The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-12-11

lines from those of any other part Of
the United States, and which would INT
the peculiar conditions of the case.
While. of course, under the general pro-
lection and surveillance of the nation
al Government at Washington there
should be as much self-gOvernment,
home rule autonomy, or whatever II
NAV be called. as would be consistent.
The little band of high-minded and in
telIigent Americans who have thus taT
been the handspring of Hawaii's prog
ress can be trusted to look after its
affairs better than any one else when
il shall become an integral part of the
great American Union. They can
formulate better laws for immigration
and restriction Of the various races
who here now and desire to come than
our legislative body in Washington,
few OF whom have ever been here and
cannot understand the climatic. racial,
agricultural and commercial cOndi-
tions and requirements except by
personal visit. not of a few days, a
stopping over from one steamer to take
the next but of several weeks at least
to give them time to make a fair and
comprehensive study. | would certain
~ trust the voters here, who have in
four years. to initiate a system of suff-
rage sooner than confide this delicate
question to politicians or even states
men who can only take a theoretical
view of the case at distance of from
two to five thousand miles away.
They can settle the tests and quail
fications in a way that could be sat
isfactory and cause little or no fric-
ton, as they have already passed the
period of probation, and so know what
is needed from the good lesson of ex-
perience. AS a matter of fact today
the Government has tests or restric-
tfons for the right of suffrage. Every
voter in addition TO being of a certain
age, or, if a foreigner by birth, of hav-
ing resided here a certain number of
years. is also subjected to an educa-
tional and property qualification. This
is as it should be, and viii greatly sim
plify their admission to our Union as
citizens"
Us Honolulu keeping closeup with
modern progress in comforts of civil
lization aids and helps in transacting
business?"
Among the American inventions
very much in use in Honolulu l should
put the telephone as first. | doubt if
there is any city in the world of it's
DODuldLlOn where II COMES lnJO play DIS
universally. This arises partly from
the fact that there is no city delivery
of letters, and so the thousand and one
little questions of every day life are
asked and answered by the telephone
If your clock has run down and you
want to know what time it is you do
not hesitate to telephone some neigh
Dor for the information. The distances
in the city are great, and if a person
who may wish to pay an evening call
will ring you up to learn if you are
at home. The connections with the
Central are made very quickly, and
the wires are seldom out of order. |
There is even one to the u. S. Adams
riding at anchor in the harbor, a great
convenience to the officers on board |
or ashore.
Another American invention is here
which is greatly to be regretted, and
that is the overdrawn checkrein, which
seems to have come as a part of the
harness from the States, whereas it had
much better have been left behind.
While almost always a discomfort and
frequently a positive torture to a horse |
it is especially out of place in this or
any other tropical country where the
poor animals always need the free eX-
tension of their heads and neck to
EuD themselves anu uGlNe OH uleS anu
other insects. But here as elsewhere, |
the bicycle is fast taking the place of
the horse for riding, and you see plenty
of them rushing about the streets, at
all hours of the day and evening, as
in any of our cities.
Honolulu, considering its pOpTla
ton, is amply supplied with newspa-
pers. Besides those in the native Ka
naka language, Japanese, Chinese and
Portuguese, there are four daily papers
in English. Three of them-the Star,
the Bulletin and the Independent-ap-
pear in the afternoon, while the re-
naming one is the Pacific Commercial
Advertiser, and this you have in the
morning. How then, can l better con-
clude than by saying that it is pleas
ant beginning of the day here, and one
that carries you back to Boston, to
find that with your breakfast and cigar
you can have the good old Daily Ad-
yertiser to read"