The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-09-25
Mr.. WHITNEY ON HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS.

We take pleasure in publishing
this morning the following clear
and suggestive interview with Mr..
ii. NJ. Whitney, manager of the
HAWAIIAN GAZETTE Company.
The interview was very generally
published in the British Columbia
and Sound newspapers, and is
replete with information and facts
which will go far towards giving
the people of the northern coast
correct impressions regarding our
commercial as well as our political
outlook. Mr.. Whitney has shown
rare ability in throwing into a
couple of columns facts and deduc
tions, either expressed or implied,
sufficient to fill a volume and the
story told in these few thousand
words will probably give quite as
clear and comprehensive an ac-
count of Hawaiian affairs, without
any display of prejudice or passion
as any thing yet pcnned regarding
the present situation:
Thirty-seven years experience in
the Hawaiian Islands as newspaper
publisher and public official should
make III. NJ. Whitney an authority on
of fsir of ha l-ah n
that gentleman being Il passenger by
the Warrimoo to Victoria, the Colon
ist obtained from him some rather in
teresting particulars.
"My papers, he said, "support the
Provisional Government because we
believe that the reyOlution-if the de-
position of the Queen and her minis
ters can be so called-saved the white
population from great injustice and
was in the best interests OF the Who'll
people. In eX-Queen Liliuokalani's
ministry there were two whites and
two natives, and in the legislature of
forty eight members about half the
number were whites. The principal
judges and other important officials
were mostly white men. The imme-
diate source of the trouble was that
the Queen proposed, by new consti-
tuition, to dispossess the whites of
their offices and to disfranchise them.
This could not be tolerated, and the
whites would, if necessary, have fought
for their rights, but fortunately they
were able to secure themselves with
out bloodshed.
"The men who took office were not
adventures. Associate Justice Dole
of the Supreme Court, who left the
bench TO become president of the new
government, was one of the most re-
spected Judges, and his colleagues are
men of standing in the commercial
world, who personally have nothing
to gain, but much TO lose, through
giving up their time to the public AZ
fairs. Their government has been the
best in twenty-five years, IA fact read
ily admitted by Minister Blount, who
came from Washington if anything
prejudice against them, but after
thorough investigation went away
o;;ite satisfied that the public business
was being very wisely conducted.
The Queens intention had been
TO deprive the foreigners of the
very concessions which they had
forced her predecessor, King Kala
kaua, to make when in 1887 the pop
ular indignation drove the then prime
minister, the notorious adventurer
Gibson, out of the country. She in
tended to do this by means of new
constitution so sweeping in its unj Just
provisions that at the first indication
of trouble the only four copies in ex-
istence were destroyed or hidden.
Though a reward of $500 is offered for
n copy of that document the Provi-
sional Government has not been able
to secure one.
ssThe Queen listened TO very bad adj
vice, for she would have been hand
somely dealt with after deposition
had she not been so stubborn. The
crown lands gave her an income of
about 100000 n year, and her salary
was some 500 900, and she might still
have been in receipt of these amounts
but for her open hostility to the Pro-
yisional government, which led TO the
cancellation of her salary some four
or five months ago, but having good
income from her personal property
she is still well off. This saving has
heIped materially in securing the sur
Mus of Sf20, 600, the result of the Pro-
yisional governments operations up
to the present. They have cut OF
great many useless expenses, includ-
ing the payments made to numerous
hangers on to the Queen.
"The annual revenue of the govern
ment is about $1,5OO,O00, made up, |
roughly speaking, of 100000 from |
customs. S5OO,0O0 from the personal |
fax of 50 per head and the property |
fax of one per cent. on the assessment |
vaIuation, and $500, 900 from rentals OF |
government and crown lands, trade |
and other licences, the school tax, |
land sales and miscellaneous receipts. |
There is only one governing body in
the Islands, there being no municipal
institutions, so that these figures re-
present the whole taxation. The trade |
licenses run from $50 year for re-
taiIers to $500 and upwards for whole.
sale houses, according 10 the amount amount
49,, land sales is not very large, as
he government land is leased by pre-