Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-21

VI 1t may be added that
while there seems to be good deal Of court
here for so small country. the court itself is
in personnel quite up to the mark of any going
Probably no court in Europe can show a finer
or more regal looking set Of men and women.
Portly, stately Kalakaua would make dozen
kings OF the whipper-snapper pattern of the
King of Greece, for instance, and his palace is
much finer building than the ugly barn.
shaped home of royalty at Athens.
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, 1889. showing
that there were l, 184 Hawaiians employed to
6l2 foreigners. Some of the aspiring young
natives-Or rather of the half-breeds-are,
however, demanding positions in the leading
Offices.
The chief of these is half-breed named Rob-
ert W. Wilcox, who was educated in Italy by
the government as an engineer, where he mar
RED an Italian lady Of some prominence, and
expected on his return to the islands to have a
big place.
The administration did not seem to find a
place for him that he was capable of filling with
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 undoubtedly
the popular hero of the natives. but is dis
| trusted by the business element, and in the re-
worked he failed to get place in the new cab
met.
THE WILCOX REVOLUTION.
On July so of last year he set up an insur-
rection, supposing he had a sufficient backing.
The story of the abortive attempt is succicntly
told in the Hawaiian Annual for 1889 as fol-
lows:
Notwithstanding the progress made through
out the country under the present administra-
ton the plotting of a few idle place hunters,
strengthened by the utterances of recently es-
tablshed native papers calculated to arouse
race prejudices, there developed q small party
of malcontents under the leadership of X. W.
Wilcox, who with about $50 followers made an
attempt on the 30th of July last to overthrow
the government. 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 volunteers that quickly gathered to oppose
and dislOdge them.
"After day of battle and anxiety, resulting
in 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 new constitution which
he CWilcoxl had prepared. giving rights to the
people and restoring power to the king which
the present constitution took from him, and
turn out the present ministry. In all of these
plans he claimed to have had royal sanction.
At the trial before 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 sympathizers 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 Hawaii
ans 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 predominates, went against him. On
the meeting of this new legislature a change of
cabinet was made but the conservative element
had strength enough to secure a compromise
cabinet.
This cabinet, recently appointed under this
new deal, consists of John Adams Cummins
(native), minister Of foreign affairs, vice Jona-
than Austin; Godfrey Brown, minister of
finance, vice s. NJ. Damon; Charles N. Spencer,
minister OF the interior. vice Lorin A. Thurston,
and Arthur =. Peterson, attorney general,
vice G. W. Ashford. The cabinet displaced
was notably strong and able one: the new
one, which is compromise cabinet, is well
thought of, being made up of conservative,
by the religious section Of Honolulu against
the appointment of John A. Cummins to the
cabinet on account of the free-and-easy Brig
ham Young-like amplitude of his family circle,
but he is recognized q solid, practical man
of ability. sufficiently identified with the bust
ness interests Of the islands to make him safe
official. and the dissent to his appointment il
not very loud.
THE HEATHER CHISEE ON THE KANAKA sHoUL-
DERS.
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 an
amendment to the constitution that shall cope
with danger that in the language of the me-
mortal of one of the anti-C Chinese public meet
ings held here threatens the autonomy Of the
country and to make it Chinese colony.
From per cent in 1866 the Chinese now con-
stitute 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 Hawaiians and others Of the
| western civilization. The easy-going natives
| stand no show in the competition with the
tenacious, pertinacious, undermining China
men.
In twenty-three years the Chinese have in
creased at such rate from almost nothing
that they now hold 81 per cent of the butcher
licenses, "a per cent of the Wholesale merchan-
disc licenses, 80 per cent of the hack licenses,
| 80 per cent of the hiring licenses. 81 per
cent of the wholesale spirit licenses. G2 per cent
of the retail merchandise licenses. So per cent
of the victualing licenses. % per cent of the
pork butcher licenses and 100 per cent OF the
cake pedding. 1t is complained also that they
are depopulating the waters Of the islands by
their unlawful modes of fishing, by which little
and big fish are taken ndiscriminately.
THE RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS
in the islands. shown by the latest census
QsS4), arc: Professionals, 29,685; Roman Catho-
lie, 20O72. and unreported, 3O.s21. OF the lat
ter Il, $3.50 are Chinese. There are about 5000
Mormons in the islands, but they do not prac-
tice polygamy.
ARMY on THE AMERICAN PATTERN.
The Hawaiians have followed the American
ideas in good many things, and notably in
| the small size of its military force. The stand
ing army of the kingdom numbers eighty five
men. which it is proposed to raise to 100 in view
of possible political disturbances. The mill
tary strength of the kingdom is. however, in
creased by five companies of volunteers, made
up largely Of young business men of Honolulu.
Tie native police are fine looking. we'll be-
have,t set OF men, but are said to maintain
rather too strict impartiality between the con-
testants when an instruction or a riot is
going on.