The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-11-16
REPUBLICAN IDEAS.

Talking with Belgian gentleman
yesterday of the tone of political
thought in his country, he informed
The Star that he considers there is
very little chance of the heir to the
present King of the Belgians ever as.
cending the throne. The Republican
spirit is rife throughout the country
and it is only certain attachment
to the old King, who. after all. is a
very disreputable old king, that pre-
vents active measures being taken.
But his death will be the signal for
active measures among the liberal and
anti-clerical party.
There is in fact, outside of England,
no. safe throne in Europe, and the
safety of the English throne only lies
in the liberal institutions of the coun-
try which have made the Monarchy II
practical Republic. All the glitter Of
palace pomp, all the paraphernalia of
military display only cover sullen
discomfort, which may at any time be-
come active.
And is it any wonder that it should
be so? AS education advances among
the mass of the people; as they be-
come acquainted with the inherent
rights of mankind, as they inform
themselves of the facts of history, the
utter inconsistency of the hereditary
rights of rulers become patent. Be
cause one man has ruled, why should
his rights" descend to his son on to
his daughter, or to his niece or to his
nephew? No man, or no woman, has
any such rights" They may have a
legal standing, as they do in the mon
arches of Europe, but the people it
self is higher than any law, and can
sweep away such legality and pro-
claim as it has done in the past, and
will do many times in the future, the
inalienable equality of mankind.
We would see the absurdity in the
United States of the son of a Presi
dent following his father, and yet
there are people in the United States
who do not see the absurdity of he
reditary rule elsewhere.
But to those who love liberty for it
self, who understand the principles o
government, and who consider wha
the main purposes of government arr
for. the very idea of Monarchy is re
pugnant. AS individuals they have tt
acquiesce in it. because its force is to-
great for the individual to overcome
but though they acquiesce they nom
the less strive even by ever so little
which they know must come, if no
in their life time, at least in thei
children's. This is the true heredity
the heredity of liberty, for which W,
may sometimes wait, but which is tn,
birthright of all mankind, and whicl
mankind will reach, but not withou
much labor and travail.
Now people that has once got rit
of the ills OF monarchy should neve
return to it. To do so is but to hav
expelled one devil, and then to hav,
the place swept and garnished for sew
en- other devils worse than the first t,
come in. There are always the veal
kneed and the fearful, who, when pu
to think for themselves, wish them
selves back in their old prison. Th
first generation of emancipated serf
in Russia contained thousands of such
and plebicite among them at Ger
tain time would have sent the whole
body back to serfdom. But it is yer.
different now. The old and the fear
full have gone to their rest and the Wig
orous remain. Serfdom is now impos
sible in Russia. Monarchy is impos
sible in the Hawaiian Islands what
ever our circumstances may be.