Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-07-21
SATURDAY PI2ESS
SATURDAY. JULY o.. ia,


In the suit brought against the saturday
rtcts ty George l., Fitch, tho most impot
tant question before the Hawaiian nation was
tncd upon It's merits" It has been ifom its
beginning uu.ahlc case The pfoyucaiiun,
tho institution, the public discussion anil the
ttal oi this suit have been more than . nine
days wondr, They have bcrn good tot the
community, and ou, " them may cume lasting
caaA to IN, Hawaiian race. to the Hawaiian
poupl, vt cvcty race While trade swept on
ir w., channels. while suciety was merry with
its pleasures, while households wrfc busy with
their ,,tr,, In rrrai io the most important
subject that was ryrt bcforc u. the community
hl gone io jetp II was wen that 70 should
hc awakened from ,ha, sleep, and the Press
undertook io accomplish the awakening Il
ought Goo lc considered potlunahle pride, in q
paper th,t lo., .u little hoaIiug O., ,hi, does,
to t,i,r tu ihc course of the Press in is
crusade against the criminal mismanhgcmc
H icpu.y, though 1t would hc quit, unfair to
rtlI,.t clue mention vt the able assistance ol
hy Gazette Vet a minority NJ good citizens,
quite apart from the palace patty and is un.
chnny following hos not ceased until now tu
l,prccaic the action ~ the Press, Recnusc 1t
would hut us abroad" Now, these lcatome
hhgil,s 1r, with us, tn man. II there be d
llonululan believer in the policy Of Fitch,
outside the "insidc. he /, singing very low al
the present writing
The recent uial has accomplished an import
an, cnj " It has aroused this nation from the
supinc lclhagy which threatened the property
the health and the liic Of every man. woman
aud child in the Kingdom. LcproSy /, the ON,
scourec that the world has alway, dreaded
II has successfully dcfcd medical skill. since
medical skill first rrappled with 1t. rhy
,icians have no; been able to say how it comes
or to explain the laws by which 1t works
Oyct and over again it has been proven in
cumblc. II attacks all races, all classes, al
ages ol humanity. There is no h,r thai
authority can masc, no limit that medical skill
can place, no assurance that experience car
give that IS protective aghins, the mos, ter
nhlc the most lulthcsome and the most hope
les, vt human diseases 1t was ior discussing
the theories ot Doctor Fitch, and his aciion'
in attempting TO caty them out, ct not to earn
them out, that the defendant was changed will
the crime ot hhcl The question was Of vas
interest to the whole community. 1t was o
compelling interest TO physicians. Many
one ct them studying, working, exposing him
sell, ha, long been patiently trying 10 discovc
some clue tn some Treatment capable Of con
quering disease that has always been foun,
unconqurmhlc Among the physicians VIII,
I testified a, the trial, some have studied tn
disease on these islands for many years Al
oC them agrcc that 1t is altogether ti,tinc, fruu
any Other disease. Vet. the prosecuting wit
ness, alone and unsupported, declared it t.
lie identical with another disease How thi
difference Of opinion is settled depends to.da
the future Of the Hawaiian Islands. Becaus
the Press so firmly believed this truth,
handled the unfortunate Fitch withou~sloves
knowing that he represented the fatal system c
playing with fire which the government wa
constantly encouraging. Any citizen ma
appeal To the law for protection OF redress
SO Doctor Fitch. in IN ill.advised moment
began suit TOT libel The law of libel va
framed to afford protection against injuriou
statements in public print which are untrue, q
which are printed withou, jusiihable motive,
Were the charges Of the Press tue2 WEI
they print,d fof the public good2