The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-10-08

Judge w. r. Kelley, prominent
attorney of Omaha, Neb., and con-
nected with the Union Pacific Rail
way, has returned home from a trip
to the Islands. He told his friends
and the newspapers a good deal
about Hawaii and what he saw dur
ing his recent visit. Although the
Judge spent but short time in the
Paradise of the Pacific, he was en-
thusiastic over the country and its
possibilities.
With his family, Judge Kelley
visited the principal points of in
terest in Honolulu and about this
island. Manager Dillingham;, of the
Oahu Railway, showed him Pearl
City, Pearl Harbor, the Peninsular
and took him on an excursion to
Eva and Waianae. Particular at
tention was paid by the Judge to
the sugar plantations, in which,
with Pearl Harbor, he took the
greatest interest.
The following interview with
Judge Kelley appeared in one Of
the Omaha papers recently and will
be particularly interesting, as the
statements contained therein are
the results of careful stndy and
thought, as well as being strictly
impartial
L am glad to give you some impress
sions of my recent visit to Honolulu.
L could not describe the trip or the
place without appearing to be enthu-
siastic. The voyage of 2l00 miles from
San Francisco to Honolulu takes six
days, and, after passing beyond the
rough sea adjacent to the California
coast, it was one Of absolute enjoyment
and pleasure. The return voyage re
quires seven days. This is because the
trade winds are meeting US instead OF
blowing with US, as on the outward
voyage, and because of the currents
which set toward the southwes
Honolulu lies 2100 miles nearly
southwest from San Francisco, and
about tWenty-One degrees north Of the
equator. The Hawaiian Islands lie in
the track OF the trade winds, which
blow from the northeast TO the south
west during almost every month of
the year. There are eight inhabitant
islands, the total area being some
thing near 1000 square miles. Homo
lulu, the capital, is situated on the
island of Oahu. The largest of the
islands is Hawaii, upwards of 200
miles distant from Honolulu. Kauai
lies about 100 miles distant from Ho-
nolulu, and is said to be the most
beautiful as we'll as the most prOduc-
tive of the islands. The population Of
the group is something over 100000
people, about 10000 OF whom are
natives, and about 10000 Chinese and
japanese, and the remainder are En-
ropeans and Americans. The Chinese
and Japanese are largely engaged a.
Iaborers upon the sugar and rice plan
tations. The Americans and Europeans
constitute the energetic business ele-
ment OF the islands, and are largely
engaged in sugar raising and coffee
planting, and III the general CONNER
cial business of the islands, princi-
pally conducted at Honolulu. The
natives are large landowners and
raisers of stock. They are a good
looking body of people; they are in
telJlgent, generous and hOSpltable. NO
doubt they have all the vices of civil
iZation, but they also have many of its
most comfortable virtues. 1t is claimed
that 95 per cent. of the natives of the
islands can read and write well in
their own language, and that almost
as large percentage Of them can also
read and write in our language. The
English language is the legal ana
common language of the islands.
Are All for Annexation.
My stay of five days at Honolulu did
not give me time enough to form
opinions in respect to the government
of any of the political affairs of the
island. The impressions, however,
which I gained from what l saw and
from what [ heard led me to believe
that the almost universal hope of The
people of the islands is for annexation
to the United states under some form
of government. The people are de-
voted to the islaud5 and to their gov
erument, but they IRE also intensely
in sentiment. They believe
that the material interests Of the ISL
ands wOuld be greatly suDserved by
or some relations with
the United States which would insure
a certain and stable government.
al haliaUa with much good