The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-01-05

be Indifferent to the fate of their
countrymen in Hawaii. On the whole
Colonel Blount's report gives the inn
preston that he had SO completely
preiudged the case as to be almost i'm
pervious to any evidence opposed TO
his predilections. His animus is be-
trayed by the earliest letters in his
correspondence with the STATE De
partment. His partiality to Royallst
sources of information has lea him
into many errors, evoni regard TO
matters not involved in the present
controversy. For example, on page 8
he states that even before 1875 the
natives generally read and wr0ts
English which but few OF the adult
natives are able to do at the present
time. Again, in the face of full in
formation based on documentary evil
dence, he describes the notorious ex-
Mormon adventurer Gibson, who was
connected with the worst political
scandals in Hawaiian history, as a
man of large information, free from
all suspicion of bribery who led the
natives and some whites
stHis extraordinary statement on
page that the story OF the division
| (of the land of 1S45l is discreditable to
King, chiefs and white residents Is
so fiagrantly unjust, and so opposed
on the subject that it discredits the
Commissioner judgment on all other
subjects. That grand act of kameha-
meha III, by which he made the poor
serfs owners of theiY homesteads and
| laid the foundation of individual
| property in land. and which gained
| for him the name Of sKamehameha
the Good is justly considered he
| glory of his reign, and reflects he
IN ri
residents who brought it about and
| on the King and chiefs who volun-
| tarily gave up part of their heredi-
| tary lands and privileges for the good
| of their vassals.
| A REMARKABLE REMEDY PROPOSED.
| "On page s, after briefly adverting
| to some of the obnoxious legislation
| of Kalakaua's reign, while ignoring
| the main question then at issue, he
| proceeds as follows: None of the legis
iation complained of would have been
| considered a cause for revolution in
any one OF the United States, but
would have been used in the elections
to expel the authors from power. The
alleged corrupt action OF the king
could have been avoided by more
careful legislation and would (sic)
have been a complete remedy fOc the
futurc.' My reply to this is that the
chief difficulty lay in the autocratic
power of the king, who had the ap-
pointment of the Upper House and
} backed the Lower House with servile
office holders, while he also held an
unconditional veto on all the legisla-
, ton. At the same time, naturaliza-
! ton, besides being conditioned on five
: years residence and the possession of
real estate, was entirely at the discre-
!, ton of the king. who refused it to
those foreigners who were opposed to
his corrupt schemes.
: "Colonel Blount speaks of the 'al-
: legged corrupt action of the king.
! This was proved by his own witnesses
in trial held before the Supreme
Court, information of which L fur
} nished to Colonel Biount. The reme-
} DIV suggested by Colorel Blount had
/ been ried for e-eral successive ses-
sions in vain. All constitutional
means of redress Lad failed. In 1855.
, the good people of San Francisco.
: finding themselves in a similar plight
] took up arms and expelled the rascaIs
who had controlled all the machinery
] of elections, and in several Of the
: Southern States the shotgun has
f been resorted to as the only means OF
t deliverance from 'carpet-bag' rule and
t negro domination. 1t Ill becomes
f Colonel Blount to deny the sacred
right of revolution
PREJUDICE PLAINLY SHOWN.
"His strong prejudice against the
reform party IS shown by his COM
ments on the constitutional amend
ments, which Kalakaua was COM
PEELED to accept in 1887. He shows nc
appreciation OF the magnanimity and
| forbearance OF the leaders u baE
l movement, who allowed the king to
retain the throne and revenues which
| he had forfeited and id not touch a
single right of the natives. He entire
ly ignores a most important article OF
the revised constitution; viz, that No
] executive or judicial officer, or any
contractor or employee of the Governs
ment, or any person in the receipt OF
salary or emolument from the Gov.
g ernment, shall be eligible to election
1 to the Legislature of the Hawaiian
f Kingdom, or to hold the position o
1 an elective member OF the same. And
no member of the Legislature shall
t during the time for which he i:
g elected, be appointed to any civil
8 office under the Government, except
t that of a member of the Cabinet.
= This struck at the root of the kings
j use of his patronage to control Legls-
| latures. The power to appoint mobiles
i was taken from the king and vested
t in electors possessed of q moderate
7 property qualification. Thus the con-
e troll of the Upper House was taken
q from an irresponsible, semi-barbarous
8 despot and givento tbs better class
f of natives and whites. 1t w2s the only
:. way in which the property and intel
= Iigence of the country could be assur-
: ed of any voice in national affairs
: Colonel Blount would apparently be
a in favor of leaving all the great inter
4 ests of the country to the unrestraineo
: mercy of an ignorant portion OF the
e population, which pays about one
e tenth of the taxes and is largely con-
s trolled by demagogues of the lowest
o type. .