Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-29
RECIPROCITY.
A Valuable Paper by Hon. r. P. Spald-
ing, Of Ohio.
VIEW OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
And How the Reciprocity Treaty With
the United States Affects Business
Interests.

The Hawaiian islands, commonly called
the Sandwich islands, are in the North Pa
cifc ocean, between 18 degrees and so
minutes, and % degrees and 90 minutes
north latitude, and distant 2,100 miles, IN
a southwesterly direction, from San Fran
cisco.
They are twelve in number, but only
eight Of them are inhabited. The largest
of these last is Hawaii written in the old
maps Owhyhee), which is Lightweight
miles in length, by seventy three miles in
width. The emit g superficial area OF all
the islands may be set down at 100000 OF
acres; but, as very much of this is noun
famous, If IS supposed that no more than
from 100000 to 10000 acres, can be used
for the culture Of the sugar cane, which Is
the staple product of the country.
Their formation is altogether volcanic,
and they have, in existence, the greatest
active volcano in the known world, which
is upon Mauna Loa, on the island of
Hawai-, a mountain 13, 500 feet above the
sea.
By the census of 1873, the total pOpula-
ton of the Hawaiian kingdom was found
to be 1895 souls. of which 44,OS8 were ma
tives. It IS well known that Capt. Cook
estimated the population of the islands, in
I778, at 100000. There can be no doubt
that the natives are rapidly Disappearing
and foreigners, from all parts of the world,
are taking their places. At the present
time, there are about 1000 native born
Americans residing on the islands, and
they form. by far, the mostinfuentiaI por-
ton of the business community,
The climate, for saIubrity and general
equability. Is unrivaled They have no
frost, and the heat is never oppressive.
Upon an average, the temperature is at rs
degrees of Fahrenheit, the year round.
The writer spent the winter of 1856 in
Honolulu, and he has no recollection Of
single day when he could not sit by an
open window, with the flowers in fall
bloom, in the yard, around him. He was
there, again, Ia May last, when the weather
was warm, but, by no means, pncOmfor5-
able.
From the advent of the American mis-
sionaries. in the year 1920, the natives OF
these islands have, for the most part, been
regarded as a quiet, harmless, Christian
community. They, however, exhibit
marked repugnance to manual labor, and
hence arises one great obstacle in the way
of the production of their staple commO3-
ity, sugar. Very much of the labor of the
cane-feld comes from China.
The government of the Hawaiian islands,
once absolute, is now a constitutional
monarchy.
There IS house of mobiles, appointed by
the king, consisting of twenty members;
and a house of representatives, of not less
than twenty-fOur, nor more than forty
members. chosen biennially by the people.
These sit together, and are called the leg
islahye assembly"
The cabinet consists of a secretary of
foreign affairs, a secretary of finance, and
a secretary of the interior, all appointed by
the crown.
There is an attorney general, also, but
he Is regarded, rather, as minister of
justice.
The supreme court is made up Of a chief
justice and two associate justices, a ma
iority of whom have always been lawyers,
educated in the United States They have
district judges in all the larger islands.
They have a common school SYSTEM very
similar to those adopted by the New Eng
land states, and it is rare to find a native
youth, of twelve years and upwards, who
cannot both read and write.
Honolulu, the capital city, is situated
upon the Island of Oahu, the third IN point
of size in the Hawaiian archipelago. 1t has
mixed population of some 10000 souls.
It's social status is equal to that of most
towns, of its size, IL the United States.
r, Il
miniature, but it answers very well for the
government of so simple and well disposed
a race of people.
The king, who, by the way, is a very
sensible and courteous gentleman, has, for
his protection, military force Of sixty
men, and, for his amusement, a band of
instrumental music. He has no navy,
with the exception of a single steamer,
which, in years past, was used to transport
passengers to and from the distant islands.
He is upheld, in his sovereignty, by the
consent of the great maritime powers of
the earth, but he relies, chiefly, as do his
Intelligent subjects, upon their nearest
neighbour, the United States of America,
which recognized the Hawaiian kingdom,
as an independent government, some
forty years ago.
SoO'OAA1AAASN@SS
drawn into intimate relationship by the
adoption of treaty of Commercial Re
ciprocity," which, in my judgment, will
prove to be, in the future, as it has IN the
past, sufficient substitute for a treaty of
annexation, without its trouble and ex-
pense.
It may be profitable to recur, for a
moment, to the terms of that treaty, as
individual selfshness and greed are call
ing loudly for its abrogation by congress.
The preamble sets forth that, THE Uni
ted States of America, and his majesty, the
king of the Hawaiian islands, equally ami
mated by the desire to strengthen and
perpetuate the friendly relations, which
have heretofore, uniformly, existed be-
tween them, and to consolidate their COM
mercial intercourse, have resolved to enter
into convention for commercial recipro-
city x and have agreed to the
following articles:
ARTICLE I.
For and in consideration of the rights
and privileges granted by his majesty, the
king of the Hawaiian islands, in the next
succeeding article of this constitution, and
as an equivalent therefor, the United
States of America hereby agree to admit