The Hawaiian gazette., 1889-11-19
An Electors views on POLITICS.


elect not only "a Representatives for
q term of two years, but also an en-
tire ticket of Mobiles, "a in number,
one third of whom will hold power
over US until the year 1896, another
third until "a and the balance until
80. The Importance of the elections
is therefore manifest.
The planters stand together this
election, never weather., more pow
erful or more united. They will
support the ministry for want of
something more tractable to support.
The natives drilled by their leaders
IN the belief that their only saliva
ton as people lies in the restora-
ton OF the lost cause, and fired by
recent events, exhibit a unity, which
considering their lack of means and
capacity for intelligent organization,
is surprising. They are against
this ministry. Betwixt the two stand
class of foreign voters and a few
natives and half-castes, intelligent
men of small means conferred for the
most part in Honolulu. Those peo-
pie, right or wrong, consider the
choice between the native and the
planter on this selection as six of one
and half a dozen of the other. Look
ing at their records, the native has
had exclusive political power and
has abused it, but on the other hand
the planter has had exclusive COM
mercial power and has abused it quite
as much. Again, while the planter has
been and is pro-Chinese, so has
been the native as well, though pro-
baby from different motives and
causes. The native has insisted not
only on putting his hand into the
treasury, he wanted to get in bodily
as well, and battle in it, that was his
weakness. On the other hand the
planter righteously pulled him out,
and has since run the government
on an economical business basis, but
when in Term, last Legislature it was
proposed to pare off some of his pol
itical excresences the outgrowth of
his appetite for cheap labor, he did
not see it at all, any more than our
kanaka friend did. In fact, he would
not have It; that was his weakness.
So much for the past records of the
two parties.
Looking now into the future, what
have men in the middle class to ex-
pect from either the planter or the
native. If they side with the plan
ter, they fear, Notwithstanding re-
cent professions, that the labor ques
ton will be thrown over again by
them as was done last session. If
the planters are not sincere in their
recent views on cheap labor, the
question naturally arises as it did in
bible times, at what hour the planter
commenced to move. 1t certainly
was not last session when by indefi-
nitely postponing the Chinese move
ment they slapped the Honolulu
branch of the Reform party in the
face Just after it had put an anti
Chinese plank in its platform; nor
did the change take place up to
within two months ago, when last
appeal was being made to them to
call an extra session and was made
in vain: an appeal which had but
fairly died out of the air when the
planters assembled to vote that that
should be done on the Chinese ques-
ton, which they had just deliber-
ately declined to do for the second
time. So far as men can judge by
appearances, the change of base
among the planters on the labor
question took place when the Min
istry came out as they did in their
reply to the petitioners for an extra
session. The planters had to do
something under the circumstances;
they were not in a position to fight
the Ministry just then; the elections
were at hand, and they therefore
concluded to occupy the sand lots on
the Chinese question with the crowd
until some more convenient season
made it safe to move off again. Con
sidering the past, men are AFRAID,
and have a right to be afraid, that
the planter does not mean business
on the Chinese question, except to
oct in more of them when he can,
and many are therefore looking des-
peratelv around for something else
beside the regular ticket to vote for.
Now on the other hand, what can
one expect by joining in with the
natives. 1t looks as if s1ch course
meant simply jump from the frying
nan into the fire. The dominant
sentiment of the native party IS re-
presented by Wilcox and Go. and IN
the native press by Bush. Wilcox
has lust come out of an unsuccesss-
full attempt to restore the old constl-
tuition and thus to deprive the whites
of their newly acquired vote alto,
gether. and with Chinese means and
guns has attempted to force the
Anplo-Saxon back under an absolute
monarchy and native rule; that is
what has made him popular with the
native party. Bush devotes a large
part of his paper to calling all the
-. IL on tho