The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-01-17
HA WAIIAN AFFAIRS.
(Boston Evening Transcript

Inc various newspaper Reports |
that King Kalakaua is in this
country for the purpose of negoti-
ating for transfer of the Hawaii
an group to the United States are
without any foundation in fact. AS
Minister Carter has said, his Majes-
ty has no more authority to. cede
his dominions than the Governor of
Massachusetts has to sell the Old
Bay State to foreign power.
The writer was present at the
last election in the Hawaiian
Islands. There were two parties,
the Reform party, which had cur
tailed the power of the King, and
the Kings, or National Reform
party, whose war cry was Hawaii
for the Hawaiians," and who charg-
ed the party with endeavoring to
bring about annexation to the
United States. AS result of the
election the Reform Cabinet, which
was composed of some of the ablest
men in the kingdom, and most of
whom were born there, was CON-
PEELED to resign.
Under the reciprocity treaty
which admitted Hawaiian sugars
duty free. the prosperity of the
group and it's trade with the
United States had greatly increas-
ed. By the new United States
tariff, admitting all sugars duty
free, this advantage is lost to the
island planters, who must now COM
pete with the cheaper labor of
Manila and other sugar countries.
This is felt, especially by the
younger and weaker plantations, to
be serious calamity. The labor
problem at the islands has been q
difficult one, ana strenuous efforts
have been made for its solution,
none of which has been wholly sat
isfactory. Laborers have been inn
ported at large expense from vari-
GUS countries as follows: From
China, about 10000; Japan, 1000;
the Western Islands, by treaty with
Portugal, 10000; and various col.
onies from Germany, Norway, Poly
nesia and elsewhere But with the
unexampled growth of agricultural
enterprises, the labor problem
grows in Importance, and still con-
fronts the Hawaiian planter.
Though the removal of the
sugar duties may have weakened
in some degree the ties which bind
Hawaii to the United States, these
are still too strong to be interfered
with by other nations. At the last
celebration of the anniversary OF
the American independence at the
islands, which, by the way, is OBJ
served with as much noisy enthu-
siasm by Hawaiians as by onr
home patriots, Hon. John L. Stew
ems, our present worthy Minister to
the Hawaiian court, delivered ar
eloquent address to the American
residents. In this Grafton he took
the ground that the Hawaiian
group would eventually come un
der the control if not into the pos
session of one of these three great
powers which are to control the
future of the Pacific, viz: the
United States, China and the (tc
: be) republic of confederated Aus
, tralian. The European powers, ht
, contended, are virtually out of the
race, and not even the completion
of the Nicaragua or Panama canals
will enable them sufficiently tt
r overcome the disadvantage of loca
ton to enter into successful rivalry
with the nations that border on tn
Pacific.
Meanwhile the commercial, do
t nestle and social relations of thu
D growing foreign community at tn,
p Islands with the United States ar
yearly becoming more close. Alb
u senteeism brings the Hawaiian
planters to California to reside
1 either for their own convenience O.
pleasure, and to bring them within
n telegraphlc communication with tn
business world, or for the bette
education of their children /; while
e here in Boston and Cambridge ar
/ a number of young people, born a
the Islands of American or Eu
ropean parents, being educated a
: our schools and colleges, many o
: whom will prefer to remain here il
e the wider field which our countr,
;, offers to them. A striking illustra
ton of the close relations whicl
l. now exist between the two coun
? tries was afforded a few evening
ago, when one of our most beauti
!. ful churches was the scene of
brilliant Hawaiian wedding. Th
bridegroom, a young merchant @
e Honolulu, where he was born, Q
/, German and Hawaiian parents; tn
i bride a native of another island c
IS the group, of Norwegian and Eng
:, lish parents, temporarily residen
% here for the education of their chi
e dren. All the ushers and grooms
e men, with possibly one exception
l. and the bridesmaids, were native
o. of the Islands, of foreign parentagt
Of the large number of guests pres
ent, the majority were residents O