West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-03-26
ABSOLUTELY PURE

] i.
set apart for the common people.
and ihese hnds. tho email in
acreage. composed nearly all the
very best sol OH the island. They
were the taro atches and rice
! fields, some Of which are to-day
worth five hundred dollars per
acre, while there are vast tracts OF
lava-strewn mountain land not
worth one dollar for five hundred
acres.
Among the many American emf
grants to the islands were sbrewd
business men, who procured long
leases on sugar lands and bought
large tracts from the king. British
influence was brought TO bear upon
King Kalakua. He was told to be
"a real king and to have great
army and navy" Public improve
nents were neglected, roads became
almost impossible, while the king
secured large loan from England =,
and squaudered vast sums of the
revenue in loans and on Hula
dancing girls.
Kalakua was not a bad man. lie
was weak, vain man, and easily
influenced by bad surroundings
He was constantly in need Of
money, tho his annuity was greater
than the salary Of the President Of
the United States. lie found him
self hampered by the constitutin.
which limited his power, and de-
clared his intention of giving the
people another constitution which
was IN reality return to absolute
monarchy.
Great excitement prevailed, and
a revolution was threatened by the
reople whose liberties were endan-
gered, until, bowling to the popular
will, Kslakua permitted the eonsti-
tuition TO stand.
1t is said that at this time the
kings sister, Princess Liliuokalani,
was in England. guest of Queen
Victoria, studying royal life. She
was very indignant at her brother
yielding to the wishes Of the Ameri-
can Hawaiians, and on her return
to Honolulu revolution was pre-
cipitRted by some of her friends to
depose the king and place her on
the throne. The American settlers
on the islands went to the rescue
of the king, and the rebellion was
put down.
King Kalakua died January 20,
1891, and was succeeded by his
sister, Liliuokalani, as queen. The
queen was thoroughly English in
education and sympathy. From
the first she displayed intense ha-
tired for the American missionaries.
Left alone she might have made an
excellent monarch. for those who
know her say she possesses many
good qualities even her political
enemies deny the ISLANDERS against
her personal character. But the
queen was i'll advised. Her race
prejudices were reused by interested
persons. The American missionary
was held up in the light of a moral
pirate, who had left his conscience
at Cape Horn, and came to rob and
plumber the natives as the Spanish
had done in America, and all under
the guise of religion.
Ia various ways she kept her sub
jects alarmed by threats to deprive
them Of their constitutional liber.
ties. Tho her salary and income
from crown lands exceeded the
salary Of the President of he United
States by nearly twenty thouand
dollars, she was not satisfied. She
was advised to be queen in splen
dor as we'll as name. A crowd os
evil designing friends were con
stantly about her advising her to do
what they should have known
would be her ruin. There we're
nearly two thousand Americans and
over one thousand Germans. as
we'll as many English, so this time
living on tho islands, who did not
believe in the divine rights Of kings.
Many Of these had, by thrift and
honest toll, accumulated property
amounting 30 millions. with them
IL was business proposition.
Should they. in order To maintain a
tradition born in The dark DAYS OF
barbarism. and Graded in igno.
rance and superstition, Weld %
the hard earnings OF their lie
times
Among the other schemcrs to re-
plenish the depleted treasury II The
I queen was what is known az the
lottery The originator of this was
Mr. Thomas j.. Evans. whose wife
was % mold Of honor 20 the queen
and who had held some Offices an
der The kings.
After The Louisiana Lottery had
been driven out OF the United
states its hackers and supporters
began 70 look about for some place
convenient TO America where the
+ gigantic swindlo might be resus-
citsted. The Hawaiian Islands
we're regarded as the most con
vooient place. Mr. Evans went On
Chicago, where DE met The capital.
ists wiling TO engage in the enter