The Hawaiian gazette., 1885-04-22

WHEN one has lived long in FOOLS Par
adise the awakening is very hard, to find
the massive marble columns crumbling
into dust, to see the gay flowers whitening
on their stalks, and the very stalks and
foliage willing, TO see the once blue sky
rlOndiDE VYrT, 70 brBr tbe tbnDder beGip
Mug % roar, % 500 the rain Gouia palting
d0Wn, and to find at the same time that
ones very clothes which shOuld have been
prepared to Withstand the tempest have
turned to rags and tatters that will be
drcnched in an instant, is by no means a
comfortable sensation.
Some such sensation n number Of our
citizens are now feeling. The stormy day
Is at hand, and they now begin to realize
how they have been remiss in not prepar
ing for that storm. Privately, of course.
that only affects themselves and those i'm
mediately connected with them.
1t Is with the public FOOLS Paradise that
We have TO deal. Here we are at the end
Of our seven years of plenty and what have
We got to showl An empty Treasury and
heavy debt On April lst. 1878 we had
balance in hand of S130Si104, public
debt Of S444,SOO, and every other Obliga-
ton paid. On April 1st. 1885. Just seven
years later, we have a so called balance in
the Treasury of Sll, ,S57.13. public debt
Of close on TO million and half, if not
more, lno one can tell what loans are made
for all kinds of loan acts are resorted to
for unexpended balances, the latest being
$4,000 on that of 1872, which bears u per
cent interest," and n large number Of out
standing debts which the Government can.
not liquidate.
During the biennial period 1876 1875
the revenue was Sl,241,31224. or about
S620,OOO annually During the gem. April
lst, 1884. to March 3lst. 1885, the revenue
has been S1.4S7, ,S90SS. More than double
the annual income of seven years ago.
Financially we have lived in a fools
Paradise. We have worked early and late.
we have denied ourselves. in order to accu-
mulate both private and national wealth,
and We stand nationally now-with an
empty purse in our hands
Have we any great public works to show
for our money? We may look round in
vain for them. Private enterprise has
supplied us with fine steam fleet. with
many necessary works. but are our roads
better Is the sanitary condition of our
principal city better? Is the water supply
OF the city ON satisfactory footing? Has
the disease of leprosy been met properly?
To every one of these questions a negative
wOuld have to be given. And yet since
1878 We have had able men in office. as the
Hon. 5. q. Wilder, and the Hon. W L.
Green. who saw that the finances were
properly husbanded. and who both planned
great permanent improvements How
ever good the lines may have been which
these gentlemen laid down, the present
Cabinet has succeeded in thoroughly up
setting them and leaving the country in
the position 1t Is.
We do not say for an instant that the
predecessors Of the present Cabinet made
no mistakes, but we do say that the pres
ent Cabinet has not only intensified every
mistake and blunder that was bequeathed
to them. but that they have added fertile
crop Of their own, the luIuriant growth Of
which has quite hidden those Of other ad
ministrations.
Prominent among these blunders has
been the persistent manner in which. TO
shelter himself. the head Of the Cabinet
has thrust forward his King. Instead of
shielding his sovereign, he has ever
guarded himself The result has been the
gradual and steadily growing unpopular
lty Of a Monarch who was, and might still
be, the most popular of sOvereigns.
In spite Of warnings, of argument, Of
constant showing up, large portion of
our people have slept on in their FOOLS
Paradise, have not exerted themselves to
right what is wrong, to pull away the tin
sci and examine the rotten boards. And