The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-04-03

had been doing some BAD Work out
here of which we ought to be
ashamed.
From his exalted position at the
head of the nation, Cleveland thought
he saw an opportunity, and he posed
as preacher of righteousness. he
would make us out TO be culprits. He
stood up in his congressional pulpit on
message day and told the representa-
tives of the nation, as they gathered
about him, that the missionary party
in Hawaii had sold themselves to the
evil one. He solemnly declared that
a great wrong had been done which
required righting. He took his texts
from Blount's report. That report
was as Scripture in his eyes, Tor
Blount had done what he told him TO
do.
Blount had given us a black eye.
The blow daZed US at first; but when
we came really TO feel it, and to per-
ceive what had happened, we natur-
ally wanted to hit back-and we did
finally. We had to. 1t was our OPP
portunity; but it took us some little
time to get our courage up to the right
pitch. Indeed our friends had at first
to do a little urging. They judged
that our manhood required that we
try and hit back.
/ remember well the retort which
was turned on me when Blounts tes-
timony began to come out. / would
declare to my friends that L knew GER
tain representations of his to be false.
'If you know them TO be SUCH"
they would say. 'then why do you
not tell the public the facts of the
case?u To make ourselves right with
our friends, if for nothing more, we
had to speak. And yet that was the
least of it. 1t was not a personal mat
ter. There was a greater compulsiOn
upon us than that of standardization.
We felt the peril Hawaii was in. The
danger of the situation made its strong
appeal. We felt that something must
be done. We had come to the pass
where every ablebodied person should
be drafted.
We saw the enemy making q
stealthy advance upon you, and we
feared lest you should be caught off
guard; and so we began to talk openly
and to write. There were many who
were deeply stirred to do this. What
one said gave another courage to state
what he knew, and before long there
were scores of people who were at
work for the cause in one way or~an-
other.
Those who were sons of Hawaii by
adoption as well as by birth took their
part. Even those who had had but
brief experience of the island life add
ed their testimony. We thought and
talked incessantly on the Hawaiian
question. In the drawing rooms of
our friends, at their tables and on the
road we tried to let in the light.
The press was scrutiniZed for every
bit of news. / never spent so much
money in so short "a time for news
papers. Every hurtful article seemed
to have some one to reply to Ii.
Women as well as men championed
the cause and did brave work. Those
who had never before heard their
voices in public would get up and
speak as interestedly as though pub
lie speaking was their calling. They
were called on to speak in church
meetings and at the meetings of diff
ferent societies and clubs. They were
in season and out of sea-
son. Any one from Hawaii had the
floor. / know of one timid young
lady who was called up in church
prayer meeting and cross-questioned,
she herself offering to answer any
question put to her. This is probably
the first time her voice was ever heard
SO openly as speech maker.
/ know of another young lady, who
for a time was teacher in Kawaiahao
who might be said TO have
her State in behalf of the
Provisional Government. She had at
least been invited to speak in several
leading cities of the State when / saw
her early in the excitement, and
doubtless before it W. through she
had covered a good deal of ground.
And those, too, who had been con-
verted to the cause of Hawaiian inde-
pendence who had reVer seen Hawaii,
and who had to gather their facts at
secondhand, took their help
full part in the great debate
which was going throughout the
length and breadth of the land
Old letters which had been received
and which were written during the
revolution by those on the ground,
were brought out and published. Old
were reviewed for the
light they could give.
Many able friends OF the cause were
thus speedily brought TO the help OF
our side. The more the misstate-
ments that were put forth the more
the replies that confuted them. Ha-
waii had never before been brought
so publicly before the American peo-
pie. The time came when those who
were lukewarm became interested
and even ardent helpers. Editors of
neutral papers began TO change their
tone and own that the course OF the
6OVefnmenL was Tlgnt~
eous one. Certain strong religious
which had at first held
their columns from our use in
time came to proffer them and to give
us the benefit of their powerful sup
port.
Yet before the fight fairly began we
did not know just what was coming.
We did not at once conceive the gray
Ity of the situation. We could not at
first credit our eyes and ears. We
were unwilling To believe that Cleve-
and could play such a hazardous
ana vicious game. We did ut on
The instant get at the hypocrisy Of his
appeal to righteousness. We did not
hen sense the venom of his purpose.
It took time to do this. 1t was neces-
,ary that he should carry that pur-
pose almost to its achievement that