The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-01-21


Benevolent Society was thronged last
night, every chair being occupied and
the verandas packed with persons
who could not find room inside. Mr..
j. NJ. Vivas acted as interpreter.
Mr.. THURsToN, being called on for
a speech, said: Gentlemen.-I have
been asked to speak few words to
the Portuguese voters of District 3.
/ think this hall, which was built en-
tirely by Portuguese, q fitting place.
| was hOnored with an invitation to
attend festival here on New Years.
You were here for pleasure then; you
are here for business now. The presi-
dent of the society told me that your
society numbers 900 members
throughout the kingdom; that, though
it consists of poor men, it owns $685.
600 worth of property and paid last
year $1,000 as aid to the sick. This
shows that the Portuguese are q
power in this country and that special
attention ought to be paid them.
[Applausel. Yet remember this, that
though there are separate meetings
for Portuguese, we are all here as Ha-
Waiians. Your ancestors came from
HaWaiians from the Southern islands,
but no matter where our ancestors
came from, we are here as HaWaiians,
because every man who has his in
terests here, a family to support, who
proposes to live and die here, is a Ha-
Waiian. That is my definition of q
Hawaiian. 1t does not depend on
where his ancestors came from. | say
Hawaii for the HaWaiians, and mean
by it all who mean to stay here and
stand by the country. Now, you
cannot say, this legislation is for the
Portuguese and this for the Hawai-
ian; this is good for the white man
and not for the brown. Legislation
beneficial to one is beneficial to all.
What is bad for one is bad for all. We
are tied up together and must sink or
swim together. [Applause1. There
fore, / speak tonight not for your in
terest only, but for my own, and for
the whole country, where we intend
to live and our children after us.
Under the Constitution of 'S7 you all
have votes. l helped draft that Con-
stitution, and favored giving the
Portuguese the ballot and favor it
still, not because / am not friend to
the Hawaiians, but because | think a
man in country without vote is q
dangerous thing. Your sole power is
on election day. Those whom you
designate on that day will conduct
the government for two years. Upon
that day you are the supreme power
the kings of this country. 1t be-
hOves you we'll to think, THINK,
THINK before you vote. There is no.
body whom the demagOgue fears SO
much as the man who thinks. Now,
when you apply that to the situation
and think, what are the issues? Two
things come up. One is question OF
politics. Are you going to have q
new constitution? There are men
who say that is not the principal
thing before the country. This is q
matter for you to THINK about. One
of the principal men taking up the
time of the country is Bipikane (Bul.
lock-. He says he has a fire burning
in his breast, and that fire is the ole
Constitution, and he wants new one
Another man is an old schoolmate oil
mine, Wilcox. He wants n republic
and his picture is in an American
paper as the leader of the Republican
party in Hawaii. Laughter. AnO-
ther leader is G. w. Ashford. / have
lAcblllliS5 w 6iStlIlSG HILL. I1O Is
one of the most industrious men |
know. Unfortunately he is more in
dustriOus with his mouth than with
his hands. There you have the advO-
Gates of a new constitution. On the
other side are men who say although
the Constitution is not perfect nor
the monarchy either, yet that is
not the principal matter. That
bread and butter and not politics
are what we need to look after now.
| tell you a new Constitution is not
going to fill an empty stomach, nor a
vote for Mobiles put coat on your
back. We are in pinch now. We
must face the financial future. By
reason of American legislation, the
great staple of this country, sugar has
come down from $50 TO S50-a reduc-
ton of about half. What are we
going to do about it? The money
from sugar did not benefit planters
only. 1t goes through their hands to
all. Forty dollars a ton is not coming
into the country. Where are we going
to get the money to feed and clothe
our families. | say it will take the
best heads you can put in to say what
shall be done; but we will never find
out what to do if you elect people
there to wrangle over monarchy or
q. republic. There you have two
tickets; one says politics, the other
says bread. Which do YOU want
bread or politics If you want
politics, vote for Bipikane with the
fire in his breast, Wilcox and Ashford.
[ don't know anybody who can keep
things stirred up better than they
can. The matter is with you. | have
no vote in your ward. Listen to
everybody who comes to talk to Won
TO Ashford too, to Dillingham; and
Kekipi, and then THINK; and when
the ballot is given you on February
Sd, If you want politics put a
cross opposite the name of Ashford !:
if you want BREAD, put it opposite b.
+. Dillingham;. Applause. don't
know anyone who stands more con-
spicuously for business energy and
push than he Right there is another
thing to think about. What these