The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-02-08
THE GENERAL ELECTION OF 1890.

THE GENERAL ELECTION OF 1890.
The surprise which was felt in some
quarters at the wholesale defeat of
the Reform party will be sensibly
diminished by study of few facts
revealed by the Great Register. The
total number of voters of all nation
aiities in the Hawaiian Kingdom
was, in 1883, 1858. OF this num-
Der {, 1886, or 1000 more than half, are
Hawaiians, 2,S12 more are Portu-
guese. Of all other nationalities
there are 2,45O, consider
ably less than one-fifth.
These figures tell their own story.
The so-called Anglo-Saxon civiliza-
ton of this country, about which so
much has been written and said, can
count at most as about one voter in
every six to deposit a ballot at the
polls. The Hawaiian vote of nearly
two-thirds, the Portuguese vote of
one-ffth. must inevitably be control
ling features at every election.
When we come to consider the
composition of the vote for Mobiles
we find, indeed, that the case stands
somewhat differently, but still not sc
differently as to affect materially the
final result. The total vote fol
Mobiles was, in 1888, 1897. OF these
LOGS were Hawaiians, 143 Portu-
guese and about 1850 of othe,
nationalities. On the island of Oahu
there were 1,716 Noble voters OF
whom 6O3 were HawaIfans, II Forsu-
guese and of other nationalities q
little over thousand.
The foregoing figures show very
clearly that if the Hawaiian vote be-
comes, from any cause, solid, 1t con
trolls the elections. It can determine
the choice of Representatives and
with the aid Of a few hundred for
eign votes, that of Mobiles also. Or
the island of Oahu $50 foreign votes
or less than one-fourth of the total
added to the native, will carry the
island. From causes which it Is un
necessary to specify it can never be
difficult to ALLEVIATE that proportion
OF foreign voters from any govern
ment, no matter how good it may be
If then anything occurs tending tc
solidify the Hawaiian vote, to con
centrate it thoroughly, it is pretty
sure to succeed. Such an occurrence
our late history has supplied in the
shape of the Wilcox instruction
which persisted still-born but which
Wilcox was not willing to let die.
Wilcox is a plausible man and
every one who knows anything Of
the Hawaiian people finds nothing
strange in the fact that they have
made hero of him. If he had beer
naturally intelligent man and haG
been sent to proper school, ht
would have come home prepared
probably to be useful to his countr,
and race. AS it is he returns with {
foreign glamor and an empty pate, {
head swept and garnished and pre-
pared for the occupancy of the frs
evil spirits which see fit to enter ano
take possession. It is no wonder VIZ
say that he stands to the Hawaiians
as hero. They were ready to take
him at his own estimate and it was {
high one. He represented himself
as the savior, and his mission as the
salvation, of his race, and they
drank it all in. This is nothing new
in Hawaiian affairs, and kamaainal
will not soon forget on what wave
OF triumphant popular enthusiasm
Walter Murray Gibson was once
carried into the Legislature, in hi.
role of the "Moses of this people.
Robert Wilcox however wants thu
brilliant talents which made MIR
Gibson's successes possible and hi.
triumph Is likely to prove a shor
one. He has bankrupted hims.l
with promises which he canno
fulfill, and raised expectations whicl
he can never realize. When tn
natives find this out he will tumbl
from his pedestal.
The elements of the late politica
situation are thus sufficiently clear
The opportunity to rouse the Ha
waiians against the foreigner, an,
play upon the race prejudice an,
antipathy which are unhappil,
everywhere latent in human nature