The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-04-21

and the Australasian colonies were
usually conducted to and from the
Hotel, through Fort street, and
when conducted through the
city," were shown the royal palace,
Aliiolani Hale, the Opera House,
the Library and Y. M. c. A. build
ings, and perchance Waikiki and
the Pail but who ever thought of
conducting a visitor through King
or Maunakea streets? Thousands
of such flying visitors have thus left
these shores earring with them i'm
pressions of a fine mid-ocean city |
with buildings of approved modern
pattern.
One Of the most painful duties of
fair journalism, in present circum-
stances, is that of discovering to
readers abroad the unsavory fact
that sixty acres of pestilential slums
were cleaned up within the city
limits for the execution of sani-
tary purgation of such vast dimen-
sions will be less startling piece of
news to many than that the condi-
tions requiring it actually prevailed.
The only creditable sequel to the
narrative of last Sunday afternoons
doings, that can be presented to the
world abroad, is the announcement
that a new era in the sanitary and
architectural history of Honolulu
has been inaugurated.
The proclamation of the Minister
of the Interior, whether legal or not,
certainly expresses the sentiments
of every resident in sympathy with
the progress and stability of the
city at home and the certainty of
well-merited reputation abroad. And
provided the laws are not sufficient
to meet the case, it is fortunate that
tie Legislative Assembly will shortly
be in session; and if that body
possesses moiety of the calibre
supposed to be an inherent quality
of law-making minds, enactments
bearing upon this matter may very
speedily be framed. AS to the rela-
tons existing between the functions
of Government and the rights of
private property, it is an admitted
principle of law in other countries
that no citizen may be deprived of
his property or of any part of it
without a just equivalent; and in
the case of railroad building and
other works for the use of the pub
lie, lands are taken and buildings
removed, the proprietors being com
pensated on carefully appraised
valuations; and the same principle is
recognized in the courts here. Or
if it be necessary to the rebuilding
of the burnt district on more
solid architectural basis and under
reformed sanitary conditions, for the
Government to take possession Of
the whole area by purchase from the
proprietors and lease holders, there
is no doubt that the appropriation
of liberal sum from the public
funds for the purpose would be a
welcome measure. And it is the
manifest duty of the public to sup
port the Government in carrying to
a successful issue any reasonable
measure that may be adopted to
meet the emergency. Every senti-
ment of partisan feeling should be
suppressed. If the debris of half
annihilated city is not sufficient to
stir up public opinion to due ap-
probation of the greatness of the
interests involved, and to fix a
determination to forego all minor
considerations, then there is little
prospect that the future will be any
improvement on the past. Union is
strength, and union has great posi-
bilities within its reach at the pre-
sent time. Whether the opportu-
nifty forced upon the attention of the
people of Honolulu by the alarm Of
Sunday afternoon is to be won or
lost, remains to be written either in
congratulations over renovated
city or in vain regrets over a resus-
citated town of shanties.