The Hawaiian gazette., 1892-01-05
Another Letter From the Leper
Settlement.

Mr.. EDITOR: What is the cause
of the sudden interest taken in the
affairs of the Settlement? If the
champions of the leper cause are
sincere, the circumstances are sus.
picious. What l know from past
experience is, that this settlement
has often been used before elections
as political lever" by those who
have an ak to grind, so [ think our
would-be champions are of that
sort. I'll begin to take stock for
what they are worth. Does " Ola
Hawaii" think that when the mail
does not go overland any more, but
landed direct from the steamer, the
resolutions passed by the Anglican
Synod are solved? Does cola Ha
wall " mean to separate mild cases
of leprosy from advanced ones, by
moving the store from Kalawao to
Kalaupapa?
What other trif1es Ola Ha.
waits " article contains, compared
with the three resolutions of the
Anglican Synod, offered in the in
terest of the unfortunates who are
isolated from the community; but
Immediately all hands, Equality"
falls in line, are ready to pull the
milk and meat cart through the
Settlement from house to house.
Gentlemen, stick to your Herculean
task, and do not be deluded by but
terfies.
Equality" seems to deny the
state of RIGHTEOUSNESS in the Settle
ment, and morality seems to be to
him q word of no meaning, so he
takes his cudgel and hits the
churches for refusing to repress
the right to choose their own way.
Well, Equality" that means
neither God nor master, or as the
lepers have it "Aole kanawai o
keia ain aole kanawai maluna GA
makou that seems not very far
from a hell of lawlessness and lust.
l mention "Equality's" ideas just
to show that if he ard Bishop
Willis we're to come here to inves-
tigate, their reports on morality
would not coincide. All such re-
ports are mostly of no value, as
they express private opinion.
Take the laws of God or the laws
of the country as Il standard, then
you have an independent report.
| am leper, an inmate of this
asylum for twelve years. What
ever may be the opinion of others
about the disease, |, in my own
case and by experience, cannot
doubt of the contagiousness of lep-
rosy in these islands; therefore,
in my opinion now, segre-
cation is calamity and a
serious danger to the com
munity. Should segregation be-
come loosen, then the settlement
would be farce costing the
taxpayers 100000 year. Segre-
cation is not for the benefit of the
lepers, but for the good of the COM
munity at large, therefore that
community has to sympathize with
us, but in the right way. Alas;
many times we poor lepers have
been used as tools and speculated
upon for private ends, and usually
those who have the mouth the full
lest before the elections have done
the least for us.
What we need is a Board of
Health that has a backbone, a
board composed of independent
members, who have time and will
consider our welfare, and who have
the courage to carry out the re-
forms they may find necessary, and
who are not hampered by private
obligations or interest.
Thanking you, Mr.. Editor, for
the valuable space l have occupied,
remain, with a promise not to in
trude upon your patience or that
of your readers in the future,
A. HUTCHINSON.
N,I,-z ~ 10 1On1