The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-05-18
THE CHINESE EXPLAIN
ifufn fruu tur Attnust, -
Tut casa
w. uuftss Wtrbt r,Iuts om th,
Meaning ~ ibr Objectionable clause
AVID Al. some Questions.

EnToH srAu-Wul you kindly per.
INIT mr, on behalf of my clients. and ol
Others whose namps have. incidentally.
under "a misapprohcnsion of facts, been
referred to in connection with the
. Chinese petition presented To- the Pre-i.
dent, and the Executive aud Advisory
Councils of the Provisional Government
yesterday, TO state that.
As far as am aware no "Royalist''
lawyer or splenctic individual has been
consulted in the preparation and CON
duct of said petition.
From the opening days Of this month
|of May until the presentation of the
/ petition several meetings have been
/ held at which the attendance Of the
aCutcst minds and clearest English
speaking Chinese ranged from ten TO
twenty three. Every word of the
petition was carefully and deliber-
rely debated in Chinese and English
and the desire Of all present was to re-
move any thought or expression which
might cause friction or even the
slightest asperity Of feeling. PARTISAN or
racially while endeavoring to obtain a
concession Of rights the petitioners con-
slider themselves justly entitled to.
The clause objected to by Councilman
Brown, as reported in the public press,
is not, submit, If taken into considera-
ton with the whole context of the
petition, either an insult" or unfriendly
towards the existing Government but
rather the reverse. 1t anticipates prof.
abilities. 1t looks forward to the firm
establishment of defnite form of Gov
eminent in the place of Provisional
status, and of a Government. republican
or otherwise. which will not only win
the recognition of all other Govern
ments but do honor to all concerned in
its organization.
As concerns the statement of fact in
the Objectionable paragraph, lnterna-
tional Law from the earliest writers to
the present day, when, even now, the
ancient principles from the foundation
Of thoughts and actions more in con-
sonance with the compelled movement
Of ideas of progress and different con-
ditions, substantiates the position taken
by the petitioners. If the question were
put TO a practical test it would be found
that practice would follow precept.
As matter of criticism, greater
objection might be validity raised to the
first paragraph of the prayer, suggesting
treaty or labor convention between
the two countries. Fully aware that
the Constitutional Convention has no
jurisdiction in such grave matters, it
was inserted more especially to show to
the Executive and the Councils the
more than friendly desire of the petit
| TONERS to endeavOr, on the eve of one of
the most important events in Hawaiian
histOry-the formation of n stable and
permanent Governmental aid in pro-
curing substantial, beneficial and recip-
! Governments.
In reference to your very able and
thoughtful editorial in yesterdays issue
permit me to ask: Does citizenship, or
more correctly speaking 'naturaliza-
tion," in the Hawaiian Islands confer
any rights and pr vileges? If aye; what
are those rights and privileges? If no;
why has the Hawaiian Government
granted about $50 naturalization certifi.
Gates to Chinese residents, of whom, as
am informed, some $50 are still alive
and nearly all resident in the Islands
1t is to decide these questions, when
the settlement of the matter of the
electoral franchise comes before the
| Constitutional Convention, that the
petitioners desire to have their petition
presented to the Convention. BY the
decision of that Convention, it is to bt
presumed they will abide.
WIN. HORACE Wright.
Attorney for the petitioners.
Waikiki, Kai, May IS, 1894.