Hawaii holomua = Progress. [volume] (Honolulu) 1893-1895, 1894-06-19
MAKING A REPUBLIC.

this country. has had no further
attention than n corner in the
news column occasionally, where
in accounts were given Of the
progress of the scheme of the
missionaries and spectators to
secure for themselves. their heirs
aud assigns. the sole dominion
over the islands and the people
native to them.
We have been thus advised that,
relinquishing all hopes of annex
alton, at least during this admin
istration. the PROFESSIONALS have
gone on in the building up of
republic, assuring to the be-
nighted people of that sea-girt
land the ineffable blessings of a
free and enlightened government
of the people by the people and
for the people. such as that which
makes this the home of the free
and the land Of the brave and the
best government the sun ever
shone upon, and much more to
the same effect.
Merely as an interesting study
in the problem of republic build
ing, the methods adopted by our
late fellow-citizens, or better,
fellows resident in Rawaii-for the
most of them retain their citizen
ship in this country-and especi-
ally as showing how the men and
the children of the men who
went there to teach the semi
barbarous natives the sweet
doctrine of the brotherhood of
man and the fatherhood of God
which makes all men of all races
and colors and conditions brothers
and equals, regard their darker
skinned brothers when the ques
ton ceases to be one of ethics
and orthodoxy and becomes a
practical one of governing, the
progress of their plan is worthy
of a little space for comment.
We are now advised that the
delegates elected on the 3rd in
slant will meet on the Both to
frame constitution for what " i'll
be called the Republic of Hawaii.
Former brief statements have
told US how these delegates were
chosen. They were elected by
the people, of course. Butthere
were some prudential limitations
of the franchise. If all the peo-
pie were permitted to vote, there
was danger that the missionaries
and their sons would be outyoted
by their darker-hued men and
brothers, who, with remarkable
perverseness, refused to regard
with favor the unselfish efforts of
these truly good men to redeem
them from their political and
moral degradation. So it was
required that all persons Offering
to register as voters should first
take an oath of allegiance to the
provisional government.
This had the effect of discour-
aging the natives from taking
any part in the construction of
this new republic, an effect
doubtless anticipated by the
truly good men at the head of the
movement, and the registration
closed with barely 1000 voters
qualified to vote for delegates.
As there are some ten or twelve
thousand native males of voting
age in the islands to be governed,
bnt who will have no voice in the
governing, it would seem to any
one possessed of the old fashioned
notions of republics as if this
were somewhat radical de
parture from the established
methods and models
With that true paternal instinct
which led these worthy men first
to go there to convert the natives
to the religion of Christ. and then
to convert them FROM belief in
an etfecte monarchy to the wor-
ship of government whose key
stone is the equality OF all men.
they have prepared for the dele
sgetes the constitution they agd
70 aaopt. There are some nSo
visions in this feadymade coAsti-
tuition which strike citizeaS of
our republie as strange. bat
which. doubtless. are due to the
exigenciss Of the situation. Sem
ators. for instances, may be
residents merely of the islands;