The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-12-17

They are A dangerous class to the world m rs
financial Interests: they either do not grasp the
eituztion or comprehend its principles they eitner
/ do not know she history or do not understand inc
international aspect of the question, or else they
| are not honest.
| women and children who have had their property
swept away from them by reason OF the derange-
| rnert of currency, and they will never compreh-
i end what brought disaster upon them. desire 10
see this country take such course that ms child
rem, even If may not live TO see IT, VIII see the
time when, in every few years, disaster viii not
sveep over the land simply because We are too
ignorant or too Indifferent to care for the economic
conditions necessary to safety and prosperity
Here we have man Of ability, expert
ence and standing, pointing out the dan
gers of a silver currency. There Is little
| doubt as to what class our Ministry should
come under They do not require any
qualifying "or.n They certainly do not
grasp the situation or comprehend It's
principles; they do not understand the in
| ternational aspect of the question" and
they are not honest
There never was greater Job perpe-
trated than the flooding of the country
with mass of deprecated silver. paying
a man handsome premium for sending
IT here. How much that silver has cost.
how much it is likely yet to cost, It seems
impossible TO show. 1t Is worth. intrinsic
ally. about s. cents on the dollar and pro
| portionately less as the coins become lower
in value. This coin came into the country
at its par value The whole proceeding
reminds one very much Of the methods Of
certain money lenders in England. who
employ agents TO catch the unwary, and
who when the finish comes dole ont SO
4 4 ! 4 -
inferior sherry and other trash. For the
deprecated silver dollars we shall have to
pay hard American gold coin, and the loss
will have 10 be borne by the pockets Of the
Hawaiian tax payer. just as the swindled
spendthrift has TO pay up for his modicum
OF coin and his trash.
We have not by any means reached the
bottom OF our troubled sea yet. There Is
in store for us n most unenvIable time,
unless the Government decide to act to
gether with the merchants and the people.
Ii is most unfortunate that at crisis Of
this kind there has been no acting in con
cert: that we are. rs 1t We're a bundle OF
sticks. not firmly knit together, but in the
loose condition to be broken For this
there Is no one TO blame except the Min
istry and the appointing power. The pres
ent Cabinet has ostentatiOusly etltself IN
antagonism with the commercial section
of the kingdom: it has foutcd both Cham
Der of Commerce and planters. 1t has
sought in its officials. not ability. hut sub
serviency and meanness. The appointing
power. that is the King, must be well aware
of this, has had it shown to him again and
again, by friend and foe OF the Ministry
The blame then of what must inevitably
happen will rest on the shoulders OF those
who ought to bear it If panic sets in, If the
hard earned fortunes Of the sturdy cultlva
ors, of laborious tradesmen, are lost, our
citizens know exactly where blame belongs.
They will not be like those who in Mr..
Buffers speech have never cOmprehended
what brought disaster upon them If
disaster comes, which God grant It may
not. it will be the King and his Govern
ment who will have brought it upon rs.
The duty of the Ministry was plain: ii has
been urged upon them both in public and
private: but no reasoning would drive into
their heads the necessity Of meeting the
trouble, they themselves have caused, half
way.
The merchants have shown themselves
willing to assist the government, and men
of experience have advised what i best TO
be done. The Government have aPpar
rently decided to do nothing: 10 walk
steadily over the precipice insteadof avoid
ing it: to wait till the horse has left the
stable and Is galloping of before locking
the stable door and carefully putting the
key in their pockets.