The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-11-03
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1898.
QUITE CAUSE ENOUGH.

the Hawaiian revolution, there IS much
need of sound historic data, Some OF
these papers describe the January up
rising by simple firt Of the pen as
result of missionary greed-the ms
sionary" being, to their minds, re-
ligious teacher who shaves notes and
wants to run the Government for add
tional spoils. Others are equally sure
that filibusters did the business, though |
in the first place they were convinced
that Claus Spreckels and the sugar
ring were responsible. More affect
the belief that Minister Stevens brought
the trouble about for the gain and
glory of the Harrison administration
To set such papers Alright on these
matters as may desire to have accurate
rather than biased and partisan lntor-
nation the STAR will suppose case. Let
us presume that two Presidents OF the
same politics and policy had atironted
the moral sense of the American peo-
pie in turn by official misconduct OF
the gravest sort--to say nothing OF
leading a corrupt private life. One ot
them had accepted bride of $4,000
for an opium license which he was
not empowered to grant, driving
the man who had brlbed him with
out getting a return to a suicides
grave. This executive had also con-
nived to permit his next friends
to import, free of duty, wines and
liquors which they had sold in trade;
and going further had tried to increase
the arbitrary power Of its own office by
illegal means and for a despotic pur-
pose. We will suppose also that the
natural uprising which such procedures
would cause in America, if unchecked
by the quick impeachment of the
criminal in the White House, had
ended by leaving the exposed rascal in
the executive cnair-subject to new
estrictions-until the end of his term.
After that let US predicate a successor
OF the same gennS-a President who,
after taking his oath, began to negotiate
with an opium ring and who sought to
-. L,,c;raee r,nl,tc fpr the |
lottery; and who finally, inasmuCh as
the constitution he had sworn to sup
port was in the way Of his predatory
course, mounted the steps OF the
capitol one fine nothing, annulled the
charter Of Jefferson and informed the
people that he should ordain a new
constitution more to his way Of think
ing. What let US ask, would Amerl-
cans have done in such an emergency
at least, what would the property
owning, church-going and moral
people, even if they were minority,
have done In default of i'm,
parchment or the committal OF
the President to the lunatiC wards,
would they not have overthrow him
by force of arms and, taking the Gov
eminent into their own hands, have re-
organized and dsinfected it in all its
departments
Such has been the recent history OF
Hawaii, and yet the press OF a tree
people has found words to denounce
the armed reform that followed. In
this country it is notorious that kala-
kaua, as King, was bribe-taker and
withal a ruler who, under the veneer OF
civilization, had the soul of Polynesan
savage. He repeatedly broke the law
and took refuge in the maxim that a
king can do no wrong. Naturally and
inevitably the people who owned the
greater part of the Islands and were
responsible for Hawaiian business,
commerce, justice and Christian civil
ization revolted here, as such men
would have done in the great republic
itself, and brought the crowned bandit
to terms. 1t is enough proof that they
were not in quest of spells when they
left him on the throne which he had
disgraced, though they might have cast
him headlong from it and ordained the
Government which new exists.
Then came Lliuokalani and the
opium deal and the lottery saturnala,
the climax of which was the annul'
ment of the constitution she has sworn
to obey and her patching up OF new
charter which should treble her Royal
power. Was the manhood of Hawaii
to endure these things in silence and
CONSENT We put the question to any
American paper, 10 any American
statesman. Revolution was not only a
logical sequence but sacred duty. 1t
was the high behest of civilization.