Evening star., 1896-01-25
The Sugar ek'ssp Exceeds All
Formetaa Yields.
ACQUIESENCE EliqHE new REPUBLIC
Irrigation ENTERPRISES Which Prom
8 Y
ise to Greatly increase Crops.
iyus
K IL A U E AS FIERY FLOOD
special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

opeclai correspondence OF The Evening STAR
HONOLULU, January 3, 1896.
AS foreshadowed in my letter Of Decem-
Der 2, the remaining eight political prisoners
were released on New Year day. Like all the
rest, they are not fully pardoned, but re-
leased on parole, subject to liability OF be-
ing remanded to confinement II suspected of
fresh reasonable activity. Practically they
are free, and this closes painful chapter Of
after effects of the insurrection of last year.
1t Is one year ago today that the last en-
gagement occurred in Manoa valley between
the government forces and WilcoX's party
of insurgents. The latter escaped by an OBJ
scure trail over the ridge into Nunanu val
ley, and scattered. Wilcox being captured in
hiding on the shore a week later. He is one
of the persons last released.
While the year just closed has been one of
severe experiences, with cholera following
the insurrection, 1t Is conspicuously true to-
day that public affairs are in a far more
prosperous and cheerful condition than they
nave been at any time since the overthrow
feeling of security, it being evident that
now there Is no farther thought Of conspi-
racy against the government The attempt
made by Underwood and Sheridan, now
awaiting trial, to enlist royalists here in
such conspiracy, fully confirmed the fact
already known that no one residing in these
ISLANDS entertained any thought Of farther
attempts In that direction. Now that all
the prisoners are set free. there is no far
ther painful grievance felt, and compare
lively good feeling prevails.
Business is quite prosperous. and most
people find employment all Of which favors
public quiet. There has never before been
so much building going on in this city. New
cottages and larger residences have been
going up in unwonted numbers in all di-
rections. A good number of business blocks
nave also been In progress of erection Our
chief industry, sugar, is unusually favored
by advance in prices, mainly due to Cuban
troubles, also to favorable growing sea-
son and large increase Of acreage. The
coming crop is estimated at 10000 tons, an
increase of nearly 20 per cent over that OF
last year. The entire value of our exports
for 1896 can hardly fall short of twelve mil
lions or nearly $115 apiece for every person
in these islands. This implies high degree
OF financial prosperity and that is favorable
to political quiet Men do not like to disturb
general business prosperity by conspiracie
and instructions. Our bitterest roya1ists
want no rows these days
RecOnciled Conspirators.
A very satisfactory thing attending the
late release Of political prisoners was the
very complete and seemingly hearty manner
In which these last eight, as we'll as the
former seven released on Thanksgiving day
have signified their reconciliation of senti-
ment with the government. All of them
each In his own way, wrote that thew thor
oughly saw and regretted their error in at
tempting to overthrow the republic, and that
they wished to give earnest and loyal sup
port to the government. This was a great
deal for some of! them to avow especially
for such man as the leading conspirator
Gulick, who had been an ardent partisan
or that side for many years, and had es-
pecially distinguished himself by the bitter
ness and violence of his lengthy statements
printed R1npnt'c r,,lf,
not wholly unscrupulous man, nor desti-
tute of pride of characterlor sense of honor
SO that 1t is improbable that he would have
abandoned his former attitude merely as q
pretenses 1t may be assumed that he and
his associates also. acted with a sincere cf;n-
yiction that the monarchy was deservedly
lost cause, and the republic was soundly
worthy of allegiance. 1t Is a genuine tri-
umph for the government to have secured
from Its late enemies such a testimony to
it's worth.
1t is certain that there has of late been
a great mitigation of the extreme bitter
ness felt so long by. leading royalists. 1t
: Is harder to say how the common natives
feel. Their ignorance and general inca
pacity render their sentiments Of little
weight in public estimation, and they are
naturally reserved in expressing their state
of mind to other than their own class.
There Is no doubt a great deal of sullen
conviction that the foreigner has got en-
tirely the better of them, and that there ia
something very wrong about 1t ALL The
country was theirs-the Hawaiians: now
the foreigner owns most of the property.
and runs the government exclusively. 1t
cannot be expected that the Hawaiians
should generally be content with such a
state of things, any more than Door Indian
Lo Is to see his ancestral domains in the
possession OF whites But. unlike the
was never so well off in worldly goods. or
SO comfortable in his way of living as he
is today. Although most of. them are poor
as compared with the whites, they live far
better and own far more property than the
lower classes of England or France As
compared with their condition of sixtv
years ago, they are all immensely opuIent
and luxurious in their habits,
Natives Resent the Change.
1t does not follow that this comparative
prosperity Of the common native prevents
more or less depth of resentment at the
quite considerable political effacement
which he feels. Really, he has all the yot-
Ing power he ever had, and more; but he
Is no longer represented by a native SOW
ereign, which he cares for vastly more
than to have an actual voice in the govern
ment. The Kanaka has no renub,;can
tastes or yearnings for civil equality. He
just wants the good, old-time native chief
taincy. Col. Blount was thoroughly accu-
rate in his diagnosis Of the Kanaka's politi-
cal disposition when he reported It 70 Mr.
Gresham (p. 19) as having mo aspiration
in it for the advancement of the right Of
the masses to participate in the control of
public affairs, but an eager, trustful de-
votion to the crown as an absolute mon
archy;" also as "blind devotion to erbi-
trary power vested in the crown worn bv
a person of native blood" The mystery is
how Mr.. Blount or Mr.. Cleveland should
have imagined it to be compatible with the
progress of American civilization in the
Pacific to remand 1t back under the govern
ment Of such Polynesian race. which II
had outgrown and sloughed off.
AS I have pointed out before, the deepest
element of antagonisrt1 to the republic is in
the numerous half-white population. who
largely share the superior capacity and
force Of the whites. but who lose the social
prestige which they had under a native
monarchy, as being foremost among the
Hawaiians. Nowi they are thrown at much
disadvantage into an unqualified competi-
ton with the whites, who do not look nnon
them quite as equals socially. This change
is deeply resented by this large class of
the community, who accordingly have been
the bitterest royalists With them gener-
ally sympathizes, every white man who
has children Of that ielass, whom he con-
ceives to- suffer by the change. Really thew
do not so suffeE BECAUSE that now the
half-white, being deprived of factitions
promotion, is obliged to depend upon char.
acter and cultivated ability for advance
ment, and is impelled to wholesome EFFORT