The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-29
THE SITUATION IN HAWAII.
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.

fine joke The beginning? The beginning was
sweet-sugari
You see, the sugar bounty in the United
States is what tempted the tireless and money
getting Americans-all Yankees-to crime. For
never in history was quite such treason as that
committed by those in the employ of the Queen
when they took possession of her palace, prop
| erty-everything-and turned her out. OF
course, they did not dream of doing what they
have since done. They only wanted TO get
under the American flag and get the sugar
bounty. This was broad platform, on which
all IN Hawaii could meet. 1t meant millions
| on millions. Those who did not like to see the
Queen turned out hoped to reconcile them
selves by liberal behavior toward her and her
people as things settled down and Hawaii be-
came part of the Union. But Hawaii is
not yet part OF the Union The Queen is in
jail, hundreds of her people are in jail and,
indeed, many of the very best white people are
in jail or exile. So say again, ''serious" is
the word.
The men who undertook to land the islands
under the old flag are getting frightened
Last week they bought another big brass gun
and they made big presents of money to their
police. The soldiers are notquite content with
$40 month and ham and eggs. As for the
volunteers, who have no ham and eggs and no
$40 per month, they are not happy. Company
D is passing resolutions. They have resolved
that the big officials, who have imported boys
from the East to act as clerks and so on, are
| not patriotic. Company D wants the little
clerkships in the big places. AS for the Annex
alton Club it is quite as fretfu1. was asked to
be one of the speakers at a contemplated big
meeting to take place soon, and in answer to
the invitation / said: IF speak l shall de-
mand the immediate release OF all political
prisoners, black or white, and the return of the
| crown lands to the Queen and her people"
"Say what you please said the committee of
invitation, sit is free country, or If it is not
free we will make it FREE"
every WELL" answered, 81 may not be here,
but if am 1 shall state distinctly that the first
step toward getting into the Union is the i'm
mediate and unconditional release of all polit-
1cal prisoners. We of the United States have
the memories of Lincoln and Grant and the
great men of their time and if you hope to get
into the Union you must try to follow their
example. More than that, when we of the
United States put money in the hat as it was
passed around fer the missionaries every year
we meant the money to be used in converting
the natives to Christianity; not in converting
their property to your own use. But behold
you have taken at single swoop all that they
had left, the Queens crown lands!
eyes, know crown lands are an appendage
of the crown, when one crown conquers an
other crown. But in this case you do not
claim to have conquered the crown. You only
claim to have seized the Governm ent and the
Government lands and property. You only
claim to have abolished the crown. Surely Mr.
Dole is not wearing the Queens crown 1t is
simply abolished. But you can't abolish her
| lands. You have taken not only all her Gov
eminent lands but her private property also
The rental was about $3.50, 900 annually; and
| it was all given away to her people. She not
only gave all her money, as a rule, but she
1
dreds of poor. Her poor kept her poor. She
was all the time in debt with revenue of
nearly quarter of million she had SO many.
And now what will you do with all these poor
and improvident natives? / say that we who
put money in the hat for the missionaries de-
mand as e condition of your taking a single
step toward getting into the Union that you
| release every political prisoner and return the
crown lands to their owners-the people you
were hired to convert to Christianity.
81 put this proposition plain and clear so that
the Annexation Club, which has asked me to
speak, may know what is required OF those who
have absorbed the big offices with big honors
and big pay before annexation may be hoped
for. More than that, slavery must be abol-
ished; the contract system OF slavery as 1t is
fostered and protected by the few hundred
office-holders at the head OF the alleged repub-
lie must be swept aside"
This is the substance of my notes from which
1 was going to speak before the Annexation
Club in Honolulu. So you see things are
| mixed. The big Yankee trick which took in
whole kingdom has become g. serious prob
lem. The leaders are tampering with human
liberty and human life. They are simply terri
fed and have thrown men in Jail by hundreds
without law or excuse, except the excuse of
fear. l think if you could get at the bottom
facts you would find that the leaders are quiet
ly but hastily "laying up treasures in Boston.
One thing that makes the problem more
serious down there is the great temptations.
These leaders were tempted to despoil the
Queen in order to get the sugar bounty for
their N illions of sugar. But now the natives, or
more especially private adventures, are
tempted by the millions of@money and the
little kingdom that lies there to be had for the
taking. The excuse, of course, for the ad-
venturers will be, as it ever has been in all
history, the noblest that has ever moved the
heart of man, human liberty. Men have
lain in prison long and might again; but never
with shipload OF gold and an empire waiting
as premium for their liberation. No, the
Queen win never be restored. doubt if you
could get her to take the crown. She is an
honest woman; and although her abdication
was under duress and is Illegal before the
world, she is not a coward liar You could
not have forced her to abdicate If she had not
meant 1t. Of course she hoped to help her
people by giving up everything as she did, but
she did not intend to retraot what she said in
her abdication Her crown lands, however,
she must have. She wants them and she needs
them for her poor.
Victor Hugo tells about q man who, walking
along the sea beach, began to sink in the
quicksand. He became alarmed. He ran for
ward He sank deeper. He beanie terrified as
he went forward and forward, refusing to turn
back till at last he sank entirely out of sight,
and so persisted. He might have turned back,
but he was.afraid. This little Yankee republic
of few office-h holders down there might even
now turn back or even stop in their career of
folly They could even now turn out their
political prisoners and make friends out OF
enemies. They could even now let go OF the
Queens lands and so make 80, 900 friends out
of as many enemies, but they really seem to
lack the sense. Those singular people who
burned their grandmothers for riding broom
sticks with black eats up behind them in the
air are obstinate. They have come into power
for the first time since the Punishment of Roger
Williams, and they seem determined to make
the most of the situation.
For my own part like what is hkable in
these remarkable people. They are clever,