The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1895-06-24


aud spoken of in the highest terms,
the chances are that these later and
interested denunciatioDs are untrue,
and that they are only made be-
cause her deIamers are Anglo Saxon
and she is a "nigger"
AS to the present government,
Mr.. Shearmau simply points out
that it is composed OF a small min
ority of foreigners, mostly Ameri-
cans, who have by conspiracy over
thrown the old government and de-
prived the natives of all power.
The new laws provided for an cleo
ton at which nobody was allowed
to vote who would not swear alleg-
isnce to the new government, which
meant Acknowledgement to the
great majority OF the native voters.
By the constitution electoral priv
leges are limited to people whose
property is worth $4,000, or whose
income is 5000 year, the govern
ment reserving the power to COM
pei voters to prove Ibis by original
books of account. Two years have
passed, and no Legislature has been
convened, the islands continuing
under government Of self-appoint-
ed oligarchy, consisting OF nineteen
persons.
In Mr.. Shearman's opinion there
is no government in the world, not
even the Russian, which is so auto
cratic and severe as the present
control OF Hawaii Those who we're
recently arrested for alleged plots
against the constituted authorities
we're tried by court martial, although
the government had all the courts
and machinery Of justice at its
disposal, and sentences we're pro-
nounced more atrocious, in Mr..
Shearman'; opinion, than are usual
in Russia. Several of these sentences
we're Of death, but we're graciously
committed to imprisonment for 80
years by the President, though
sentence OF 80 years imprisonment
passed upon men of SO or so years OF
age for mere conspiracy may be even
worse than death, if thoroughly
complied with. Moreover, these
sentences have been carried out with
a brutality that is not even shown
in Russia to political prisoners.
Prisoners untried and unconvicted
have been kept solii airy in a dark
cell for forty eight hours-a species
of torture, eight hours Of which has
often caused insanity or suicide.
These political prisoners, white and
black, have been assigned to various
forms of labor, ordinarily work upon
the roads, wearing the usual striped
uniform, and in some instances
carrying ball and chan-a penalty
Tor attempting to escape. Rev.
Serene e Bishop, in the Honolulu
Friend, is quoted as saying: eighty
of those found guilty by the COM
mission have on their stripes. They
are confined in Oahu prison. Their
terms range all the way from thirty
five years to one month. Most of the
treason cases were patches Of
prisoners tried togetber"-a method
of procedure which indicates the
fiEe regard shown to personal rights
by the ruling powers at Honolulu.
Mr.. Shearman says that President
Dole may be Christian gentleman,
but so was the late Emperor OF
Russia; yet that did not alter the
condition OF Siberian exiles and
political prisoners in underground
dungeons, st. Carlo Borromeo was
one Of the uoblest and most devout
of men, yet he tortured and burned
alive more OF the best Christians
than probably any other man OF his
day in Italy. Torquemada was also
earnest, sincere and self.denying, but
he burned aud buried alive not only
Christians, but ousands Of Jews
and Jewesses; and Oliver Cromwell
allowed his devout troops to muir
der unresisting men, women and