The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-04-01
THE HAWAIIAN TREATY.
Report OF the Subcommittee I'm
GaVOrabIe.

Lsan Francicco Evening Post, March lI,h.I
The subcommittee of the House WAYS
and Means Committee has reported favor
ably on the bill directing the President to
abrogate the Reciprocity Treaty with Ha-
wall The arguments of Cesar Celso Nor
emo have apparently had more weight than
those OF Messrs. FELTON, and Boutwell, At
the meeting of the Committee, held Feb
ruary 18th, the former gentleman appealed
to the prevailing humanitarian ideas of the
East by declaring that the natives of the
Islands had been very badly treated by the
American syndicate, dispossessed of their
lands and oppressed by the American
banks, which loaned them money at ex-
oTbitant rates of interest. Mr.. FELTON, de-
MED that the natives had been dispossessed,
and said that the land used was originally
SO barren that no one could live upon it,
and that irrigation alone, secured at
heavy expenditure of money, had made it
valuable and had benefited the natives. He
also denied that the banks had oppressed
the people, and showed that there were
two free banks. On March 1st the final
hearing was held before the subcommittee,
and Boutwell,, attorney for the Islands,
made an argument in favor of the treaty
He said, among other things-and the
point has much force-that we have
nothing TO do with the effect, whether
beneficial or otherwise, which the treaty
may have had upon the Islands, as the
Hawaiian Government may well be pre-
sumed TO look after that. We should look
to our end of the bargain only. Mr. Carter,
the Hawaiian Minister, also spoke upon
the question at this meeting.
The principal point of attack upon the
treaty is that the balance of trade is against
us, but we could well abolish our trade with
China and with most of the South Amer
lean States on the same basis. If every
government adopted that plan, commerce
would necessarily be at an end. In this
connection there has been published
curious illustration of jugglery with figures.
1t was declared that our Government had
RENTED duties on Hawaiian goods to the
amount of $50, 900 900, and that the United
States by this means surrender revenue
equal to the whole value of their exports to
the Islands" OF course, our Government
cannot surrender what it will not have had,
nor can it be said to remit duties on goods
which but for the treaty would not be i'm
ported, and yet it is just such sophistries
as these that appeal to the casual reader
We can understand why the people of
Louisiana should oppose the treaty, as
Congressman King, of that State, says they
do. The sugar planters of Louisiana have
always been as clamorous for protection as
the iron manufacturers of Pennsylvania
But why any other State should be much
concerned about the matter, and why,
above all, any one interested in California
should oppose the treaty, is not at all APP
parent. The Hawaiian Islands are not
rivals of ours in any respect, and whatever
benefit is possible from its commerce we
get. 1t would be as reasonable to shut off
Nevada and Arizona, if the balance of trade
seemed to be against US. There are certain
men who have succeeded in reaping very
large share of the profit, but the business
is open to all, and these men are citizens of
California as much as the poorest of her
people. The profits of the commerce GER
tainly center in San Francisco, and we are
deeply interested in having the report of
tho