The Hawaiian gazette., 1894-07-27
A VAIN ATTEMPT.

| ulloeIl lOudy as CduuIudIc III
registration. If the application ii
refused he will seek relief in tbs
courts, the object being to make 8
test case.
Article "A of the Constitution
says: "In order to be eligible to
vote for representatives a person
shall,
''Be a male citizen of the Re-
public and if naturalized prior to
January Il, 1898, be native of a
country having or having had
treaty relations with Hawaii or
"Have received special letters OF
denization emitting him to all the
privileges of Hawaiian citizen
ship; or
Have received from the Min
lister of the Interior the certificate
of service herein provided for"
As China has not, or never has
had any treaty with Hawaii, it is
plain that no Chinese can vote
even although he has become an
Hawaiian citizen. 1t may appear
to some persons that there is some
injustice in this, but if so, it is
chargeable to the new Consti-
tuition, which makes no difference
in the status of Chinese citizens.
They remain just where they were
under the Constitution of 1887, en-
titled to all the rights, privileges
and immunities of any other class
of citizens, always excepting the
right to vote.
We do not, however, conceive
that there is any injustice what
ever in excluding Chinese from the
ballot. The voter must be one who
takes part in the life of the State,
who is an essential part of the
community of whose social life the
State is simply an expression. The
political community should be no.
mogeneous. This does not mean
that it may not be composed of
different races, but it does mean
that these races must have at
tanned to an ideal unity. They
must be morally fused, have a
common life, common ambitions,
and share the same political hopes
and aims. The different elements
of true political society may
quarrel certainly, but their quar-
rels must be family quarrels.
The Chinese is an alien in Ha-
waii, as he is everywhere away
from the land of his birth. He
brings the Orient with him. Every
wherein Australia, the United
States, Brazil-wherever he wan
ders, he is forever the same, wear
ing the same clothes, nursing the
same ideas, abiding by the same
religion. He sticks close to fact,
follows the past, and treads in the
steps of his forefathers. The race
type is persistent, and it is the
type of the born materialist and
conservative.
How can the representative of
such a race as this consider him
self wronged because political So
cieties whose ideal he neither I'M
derstands nor values, decline TO
admit him to a full membership?
Fundamentally he is not excluded,
but excludes himself. There are
race prejudices, of course, but they
are not as strong as the rising
spirit of democracy. Whenever
Chinese, in this country or the
United States, acquire the charac-
teristics which are necessary to the
free citizens Of a free state, they
will be admitted to vote, and no
power on earth will be strong
enough to prevent it.
We have no purpose to reflect in
juriously upon the Chinese. They
are people of many remarkable
qualities which invite imitation
and not criticism. AS residents of
Hawaii, they have been peaceable
and industrious, and have played
a useful, though nowadays some
ubat too oOoraa-iva q mart in fba