The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-06-05

bananas, sugar-a7S,ooo, 900 pounds of
the latter Certainly, there is a bust.
ness worth saving and worth develop.
! ing, and there is something more and
Of greater importance, considered in
the higher phases Of commerce aud in
enlightened policy.
Neither states nor business houses
run-and through generations-exce pt
by sound, fair conduct. How 10 apply
this is now the problem with HAWAII,
and important American interests,
moral and political, as well as financial.
Back of all is the sort Of men CONTROL.
ing, and l may be allowed to use our
record OF sixty years to tell the sort we
have found-trustworthy throughout.
Ofthe older days, take the American
whalemen, masters and owners, as keen
and hardy race as ever touched
American business, and largely repre-.
sented at the Islands in the years while
their pursuits hourished. First to last,
to our counting rooms came their drafts
on pretty much every party in every
town in the business, great number of
drafts in the aggregate, and dishonored
one hardly or never known.
Take the merchants-sixty years run
of them. They have proved honest,
capable, with a mercantile education,
with shipshspe accounts. No few of
their names are we'll worth being re.
called; no few were in their time known
world wide. Let me mention some who
have in succession been managers Of
the still existing houses founded by
James Hunnewell in 1876: Charles
Brewer, with sixty years of active life
and worth; Henry A. Pierce, for years
American Minister to Hawaii Gen. Mar.
shall, patriot in our civil war, treasurer
at Hampton school, and later in the
Unitarian building; Hon. Henry A. P.
Carter, with honor to himself and to
Hawaii, her minister at Washington;
Hon, Peter c. Jones, one Of the NEST
esteemed ministers of finance ever at
the islands; His excellency John O.
Dominis, whose death was a public
misfortune, for had he lived as he was
consort of the Queen, some serious
matters might have been averted.
Lastly, now at the head of the directors
Of the house, is Hon. Charles r.
Bishop, whose wealth, intelligence and
benefcence could place him in the
front ranks of the best in Boston. This
is the sort of men who have given
character to one commercial house in
Honolulu.
There is another class of men, most
of them now living and active. All Of
US have noted the ability and character
of descendants of many of our earlier
and later New England ministers. Also
we can but note the career of many
son of many a New England missionary
to Hawaii. Alexander, Brigham, Coan,
Armstrong If Hampton, Castle, Judd,
Damon, Cooke, Thurston and more
represent religion, education, commerce
and benevolence. Americans can well
feel proud of their fellows who have
cast their lot with Hawaii or whose ties
are still there.
1t is very unwise, to say the least, to
treat any class of men unjustly. Ger
tainly the Sort Of Americans we have
found these seventy years back, as well
as to day, in Hawaii, are the very last
to begin an experiment By circum-
stances for which they are by no means
wholly responsible, they are in what is
called tight place. 1t is possible to
sheer at them, to jump on them, or to
leave them to their fate, and it is also
possible to do just the opposite. We
have no colony-we had best not have
any--but Hawaii has, in the course If
seventy years, grown practically into
such a relationship, and as, perhaps,
no other distant region has. In the
long life of a great nation, it would be
very bad policy to show sad fate for
Americans who, in ways as good as
history is apt to show, have American.
lied distant and valuable region.
The case is now before the court,
and we can very well trust it. We can,
however, add a hearty good word for
the good names and works of old
friends and their successors whose
fortunes are in the balance.
JAMES f. HuNNEwELL,
| 70 Green street, CharleSt wn.