The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-05-19
PLEA FOR CHINESE.
A Correspondent Claims the Ballot
For Them.

Mr.. EDITOR: VIII you kindly
grant me space to partially reply
to your editorials of today's issue,
MAY 18th), captioned "The Hand
of Esau" and with Us, But Not
of Us?"
In regard to the first editorial,
trust that | have, in this even
ing's Star, unattached responsible
ties innocently attached to the
burthens Of others.
Your authoritative statement
that the Provisional Government
is possessed Of all the powers of
sovereign de facto and de j~re, and
has full authority to treat upon
equal terms with the Chinese or
any other empire" can scarcely be
sustained by the professors of the
German schools or of the more
modern creature educationists of
Washington, ST. James, Berlin, vi
emma and Paris, or the astute dip
lomats of China and Japan.
The recognized distinction be-
tween a de facto and de jure Gov
eminent is SO broad that, even in
these days of arbitration, peace at
any price, and conciliatory infu-
ences on behalf of the stronger
against the weaker, it has not yet
been materially disturbed.
Taking our own Government for
an example, to combine the two
terms and forces, absolute success
must crown revolutionary attempts
and sequent recognition ensue. AT
present the Provisional Govern
ment, as it's very name imports, is
but transitional though a de fdcto
one.
Upon the adoption of constitu-
ton, ratified by the people or en-
forced with sufficient authority,
and the organization of the neces-
sary departments attached to the
functions of well-ordered Govern
ment, de jlre is welded to de facto.
In your second editorial your
claim appears to be that the Chi
nese have mo qualifications for the
franchise beyond the bare fact that
they have taxable property within
the limits and subject to the juris-
diction of the Hawaiian Islands"
The statement appears somewhat
paradoxical. The "bare fact OF
having few millions of vested in
terests in country, which enhance
the revenues by taxation and other |
contributions to the Government, is
not worthy of consideration
in the formulating of a scheme OF
Government in which so many |
races are concerned, all anxious to |
do their share in making it perma-
nent and prosperous? Is that the
construction you desire your In
telligent readers to place upon your
words? Do you desire taxation
without representation or would |
you prefer that when privileges are
denied the revenue shall decrease?
Have the naturalized Chinese no
rights? The constitution of 1887 |
denied the franchise to them. Will
the Constitutional Convention OF
1894 do them the courtesy to con-
slider the question?
If the Chinese do not possess the
right of franchise in their own
country, is it not the proud boast
of Hawaii nei that the American
missionaries reclaimed it from bar
barism. While planting the young
tree of Republican liberty on these
islands scatter them, a few Chinese
missionary acorns in the great EN-
pire beyond the seas and instead
of Bibles and mortgages present
them with the principles of the
undying right of manhood suffrage,
limited to those competent to value
it.
VIM. HORACE WRIGHT.
Waikiki-kai, May IS, 1894.