Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-09

A POLYNEsIAN OFFICE SEEKER.
The members of the cabinet are, with the ex-
ception of Minister Cummins, all white, as are
the justices of the supreme court, but the
| larger part of the government employees are
natives, the report of August 81. 1885, showing
that there were LISA Hawaiians employed, to
612 foreigners. Some of the aspiring young
natves-or rather Of the alf-breeds-are,
however, demanding positions in the leading
offices.
The chief Of these is a half-breed named
Robert w. Wilcox, who was educated in Italy
by the government as an engineer, where he
married an Italian lady of some prominence,
and expected on his return to the islands to
have big place.
The administration did not seem to find
place for him that he was capable of filling
with a salary that suited his ideas, and he set up
as an agitator for a change of deal He seems to
have good many of the qualities Of popular
leader, rather winning address and the native
facility for public speaking He is undoubt-
eddy the popular hero of the natives, but is
distrusted by the business element, and in the
recent change Of administration, for which he
worked, he failed to get place in the new cab
met.
THE WILCOX REVOLUTION.
On July 80 OF last year he set up an insurrec-
ton, supposing he had sufficient backing.
The story OF the abortive attempt is succinctly
told in the Hawaiian Annual for 1882" as fol-
lows:
notwithstanding the progress made
throughout the country under the present ad-
mlnistration, the plotting of few idle place.
hunters, strengthened by the utterances of
recently established native papers calculated
to arouse race prejudices, there developed
small party of malcontents under the leader
ship of r. w. Wilcox, who, with about one
hundred and fifty followers made an attempt
On the Both Of July last to overthrow the gov
eminent. They surprised the town by taking
possession OF the palace grounds, its guns and
ammunition, at early dawn, but were surprised
in turn at the absence of the king, and the
| armed force of the Honolulu Rifles and volun-
teers that quickly gathered to oppose and dis
lodge them.
AFTER day Of battle and anxiety, resulting
IN a loss to the insurgents of six killed and
twelve wounded, Wilcox and his followers sur
rendered In the trials at the October term OF
the supreme court Wilcox stated that his plans
were to obtain possession of the palace and the
king; have him sign a new constitution which
he (Wilcox) had prepared giving rights to the
people and restoring power to the king which
the present constitution took from him, and
y.
plans he claimed to have had royal sanction
At the trial before a native jury he was ac-
quilted by them under the ancient belief that
the king can do no wrong;' hence found no
reasonable act in carrying out his behests.
Much political capital is being made by Wilcox
and his sympathlzers by this miscarriage of
justice, with the view of influencing the COM
ing elections, hoping to accomplish at the next
Legislature what they failed to obtain last July"
THE RECENT CABINET sHAKE-UP.
At the elections referred to above, the Wilcox
party under the cry of Hawaii for the
Hawsiians" carried the legislature by small
majority, their successes being mainly upon the
island Of Oahu, which includes the city of
Honolulu, while the other islands, in
which the planting interest predomi-
mates, went against him. On the meet
ing o. this new legislature a change of cabinet
was made but the conservative element had
strength enough to secure a compromise cabi-
net.
This cabinet, recently appointed under this
| new deal, consists of John Adams Cummin
| (native), Minister of Foreign Affairs, vice
Jonathan Austin; Godfrey Brown, Minister of
Finance, vice s. NJ. Damon; Charles N. Spencer,
Minister OF the Interior, vice Lorin A. Thurston,
| and Arthur p. Peterson, Attorney General,
| vice G. w. Ashford. The cabinet displaced
was a notably strong and able
mise cabinet, is well thought Of, being
| made up of conservative, practical men. There
is some little kicking by the religious section
| OF Honolulu against the appointment of John
A. Cummins to the cabinet on account Of the
| free-and-easy Brigham Young-like amplitude
| OF his family circle, but he is recognized as a
solid practical man of ability, sufficiently denti-
ned with the business interests OF the islands
| to make him a safe official, and the dissent to
his appointment Is not very loud.
THE POPULATION OF HAWAII.
census of the islands is taken every ST
| years. The last was in 1884 and new one will
be taken this year.
The native population is decreasing teadily,
though not SO rapidly as of old. The foreign
population is increasing at rate to more than
make up for the native decrease. Thus in 1879
the whole population OF the islands was sc, S99,
OF which the native population was 1904
In 1878 the whole population was 81, 9S5; native
population. 44,OoS In 1884, whole population,
! ,57S; native 40,014.
1t is estimated that in 1889 the whole popula-
| ton was 2,050 native, 81 500 The 81, $50 for
| elgn population of this estimate is made up of
Ha.f-castes 5000; Chinese, $4,000; Americans,
5000; Hawaiian, born of foreign parents, 5000;
| Britons, 1850; Portuguese, $4,000; Germans,
| 1900; French, $50; japanese, 8,4O0; Norwegian
$50; other foreigners 500 Polynesians, 500.
| THE HEATHEN CHINEE ON THE KANAKA SHOULDERS.
| 1t will be seen that the Chinese Japanese
and Portuguese alone outnumber the whole
native population. The rapid increase in the
Chinese element has caused a good deal such
a scare in the islands as IN the United States.
Restriction laws have been passed, but they do
not seem to restrict, and there is now a loud
| call for amendment to the constitution that
shall cope with a danger that in the language
| of the memorial Of one of the anti-Chinese
public meetings held here threatens the
autonomy of the country" and TO make it a
Chinese colony. From one per cent in 1866
the Chinese now constitute over one-fifth of
the entire POPULATION. They outnumber the
| Americans nearly seven to one.
1t is complained that step by step they are
| invading and taking possession of almost every
| means of livelihood in the country and sup
planting native HaMaiians and others of the