The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1895-11-07

the other day. The latter gives as
the first answer to his questions by
the diplomat in question.
81 am glad to meet newspaper
men, but am always amused when
they begin to ask questions about
the relations between the Japanese
Government and any other You
must believe, always, that the rela-
tions are pleasant, no matter what
the real state of affairs may be-"
There is much food for thought
in the Consult Generals amusement
over the Advertiser representative.
Some of our would-be- known as
friends have objected that we do
not praise anything the Government
does. When asked what the Gov
ernment has done, worthy OF praise
so far-they are stumped for a re-
ply. They then start out, to say,
ooh! You are always fault-fndingW
as if that was an argument. 1t is
no pleasure to us to find fault or to
denounce wrong doing. But the
only way to prevent it is for the
Government and its officials to give
no occasion of finding fault-then
we couldn't do it. Our object is
union and good government. To
attain that it is necessary to criticise
everything that seems to us 10 be
wrong, and to point out the way that
should be followed to bring about
the right results. To join in uni
versal chorus Of praise on every
thing the Government does or at
tempts to do would be to surrender
our right Of independent Judgment
and to act as one in a chorus of
self abasing worshippers of man.
mon. And the result would be dis
astrous to the best int rests of the
country. An honest and independ-
ent opposition is a necessity. The
very men who object to opposition
now will be the first to appeal for
its aid when any proposed measure
attacks their interests. All men do
not think alike. And no human be-
ing, or set of them, can be trusted
with power when only caressed by
adulation and self-seekipg fattery.
Captain John Ross was imprisoned
during the outbreak in January.
He made claim to his own govern
ment, (the United States of which
country he is a citizen), that they
prefer claim for 100000 damages
for the outrages to which he had
been subjected. Now comes the
Advertiser and says that the State
Department al Washington has re-
fused to consider Captain Ross
claim on these grounds.
"That Captain Ross while an
American citizen to the extent that |
he has never recounced his alle-
glance to the United States Govern
ment, the fact that he has remained |
away from there and has been en-
gagged in business outside the limits
of the territory of that government
is evidence sufficient that he did not |
intend to make the United States
his place OF abode"
Then the Advertiser walls:
"If this rumor is correct, and
there seems to be no doubt about it,
the citizenship of half a hundred
prominent people here will be
Wouldn't it be cheaper to have
satisfied Captain Ross claims than
70 find out we haven't an American
nere except the Minister Resident,
,ourists, aud captains Of vessels in
port. All along we have understood
hat American sentiment governed
lere. That our originators and sup
oorters of "the best Government
Hawaii ever had" were Americans.
That we had 1000 as population of
Americans. And now we are coolly
old that none of them are. And even
he Advertiser apparently has known
most of it all the time for IL saws