The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-04-05
HE DAILY BULLETIN.
Piedged to neither Sect nor Party,
But Established for the Benefit Of IH
WEDNESDAY, APRIL ), 1893.
THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT.

THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT. |
Some members of the stats of the
Government organs are deluding
themselves with the hallucination
that they have found, in the Fif-
teenth Amendment to the American
Constitution, an argument which
they can palm off upon the people
of Hawaii as guaranty of political
suffrage under annexation. 1t is
amusing to note the solemn displays
of stupidity and ignorance on the
part of the enlightened (?) Ameri-
cans who conduct the journals in
question, when they attempt dis
cussion of the American Consttu-
ton, or of American history or poll
ties. As a sample of this, the reliance
of those great minds on the Fif-
teenth Amendment, in the premises,
is very much in point. That amend
ment provides that 'the rights Of
citizens of the United States to vote,
shall not be denied or abridged, by
the United States, or by any State,
on account of race, color, or previous
condition of servitude."
The organs wish the innocents of
Hawaii to assume, as a prerequisite
TO the applicability of that amend
1nent, that the mere fact of the an
nexation of these Islands would
make us all citizens Of the United
States. 1t would do nothing of the
kind, but, in the absence of some
special provision upon the subject,
would merely rob us of Hawaiian,
while substituting no other citizen
ship. We might thus be left in
definitely hanging, like Mahom-
med's coffin, between heaven and
earth, each one of us "a man
without country" Are we
wrong in this contention? Let us
look at Alaska, at California, and
see. Does any man contend that
the natives of Alaska became
"citizens of the United States" by
the fact of annexation? Have they
ever, even to this day, become such
citizens? If SO, will one Of the
organs produce the proofs of citi-
zenship. and refer to book and page?
The fact is that, even now, there
is not man in Alaska entitled to go
to the ballot box and express his
choice as to the personnel, or as to
any question of government, and yet
the boon of annexation has been
hers for nearly thirty years. Not an
American citizen resides in Alaska
to-day except such as have gone in
there from the south.
Look at California When it was
annexed, special provision was made
for the citizenship of the people
whom the United States found there
They were Mexican citizens, and had
a country of their own to go to, il
dissatisfied with the new dispensa
ton. Where shall the Hawaiian go
if similarly dissatisfied? 1t may bt
suggested that he can follow Van
derbilt's advice, and go to the devil
but the alternative is not reassuring
We do not deny that, if the Ha
waiians shall be guaranteed citizen
ship under annexation, then theil
right to vote shall not be abridged
on account of race or coI0r. But where
is the pledge of political rights il
that phrase? 1t certainly does no
say that they shall be entitled tC
vote upon all or any questions o
local government. What is to pre-
vent their being deprived to TIN
franchise upon grounds entirely dis
tinct from those of race and color
If we go into the Union withou
guarantees in this behalf, how do We
or can we know that we will eve
again be admitted to porticipatio
in the government of our own cour
tryl
Go to, ye organs of Light an
Shade. Talk sense or keep silent o
this subject of the glories an
benefits of leap in the dark int
the arms OF Uncle Samuel