The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1895-09-26
Continued from 1st Pnge)

pressing form Of slavery it is said TO
be- than was ever that OF the South.
The poor slaves receive hardly
enough to sustain life, and of course
are left to shift as they may when
overtaken by age or illness, and at
best are generally kept in debt at
the company stores, and although
both the Portuguese and Japanese
laborers are willing and patient
slaves their condition is deplorable
if not hopeless.
But let us suppose all was swept
aside and that not one of these
many grave matters stood in the
way of these consummston and we
stood fairly facing the question OF
annexation. What then9 Would
this Nations Senators favor it in
such force as to make it fact9 |
hope so, but believe the Southern
States would require as condition
that the islands OF the Spanish Main
aud all sorts Of lands and places be
made also portion OF the Union.
Then the Northern States would
call aloud for Canada. All Of which
ought TO come, and | hope will
come, in the course of time, but the
Hawaiian Islands could hardly slip
in alone, at least as they now stand.
So this continual talk of annexation
by he little mouey-getting oligarchy
is simply blank nonsense.
The Queens land alone, which
they seized, brought her the best
half of quarter of million. The
Honolulu Water Works, perfected
under the late King, aud being the
property of the crown, being $780,
600 clear profit, The custom house
is niue of gold. But / sat out to
talk OF the glory, not the shame, of
the islands and islanders.
The first thing European asks
Californian about, as a general rule,
is the islands-our islands-out yon-
der beyond the watch-towers Of our
Golden Gate, the seas, the scenery,
and then he asks if they are still
fighting there, as in South America
or Cuba. Ard then his voice drops
and in kindly key he asks about
the lepers. Let us briefly consider
these three things in their order.
The one and only ocean, with long,
strong, sweeping, cleaning, glorious
glide and swing OF wave, is this
ocean that thunders at our doors.
You literally sleep and dream and
dream and sleep the full six days
here whore "The spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters" till on
the morning Of the seventh when
you see the purple heavens picked
by lava-peaks to your right, and the
Tar, lorn, gray levels of the leper
island to your left. Between these
two you glide into the dreamful
harbor of Honolulu, with rainbows
above the town, clouds as white as
wool shepherded above the multi
plying rainbow, aud away up and
beyond the scattered, silvery, drift
ing fecks upon the sky, emerald
fields of corn. fields so steep below
the lava-peaks that they look as if
they mi ght roll up and slide down
into the banana and tamarind and
mango and algeroba set city of
everlasting flowers.
This panorama alone is worth the
voyage. Rainbows and rainbows and
rainbows 1t is the land of rain
bows and the sea of rainbows. Some
are in completed circles, some broad,
some narrow as ribbons. The sud
den showers, the trade winds, the
wool white clouds-these are the
factors of the phenomena. Birds!
The birds not only sing and ring
and cling continuously, but they
simply roar as you pass through the
parks along the sea beach or above
the city. Up the sleeps and around
the mountain beyond the little corn
fields set on edge you ride under
great beetling cliffs that are hung