The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1884-12-01
NATIONAL DEFENCES.


\ correspondent makes an eloquent
plea for an army and navy for this
country. We do not agree with
him. He says the idea underlying
Z" An Act to Organize" was good
one. We think il was bad one,
rs it was the idea of suppressing
liberty of speech and the freedom of
the press. This was evident from
the companion measure brought in
with it, which narrowly escaped life.
Our correspondent gives u formid-
able list of terrible possibilities to
life and property on plantations and
in town, from the large proportion
of able bodied laborers in the popu-
lation. There is probably no country
in the world where it would be more
difficult for trouble from that source
to make any headway than in these
Islands. The laborers are mainly
from foreign countries, aud conse-
quently have no political aspirations
connected with this country. A
general rising for plunder alone,
with no intention of usurping politi-
cal control of the country, is a pros
pect that could only be regarded rs
an absurd dream. Then the diverse
nationalities and languages of our
laboring classes is another strong,
even if negative, ground of assurance
against any successful combination
of them for mischief. The Chinese.
whom our correspondent properly
places in the first prominence as q
class to be guarded against, can, we
believe, be made powerless for harm
on the plantations without going to
thes expense of standing army.
Their secret societies are to be taken
by the throat under measure of
the Attorney-Gcncral passed last
session, and even if this attempt
should fail we do not apprehend that
similar resources will be exhausted
1t would be folly to ridicule the
possibility of trouble in Honolulu
from the presence of two or three
thousand idle pagans. Yet we con-
slider the danger only relates to the
first hour or SO of any possible out
break, as within that time there are
forces at present available, who at
their worst regarding discipline are
capable of coping with immense odds
of Chinese. Many large cities of
the American Union are in just as
much danger from their lawless
classes, even with more experienced
and numerous police and an older
militia. In estimating danger of
this sort, allowance must be made
for the superiority of the arm of
the law, when welded with
promptness, intelligence and courage,
over mere numbers. The writer has
known mob of striking Alsatian
miners numbering hundreds-who
possessed arms of precision from
the Franco-Prussian war, although
not having assumed them--to hold
Il village in Il state of terror by
threatening demonstrations for a few
hours, and then be quelled by two
courageous policemen, backed by
few special constables, stepping into
the midst of them and arresting the
ringleaders. A Foreigner " cites
the cases of European countries that
are poorer, according to population,
than this country, yet have compar-
atively large standing armies and
navies. He might have added that
one of the principal causes of the
remarked poverty of those nations
was the burden of maintaining their
costly ornaments, heritages as they
are of an ancient nilitarism that was
a curse to the world and which has
come down with its crushing weight
upon human progress in this age.