The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-01-22
THAT MOLOKAI EXCURSION.

We trust the letter of the Minister
of the Interior, which appeared in
yesterdays ADVERTISER, has received
the general and careful reading
which its importance deserves. The
reasons advanced in explanation and
defense of the recent action of the
Board of Health are clearly and
forcibly put, and are well calculated
to carry conviction to reasonable
minds. The two leading considera-
tions in favor of allowing the excur-
sion to the leper settlement, which
has been so severely criticised, were,
as stated by Nh. Thurston, the fol-
lowing;
First. That though the measure
might easily be made to appear as
departure from the declared policy
of the Board, and a concession to
popular clamor, it was really, both
in intent and effect, in the interests
Of segregation. instead of humor-
ing and thereby encouraging such
clamor, it was intended to silence it,
so far as possible, by allowing the
friends of the lepers to see for them
selves the falsity of the statements
which were being made by editorial
demagogues, and to satisfy them
selves by the evidence of their own
senses that the leper settlement, in
stead of being the iell-on-earth
which, for sinister purposes, it was
represented to be, was a fairly COM
Portable place of abode, whose resi-
dents were about as well housed
and fed as the average native in his
own home.
Second. The persons who were
permitted to take part in the excur-
sion being the relatives and personal
friends of the lepers, had already
been fully exposed, many of them
constantly and for years. Any
danger which might accrue from
allowing these people to see their
friends once more for few hours
was too intellectually small to be
weighed against any substantial adj
vantage which might be gained by
allowing the visit, under such condi-
tions as the Board prescribed.
To any who may honestly differ
with the views which Mr.. Thurston
has put forth, and who may be still
disposed to censure the Board, not
withstanding the explanations which
have been offered, we would make
just one suggestion. The gentle
men who are charged with the un-
pleasant duty of enforcing an un-
popular law, who know by expert
ence the difficulties to be sur
mounted, and who alone can have
full inside view of the whole busi-
ness, are presumably the ones best
qualified to judge of the wisdom and
propriety of such a measure. Their
position is very responsible and
sometimes painful one. They all,
with the exception of the President,
serve without pay. 1t is the dictate
of reason and fairness that the pre-
sumption should always be in their
favor regarding any measure CON
cerning which honest and intelligent
men can honestly differ.
We believe most fully in the po-
Icy of segregation in both its jus
tice and necessity. We desire to see
it carried out with impartiality and
thoroughness. But we submit that
there may be considerable variations
allowed in matters of detail, without
any compromise OF the essential
principle. The thoroughness and
fearlessness with which the present
Board has done It's duty in this
matter is shown by the fact that in
the eighteen months which have
elapsed since it came into Office it
has deported more than twenty times
as many lepers as Mr.. Gibson's
Board did during the eighteen
months previous. Mr.. Thurston NAV
well say, ''by their fruits ye shall