The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-04-02
TWO TONES, BUT ONE HARMONY.

. caption 1.-Two Tones IN Its Voice,
presents the public with an articI
claiming to discover certain self
, contradictions in the ADVERTISER
, At the risk of seeming tedious W,
will repeat its citations:
The final form of government t.
which the Provisional Government
looks forward, with annexation OF
without it, is full representative gov
eminent, in which the native race
may be sure of taking its just anC
proper share. There is no intention
or desire on the part of the admins
tratiOn, and we believe on that of any
considerable section of the Annexa-
ton party, to disfranchise the Ha-
waiian. OF this fact no more sub
stantial proof can be offered than is
contained in the provisions of the
Constitutional Convention bill, which
throws the ballot open to the natives,
without even the restriction of a
property or income qualification.
The Southern Democrats in the
Congress of the United States are
| beginning to realize that they are
deeply concerned in the Hawaiia u
question, because of it's close similar
| ity to the most important question
which underlies the social and politi-
cal life of the southern people.
| There, as here, the issue is whether
or not the white race, endowed with
| better brain, character and education,
| and holding the largest part of the
| wealth of the country, shall be dOmi-
| mated by a weaker race, which eA peri
ence abundantIy and sadly shows will
disturb, uproot and finally destroy
good government, whenever it has po-
Htical control.
After twenty years of experience
the Northern States of America are
beginning to see the menace to good
government, in the negro suffrage of
the South.
The Southern whites, today, retain
their political control, largely, by the
use of the shotgun, or stuffed ballot
box. The situation is deplorable, but
necessary. Honorable men hope to
secure the right results by cons titu-
tional and just methods, and to
abolish the demOraliZing policy of
force.
The protection of the weaker races,
in these modern days, will be secured,
not by giving them political control,
while they are in the majority, but
governing them with that wisdom and
sense of justice, which is the out
growth of better civilization and
better humanity.
What is the precise nature of the
contradiction supposed to be con-
tanned in these two quotations?
The first declares that the native
race ought to have its just and
proper share in the Government
The second declares that it ought
not to have political control. There
is absolutely nothing in quotation
one which says or hints that the
natives are entitled to political
control there is nothing in quota
ton two which says or hints that
they should be disfranchised. What |
the two articles taken together do
unquestionably imply is that a
lust and proper F" representation
does not mean an absolute "politi- |
cal control" If this proposition is
self-contradictory, then the ADvER-
TIsER stands self-contradicted. The |
proposition does not, however, to !
our apprehension, convey anything
contradictory, but an unimpeach-
able political truth by which we are
well disposed to abide.
What, however, must be the po-
sition Of the man who discovers
irreconcilable in these
two positions? He must either de-
clare himself willing to surrender
the political control to the Hawai-
iaDs, or he must intend to do them
a willful injustice. These are the
horns of very unpleasant diem
ma, and on which he who has a
fair share of honor with political
control, can hardly escape trans
fixion.
1t is an open secret that the rev.
lutions of 1887 and 1898 were both
brought out by the intolerable
evils of unrestrained native con-
troll. A just division of power be-
tween more numbers on the one
hand and intelligence and indus
try on the other should be the fruit
of these years of effort. Only such
a division can secure permanently
the blessings of civil liberty and
social progress to Hawaii. The
Convention soon to
sit will contain Representatives of
the people from all parts of the