Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-05-09
DEFRAUDED OF A MILLION.
Hawaii Will Claim this Amount
from the United
States

Iulu correspondent OF the new Ork
Herald. 1t is nothing less than the FL
ing up of a claim of 100000 against
the United States government. The
claim is based on alleged robberies by
the missionaries of 1926, led by Hiram
Bingham and abetted by Capt. Jones
and his men of the United States sloop
of war Peacock.
The story of how the poor natives
were compelled at the lannon's mouth
to raise property worth 81 900 900 for
those who came in the name of Christ to
save their souls, is like a chapter from
the history of buccaneering in the days
of Spanish supremacy. The message
bearers OF 1926 were not SO devout as to
train their minds wholly on spiritual
things, for some were shrewd traders.
In their strange dual capacity of half
priest and half Yankee trader they car
ried a large stock of looking glasses and
small hand mirrors, bonnets and cloth
ing from ancient and shop-wOrn stocks
in Boston. The natives bougt freely of
these wares, and when the early chiefs
hesitated on account of hard times they
were charitably given unlimited credit.
Though they knew nothing about the
devOurlng principle OF compound IN
terest, they hesitated to accept credit,
but were finally coaxed to buy the
goods offered lest their refusal to buy
be construed as an insult to their in
tenious visitors. In buying Christian
goods at the prices current in early
church circles they believed they were
pleasing the Lord. Later they were
surprised by demand for immediate
payment in sandal wood, which then
brought very hish prices in China,
They were by this tihle hopelessly in
I i
Indebtedness. The chief items were
looking glasses, which were sold for
sums ranging from $3.50 to 81 900 each.
The smallest hand mirrors brought Sl50,
and it is said it was fad IN 1926 for
every young buck kanaka to buy each
of his sweethearts-an had severa!-a
hand mirror. There was no excuse for
noncompliance with the custom, be-
cause the Hawaiian lassies knew that
the message bearers refused credit to
none.
But the awful day of reckoning over
took the people one bright morning IN
June, 1926, when the war sloop Peacock
arrived in Hawaiian waters. They had
seen Warships before, but none had ever
come save on a friendly mission. The
unexpected arrival of the Peacock eX-
cited the native curiosity, the more par
ticulariy because its commander was
often seen in close consultation with
Hiram Bingham, Hunnewell and COM
pany and other missionaries. Finally
some of the chiefs were summoned be-
fore Commander Jones, Of the Peacock,
who questioned them severely as to why
their people had not paid for goods sold
and delivered them by the missionaries.
Hiram Bingham was the interpreter for
the commander, and though he wrote
an extended history Of the Hawaiian
Islands he nowhere in any manner hints
at the remarkable claim of million dol
lars which was collected at the bayonet's
point.
After the taking of brief amount of
eXparte evidence, Commander Jones
concluded that the claims were all just,
and he sent King Kamehameha word
that the sum must be paid or he would
enforce it in the name Of the United
States. In reporting the matter to the
Hon. Ogden Hoffman, who was then
in Congress, Commander Jones said, in
1888: eve compelled the natives to
pay nearly 81 100000 to worthy citizens
Of the United States"
After coercing the King and chiefs it
was decided to compel the prOmulga-
ton Of new law obliging every able
bodied man to scour the mountains for
sandal wood, while the women (by
which term all females over - years Of
age were included) were compelled to
contribute tapa cloth and rare mats.
All these goods were sold in China by
the missionaries. The gathering Of the
amount of sandal wood required was a
great hardship, for it required an aver
age of sixteen days labor by each man.
Trees were dug up by the roots and the
richly-scented wood was, as a result,
exterminated in all the Hawaiian ISL
ands. The method of collecting the
tribute is thus described by Command
er Jones in the letter to Ogden Hoff-
man: Every man had to deliver half a
pecul (67 pounds) of good sandal wood
to the governor of the district of his
residence before September /, 1927.
In case Of no sandal wood, we took four
Spanish dollars, Or anything con-
venienently at hand worth that sum.
No person. except those who were in
firm or too advanced in age to 60 to the
mountains, was exempt from the de-
mand."
Continuing, the commander who en-
forced the claim says: Every woman
Of the age of Is years or upward had TO
pay mat twelve feet long and six feet
wide, or tapa cloth Of equal value or to
the sum Of one Spanish dollar. All Of
mated houses and never to be removed
or applied to any other purpose, eX-
cept the liquidation of the debts desig-
mated"
These laws were promulgated by King
Kamehameha Ill, during his minority,
and after the destructive character of
American cannon had been explained
to him during some vivid target prac-
tice. Modern educated Hawaiians have
hired Paul Neumann as their attorney
to investigate these matters, and he will
soon file a claim at Washington for the
81, 900 900 exacted and compound inter
est since 1926.
Attorney Neumann relies chiefly upon
Commander Jones report, now on file
in the Navy Department, for his case
His report was hastily approved by
Congress without investigation on the
presumption that it was all right. The
following propositions will be embodied
in the petition of the descendants of
the plundered Hawaiians; That Com
mander Jones forced the government
to adopt the sandal-wood law; that