Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-02-16


give it up replied Fulano "1'hat is
what we all would like to do said
Ignotus "But what is the real an
swer2' queried Fulano. Because,
my child" answered Ignatus, I" it goes
on forever
Now there are great many people
in this community who think a reform
legislature has no higher aim and can
have no better result than the turning
out of the existing administration $50
tar as Messrs. Gibson, Gulick and Ka-
pena represent it
We ask those sincere gentlemen to
whom Gibsonism is the SnmmHm
m0InM of Hawaiian affairs to go step
further. We believe that full and
fair investigation of the three cabinet
officers above mentioned will demons
tratc their unfitness for the Offices they
now hold. Demonstrate their unfit
ness" is fine generic phrase, capable
of covering what "charity" covers in
the proverb. But such demonstration
and its inevitable result must not be
considered pau. In the nature of
things that must be merely happy in
cident of reform.
"Iconoclasm is a big word that
small thinkers love to roll on their
bovine tongues and to send forth trip
pingly or mouth roaringly. 1t means,
literally, idol-breaking but it has come
to be a synonym for the destructive
element in modern sociology 1t is
coming to mean applied pessamism.
Fortunately for the world the average
stomach OF civilized peoples is in too
healthy state to relish diet of ap-
piled pessamism-although its very
health makes it able to digest and be
very little the worse therefor
Now that the elections are over, and
majority of Independents have been
returned to seats in the legislature the
naturally prominent topic is legislation.
Retrospect is instructive, but it is the
long look ahead that the country
needs" said citizen the other day.
Experience is too often exactly what
Emerson phrases 1t "a light that
illumines the wake Of a ship" And
yet it is impossible wisely to consider
the Legislation needed without frequent
scrutiny of the legislation, the lack of
legislation and the consequent tor, at
least, partially consequently admins
tration of the past.
Legislation by Hawaiian legis-
lature can be lasting for good only ON
two conditions. 1t must recognize the
prior right of Hawaiian born to the first
benefits Of legislation and it must act
in the spirit Of such recognition without
disturbing the vested rights of either
foreign born citizens or of aliens-al-
ways provided those vested rights are
secured either by Hawaiian law or by
the recognized law or policy of civilized
nations"
Is the foregoing paragraph perfectly
clear? Let us put it in another shape
If laws are to be made for the special
benefit of any class-those laws ought
first to be made for Hawaiians; and
such benefit would of course accrue to
aboriginal Hawaiians chiefly. This
fact is recognized throughout the king
! dom by fair-minded men generally.
Hawaii for the Hawaiians,' is per
iectly just demand--up to the point at
which the wheel of progress begins to
turn backward. When that point is
reached it is time to cry HaltT
| Common justice demands that the
allowable favoritism toward the Ha-
waiian born should not operate to the
disturbance of any vested right. And
above all other considerations the good
of the Hawaiian race itself demands that
the best and wisest Of the whites here
resident mo matter whether Of foreign
birth or Of merely foreign parentage
should be called to fill portion of the
public offices and to act as advisers to
the king.
At present number of the public
offices of the kingdom are filled by
honest and able men. We trust il may
, be demonstrated by an inquiring legis-
lature that NEST of the offices are SO
filed. Many Of these public servants
are whites. But they hold their posi-
tons, as rule, because of recognized
, fitness. In the earlier history Of the
. kingdom such fitness was recognized
. by kings, by chief and by the people
d lgenerally; and only fanatic folly OF
studied political deviltry could bring
, itself to disturb the relations between
native and foreigner on these islands
. by such cry as Hawaii for the Haw
. aiians except as we have qualified it
Let our new Legislators consider this
idea, if it has not previously received
/ their careful consideration and lei
, their legislation be shaped towards con
, citation. Race harmony is an insep
/ arabic element of homogeneous progress
live of an older civilization owe a dul,
, to the Hawaiian race and the present
Legislature has in its power part per
. iormance Of that duty which shall grave
its imprint upon the nations future =
for good or i'll.
A committee from the chamber o.
commerce, consisting of Messrs. c, X
Bishop, I. II. Davies, A. J. Cartwright
W. l.. Green and +. A. Schaefer, callec
{ upon the minister Of finance last month
Two letters addressed by those gentle
men. one to Minister Kapena and the