The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-05-18

noon, with President Dole in the
chair. There We're present Ministers
Hatch, King, and Damon, and Coun-
cillors Wilder, d. B. Smith, Allen,
Waterhouse, Brown, Emmeluth, Ten
ney, Young, Mendonca, Ena, Mott,
Suhr and Morgan.
The minutes of the last meeting
were read and approved.
The secretary read a petition signed
by about fifty Chinese, asking for the
pardon of convict named Shin Tin,
on condition that he be sent to China
and remain there for the rest of his
life. Referred to the Judiciary Com
mittee.
The following petition was presented
from nearly four hundred Chinese
residents:
To THE PRESIDENT AND THE ExECU-.
| TIVE AND ADVISORY COUNCILS OF
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS:
We, the undersigned, most respect
| fully request your permission to pre-
sent to Your Excellencies and the
Honorable Councillors the following
| statement and petition, and ask of
you to give it most careful considera-
] ton.
| While the right of petition is de-
MED by you to no one, we are, in this
| instance, constrained to address you
| directly instead of through the GUS
! tomary diplomatic channels, inasmuch
| as our commercial agents possess, in
| the absence of treaty between China
and Hawaii, insufficient diplomatic
authority to call your attention to the
matters we most respectfully desire to
| present to you.
We wish to be fair and frank, and
| prefer in the first place to invite you r
| assistance in the interests of the adopt
| ed country of many of us, rather than
| to communicate with His Excellency,
His Imperial Majesty's Representa-
tive at Washington, before so doing.
We are also induced to take this
informal manner of approaching you,
as a result of the recent elections con-
clusively show that Constitutional
Convention will shortly be held to re-
| model the Constitution and the form
We also fully appreciate the fact
that until definite form of govern
| ment is established for the Hawaiian
Islands, it will be impracticable for
the President of the Provisional Gov
! ernmept to enter into dilect diplo-
matte correspondence with the Imper-
ial Chinese Government.
We feel assured that your honorable
Councils will not controvert the state
l -
large and important vested interests
in this country, and that they may
justly claim to be considered among
| the heaviest payers of taxes, duties
and other contributions in comparison
| with the people Cf all other nations.
| 1t Is not deemed advisable to encum-
| Der this petition with statistics to
| prove this assertion.
| It is known to you that the Chinese
| merchants and planters have always
been firm supporters of the constitu-
| tional governme nts OF Hawaii. Our
societies have endeavored, and are en-
deavoriDg, TO support our sick and
/ poor and to send out of the country
| the criminals and vagrants without
| cost to the Government. If the Gov
ernment will only strengthen our
hands so that we can appeal to our
| Minister at Washington, and through
| him to the Imperial authorities, we
| can and will do much more.
While We are thoroughly conversant
| with the fact that no treaty exists
| between Hawaii and China, we are
also fully aware that, in the past, ne
| gotiations for, treaty have been un-
der consideration by the representa-
tive Ministers OF both countries and
have failed.
1t is our opinion that if, when the
Constitutional Convention meets, it
will not regard the Chinese residing
in the Hawaiian Islands as a pro
scribed race, but will accord them the
privileges due to them by their infiu-
ence, standing and wealth, that
treaty of reciprocal benefit to Hawaii
and China might result
We, who have made these Islands
our home for many years, have in
creased the value OF your lands from
nominal prices to high ones, say from
s. to $3.50 an acre, thus increasing the
revenue of the country, have inter-
married with Hawaiians, who have
given US children born in this land,
educated in your own schools and in
termarried with your own race.
Many of us have become naturalized
citizens of this country, and have, by
our fforts, brought to you consider
able trade and commerce. 1t has been
alike beneficial to you as to us. There
fore we think that we are entitled To