Hawaii holomua = Progress. [volume] (Honolulu) 1893-1895, 1894-05-17
THE FRANCHISE.
Present Complications For
The G. G.

tempting TO explain the didicul
ties under which the government
at present is working. The
franchise question to be decided
on by the Constitutional Conven-
ton Is so intricate and so
difficult to solve that the country
is justified In looking with appre-
hension at the men in whose
hands the task OF forming a new
government and framing a new
Constitution has been entrusted.
The fallacy Of the theories en-.
larged upon by the Star
and the AdUertiser is easily
recognizable by everybody
who understand the situation
The p. g. organs express them
selves as gratified because the
japanese government has made,
a treaty revision as far as Hawa-
Ii is concerned and has granted
to the Hawaiians certain rights
not yet enjoyed by other foreig-
ners in Japan. One of the privi-
leges is the right to be tried by
Japanese courts a privilege that,
to say the least, is of very doubt
full value. Our contemporaries
forget or are ignorant of the fact
that the main plank in the plat
form of the liberal party in Japan
at the late election was the de-
mand for treaty revisions which
will result in placing Japan on
exactly the same footing us any
other civilized country. All
nations now enjoying the exclu-
sive right of establishing CON
sular courts In Japan will, in the
future, be placed on the sound
and proper basis of equality with
japanese subjects and will have
to take their chances before Japa-
nese courts and at the same time
find the interior country opened
for them. The p. 6. government
claims that 1t cannot interpret the
Hawaiian-Japanese treaty in any
way except as a commercial treaty
and it claims that the "most
favored nation clause" has no
bearing on our internal or domes-
tic affairs. What absurditv !
What nonsense. The interpre-
tation of the treaty as made by
the japanese government will be
paramount and Hawaii has simp-
ly to lump it. The Aduertiser gets Oh
Its dignity and says that Hawai-
lans In Japan cannot become
naturalized nor can they vote or
own real estate. Nobody denies
these facts and nobody claimed
mat they could. But the Ha-
Naiian-Japanese treaty provides
hat the japanese residing Ia
Hdwaii shall ENJOY The same rights
IS The subjects of The most tarored
tattoa and it doesn't say a word
about the conditions of the Ha-
valians IN Japan. They enjoy
he same rights as the most /
avored nations and such rights
re neither infringed on nor
urtailed in any manner. The
government organs further ex-
'ress themselves as if the only
etaliatlon the japanese govern
nent proposes, if its just demands ]
re not acceded to. is to stop /
nrther immigration. They are |
ray of Over 10000 Japanese q
ave arrived in Hawaii under the {
of the treaty. which q
forks like contract. The Jap a
nese government intends to see G
hat the rights of these people L
re granted to the fullest extent t
nd no smount of Argument or Z
can alter that determi- {
alton. We have previously Q
that the granting b
| the fr, nchise to the japanese il
Ill at present have very little b
tactical Importance because D
cry small fraction of them so far
Ill be able to fulfill the neces- 5.
NY qualifications. But there d
IN be no doubt that the govern b,