The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-08-21
EXPERIENCE TEACHES.

The proposition made lately by
the fag end of Royalist economy is
almost as amusing as it is absurd.
Native finances are to be redeemed
hereunder and a new lease of life
is, at the same time, to be given
foreign and half-white politicians
in Hawaii. The great scheme is
to establish cooperative system
of retail trade. The proposition is
about on a par with the primitive
methods of fnanciering and poll
tics which preceded the fall of the
monarchy.
These combinations, or similar,
have been made heretofore and
have failed not from competition
and defeat, but from certain inner
ent racial defects, which are better
seen and felt in the ordinary
course of residence in Hawaii than
expressed in words.
The necessary extravaganza Of
civilization, which makes it so hard
for white men to compete with
Oriental frugality ard thrift, be-
comes an unnecessary eXtrava
gance as practiced by Hawaii
ans in their competition with
foreigners in Hawaii. The CO.
operative experiments of natives
heretofore have failed because bust
ness principles were not fol-
lowed, the unusual extravagances
of the native stockholders were
INDUCED in, and, in three cases out
of five, the native management
failed in both duty and response
bility.
After the failure Of the native
huis under native management the
system of cooperation was tried on
several plantations for raising cane.
These were under the management
and control of white men, but they
failed because there was a lack of
the thrift, frugality and stability
necessary to successful planting.
After these earlier experiments
native huis and native labor fell
largely into desuetude, where they
have remained.
The proposition heard since the
overthrow of the aboriginal Gov
eminent to redeem the native
Hawaiian's failures, both in
business and politics, by resort
to native combinations that
have already had their
day and ended in failure, is just
what might be expected from the
source. Men who have not been
able to hold on to the present, when
1t 7oaS present, are not apt to re-
deem the past in business or fulfil
the conditions necessary to the pro-
posed political equity of redemp-
ton" which is really the milk in the
cocoanut OF the present proposition.
The day has long since passed
for coddling the natives; and since
the establishment Of the Republic,
under the new Hawaii, there is no
reason why the truth learned from
should not be told, even
though it hurts feelings and breaks
down theories.
In the present case the fact is no
cooperative system of retail trade
could be successfully carried out by
the natives unless it was placed
under the management and control
of haoles. This much has been
shown by experience. In politics
the natives, from a civilized stand
point, have been merely the
wards of Government. In the
true sense they will never
be real citizens any more than bust
ness men. Had they been either,
or both, the revolution of January,
1898, would not have happened
and the aboriginal Government
would have been fourishing to-day
with the support and assistance of
the foreign population. In other
words, frugality and thrift are con-
ditions of both racial and national
stability.