the Assembly without exciting
any adverse comment from any journal.
It was however opposed in the Assembly by
Ministers, who cOntended that it showed a
disposition to run from one extreme to
another. 1t passed hOwever-the Assembly,
being no doubt moved in a great measure by
the fears which had been purposely aroused
by our contemporary. 1t has yet to be
shown that the restrictions it imposes will
injure the country or prove oppressive to
individuals. For our own part we think it
too strict to be suitable for a country
whose great hope of progress lies in ac-
quiring population from without. But its
incidence is moderated by privileges which
aliens possess here, which are denied to
them in many other countries, and as it is
now the law of. the land, we are not pre-
pared to demand any change in it until fair
experience of its working has been had.