The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-08-11
NATIVE OBJECTIONS CoNSlD.
ERED.

stand the reason why many of the
leaders of the Royalist party have taken
their present stand against incorpora-
uon with the great republic Not
lew OF them, in the final days of the |
monarchy became bankrupt OF i'm
pecunious; and one Of them has gone
financially to pieces on the lee shore
OF adversely from causes which run
back to the prohigate expenditure com
mon in the circle of the Court In this
and other cases Of the same sort the as.
sets Of the debtors consist mainly Of real
estate which, under annexation, would
increase ten fold in selling value, would
redeem the fortunes of its owners and
restore to them all the comforts and
luNurles which they once enjoyed and
could not have regained under regal
institutions Yet we see these men,
sitting amid the ruins of their homes
and business, denouncing annexation
and doing all they can to secure the
return Of the weak, extravagant and un-
stable reign which was the cause Of
their hardships and which, if allowed
to resume its functions, would inaugur-
ate a systematic decline in values.
If the reason for all this self-sacrifce
lay in patriotism, the folly might win
some semblance of respect. But one
does not have to view the workings OF
the native Royalist mind very long be-
fore finding out that the fear of losing
social standing and political identity is
the actuating motive of resistance to
the Annexation cause 1t does no
good to ask what social opportunities
a family would have under any system
Of government when it had been re.
duced to dependence or beggary. That
is not considered. sour social proml-
hence will be gone, our political inAu
ence will disappear" is the ceaseless
unreasoning plea of the native aristoc.
racy
As to both of these matters, the
natives are mistaken to their own harm
In spite of the fact that there is nc
longer Queen and native government
in Hawaii, the members of the cour
circle fill as high a social position
except where their own bankruptcy in
terferes with matters of dress and en-
tertainment-as they ever did in thu
past. Everyone knows that wher
members OF the most exclusive socla
circles in America and England, sucl
as the Schermerhorns and the Duke o
Newcastle, come here, they at ono
put themselves into relations witt
native society. This procedure woul,
not be changed by annexation. Away
and everthe memory of the old regime
the knowledge that these high-cast
Hawaiians are of honorable descent il
the geneology of the Islands, tn
obvious fact that they know the refine
ments of social usages and are intell
gent and travelled, the prosperity annexa
ton would assure, would keep them j
their coveted place in the Four Huno
red of the Hawaiian capital. The
could not be deprived Of it by annexa
ton any more than the Wellesley
Burkes-who are black as coals-wer
of their social distinction when Jamaic
began to be pre-eminently English; an
no more than the Louisiana Creole
were when New Orleans began to fl
up with the descendants Of the cav
alters.
As to politics, the United State
opposes the governmental idea repre-
scented in the colonist and the pro
consul. Citizenship is held to be tn
destiny of all who cast their lot wit
the American system and so strong
this principle that a movement is no'
on foot to organize the Indian Terr
tory into a State, giving the lately re
claimed savages home rule and yoic
in national affairs, The right to vot
is denied to no one account OF race ant
color. 1t is impossible to take tn
Islands into the Union without grant
ing the natives the same voting priv
lege which has been conceded in turn
TO the Creole, the native Californian
and the negro As an American thu
native Hawaiian would have his full
say in affairs He could not be legally
distinguished by the law from descend
ant of the Puritans when he came "a
the polls, the Legislature or to the
national Congress,
These two native objections, there
fore, come to naught and to maintain
them against annexation is to fly in the
face of a benefCent fortune, Union