The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-08-23

Some such law is absolutely necessary If
the Government is to succeed in the
vigorous crusade it has begun against
leprosy. The report of the President OF
the Board of Health shows that the Glib
son Government did practically nothing
to check the spread of leprosy. No effort
was made to carry on the work OF segre-
CATION. The number of patients at Molo-
kai decreased, which meant, unfortun-
ately, not that the disease was being
checked, but that it was being left to
destroy the Hawaiian race without an
effort being made to save them.
Since the present Ministry came
into power, this criminal care
Iessness has ceased, and a deter
mined effort has been made to
weed out every case in every district,
and send every one infected to Molokai.
The effort has been attended with partial
success, but that success cannot become
complete until the efforts of the Ministry
are reinforced with properly effective
laws. At present the hands of the Gov
eminent are tied. The bill now before
the House will go far toward furnishing
the necessary conditions to a vigorous
effort to stamp out the disease before it
has destroyed the Hawaiian race. The
bill is one which is just and moderate in
it's provisions, and lays no grievous or
improper burden on anyone. It is a
measure conceived in the interest of the
Hawaiian, who is far more deeply in
terested in it than anyone else can be,
because the very existence of the race is
at stake. What then should be thought
of those Hawaiians in the House, who,
for political purposes, or to gain momen-
tary popularity, have set their faces
against the bill, opposed it by their
voices and their votes and gone on the rec
ord as the worst enemies Of the Hawaii
an race, enemies who stab insidiously,
while wearing the mask of friendship.
This is a subject of supreme impor-
lance and one on which a definite under
standing may as we'll be reached without
delay. 1t ought to be clearly understood
by the native members and their sup
porters that every one who takes the
stand that most of them have on this
question, forfeit thereby forever the re-
spect and confidence of their compeers
in the Legislature, and every one in the
country who has its interest at all at heart.
of all in fact except those who are base
and INSCRIPTIONS enough to be willing
to step to power over the dead body of
their country's prosperity. No matter
from what point of view the action of
these members is regarded, the result
condemns them. If they voted accord
ing to their cOnsciences, all that remains
to be said is that men who can take the
stand they have are not possessed of the
qualifications requisite for legislator,
are not in fact possessed of intelligence
sufficient to fit them for any position
which makes the least demand upon the
thinking faculty. On the other hand,
if these members voted as they did
huOWIuS IIlCy WCIO C1hlLS CAO WIOuS
side, they have of course deprived them
selves of public confidence. Let them
think to make capital out of their
action before the electors in go,
if they choose. They will find
they have reaped harvest of
contempt. 1t is of no use for Mr.. Ka-
mauoha to get up and say publicly that
he is "not particularly opposed to this
BILL" with other talk of an equally
sort. The fact remains that he
moved to indefinitely postpone it. We
rejoice to say that the position taken |
by Mr.. Kamauoha and most of his con-
freres was not shared by all the native |
members. Reps. Kauhane and Ka-
laukoa came out boldly against popular
and spoke and voted for the |
bill. All honor to them both for firm |
and patriotic course at critical moment,
with full credit to the half-dozen other !
Hawaiians who voted to save the meas
ure. They have strengthened their posi- |
ton with the country as men who are in |
the House to save it, and not to propi- |