Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-11-18
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Ina conmsniestion to the Boston Her
AID Of November Is, the secretary Of The
Havai;An board Of missions makes vaiGa-
Bile STATE uen. upon Hawaiian ATARI. he
Gays:
To the Eiifof Of the Herald: In your
editorial of Nov IA, headed Justice ".
Bsuraiify," you take the moral ground on
which il would seem the HAssiixn question
ought in part 10 BIZ argued, indeed, il has
been the contention Of some that il should
be mainly argued on this sfoand-shaf At
tins stage Of human progrs - the people OF
the xrxxf republic shoul5. in view OF
the present attitude of things 1T the
islArds, be asking themselves What u
our duty toward thar mach-iried people.
and no. What does tae Federal cons,isa-
ton, or some other state document. say
about il: But. we'll taken as your ground
Is, your facts are less substantial. IL 10
these facts which We wish To handle on
your OWE moral grcund: il is the despair Of
the true friends of Hawaii that you editors
OF the great American papers DO not seem
TO understand the facts, Tor we are sure If
you did you could not. on the high moral
ground you take. arrive al such erroneous
conclusions. What, then. are the facts?
/ will here urge but svo;
First-The late successful uprising in
Honolulu and establishment Of the pro-
sisionsl government; was protest against
chronic revolution; il was an attempt TO
emphasize the need Of stable, constitu-
ticnal government; it was a protest against
ala attempt al revolution on the part of the
Queen and her follows; it vas a protest
zgainst An srsempt TO return TO absolutism
on the part of the throne; every effort Of
the intelligent white element AT the islands,
so far as politics are concerned, has been
in the interest of the advancement of stable,
constitutional government. This was the
r fort OF the missionary fathers under the
| lead Of such men as Richards and Judd and
Armstrong-to establish constitutional gov
ernment and the diplomstis's in the land
and representatives of foreign government
favored these efforts and wrought With
them, so it was that ksmehameha | IL. came
to relinquish the old-time absolutism, and
became constitutional King. and granted
his subjects the charter of their liberties IN
the constitution of 1852.
| The revolution of 81 was enacted against
the sbsoIu;ism of Kalakaua and his willy,
extravagant and power-loving minister,
| Gibson King Kalakaua was made to ac-
cept certain defined limitations of the pre-
negative v hich he bad so abused, and the
first thought in the minds of the leaders OF
the revolution of 1898 was this
Let US get the government I'm
| ally on TO a stable basis. They were
weary of unstable government: they longed
| To throw off the weight OF an intolerabie
political strain, hich had lain on them for
years. They wanted the conditions of sts
| bility for their home life and for their bust
ness. They were not pl0tters, ambitious Of
| political power. They took, and forthwith
offered you, the government, because they
saw that there could come no great bust
ness prosperity; no certain peace to that
outpost of civilization till stable. c,nsti
tutional government should be established,
| Ii was felt that the house of kalAkaua
could not give it. Neither can popular rule
at present give it, SO polyRlos are the PEG
| Pile. So you were asked for it-asked to at
least take the general government of our
| hands and give US your national perma-
nency. Conceive, if you will the strain of
that uncertain governmental life, where
| for quarter of u century those who wish
to see the right prevail and the Hawaiian
people to prosper have had to stand quad,
and at the risk of their lives have again
and yet again had to make a fight against
unrighteous aggressions that imperilled the
freedom of the people and forbade
clean and wholesome ways of life.
Conceive this, and you shall be better able
to appreciate the desire which so generally
prevails among the best of Hawaii citizens
for annexation to the United States.
| Second-This protest against revolution
was made, not chiefly by aliens, but almost
entirely by citizens Of the land. And they
were unaiied by American arms. The
American power stood by, represented b,
the United States marines, but it did not
help by overt act to bring on the issue. 1t
was made by voters, by people domiclled in
the country, and who love it as their home.
II was made in part by those who had been
I born there and who were jealous of the
best interests of the Hswa allan people.
| Men of English and German. MS well as
of American descent, were of the number.
Ard there were also the Portuguese. These
men of different nationaities came to-
gether at the mass meeting which was held,
and their voices were heard on the platform
protesting against the sggressions of the
queen and her bribed parliament And in
| the protest which was made against an I'M
| lawful attempt TO return TO a corrupt abso-
| iuti.m there was also heard the voice of
the aboriginal Haw allan. The native mem
bers of the Legislature of 1923, who
could not be bribed, were agsins. the
throne in its aggressions. And when siies
had to be taken they ii 'e1 with those who
| finally declared her deposed The issue
! did not spring out of a sugar interest. Ii
was moral one. 1t was an indignant up
| rising of those who favored morality against
such iniquitous measures as the opium and
the lottery bills, and agsiost the wholesale
! bribery OF legislators and crowned heads.
i 1t was all uprising against a return to abso-
lutism and every corrupt practice, includ-
| ing sorcery and heathenism. Not one nor
| two but there were many native pastors
who spoke out to their own hurt against the
vicse dness that was being enacted in high
places. The line which was drawn by the
revolution was a moral one. 1t was line
which ran, not between races, but charac-
| tiers. On the one side were the best ele-
ments - morality, intelligence, business
ability and thrift--on the other, license,
corruption, shiftiessness and irresponsible
ity.
These are facts of Hawaiian history
which cannot be set aside | ask you, Mr.. |
Editor, the courtesy of their publication, to
the end that your wide constituency may
have them. OLIVER l.. EMERsos,
Secretary of the Hawaiian Board of Mis-
sons |
| Nov. IA, 1898.
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