The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-08-24
POLITICAL POWER.

1t is amusing, II 1t were not SAD,
to see illusions to the political past
of the Hawaiian. Ii one looks back
to the time of the Kamehamehas,
who did the ruling? 1t was the
white man, not the Hawaiian. A
veil was thrown over the matter,
and there might be nominal Ha-
waiian head in public office; but,
if that were so, there was very
capable second in command who
did the work. Take even the reign
of Kalakaua, the minister of finance
was a very favorite one to bestow
on the Hawaiian member of the
Cabinet, and was at various times
filled by Mohoeonua, Nahaolelua,
John Kapena, and so forth-durlng
the period Of kaleidoscope minis
tries but the real Minister of Fl
nance of those days was the Regis
trar of Public Accounts-such men
as J. o. Carter, Godfrey Brown
and Frank Pratt.
The great political past of Hawaii
does not exist, except as SEM
blance and a sham. The political
destinies of the Hawaiians have
ever been shaped by white men,
chiefly Anglo-Saxons. The very
party that the present noisy k1ot
of royalists abuse, viz, the mis-
sionary party, was the one which
toiled, and worked and hoped that
the semblance might become re-
ality, which was ever striving to
give political credit to the Hawai-
ian. Its hope was to found a state
which might stand on its own legs
but its hope was never, and, under
the circumstances, could never be
realized. The real government OF
the country has ever been in the
hands of the foreigners.
If the foreigners here had been Of
a different stripe from what they
were-if they had not been the
hated missionaries" and those
affiliated with them-Hawaiian rule
would have disappeared long before
the last decade of the nineteenth
century, 1t was the peculiar cir
cumstances under which civilization
came to these islands that main
tanned the Hawaiian in his place Of
apparent self-governments so long.
Imagine for an instant that, after
Lord George Paulet had hoisted
the British flag over the islands,
Admiral Thomas had not restored
it. What would be the condition
of the Hawaiian now? We have
only to look at the position of abo-
riginal tribes under British rule to
learn. The New Zealander is every
whit as capable of as the Hawaiian.
He possesses some sterling quail
ties which the Hawaiian has not
displayed in any marked degree.
But what is he in New Zealand-a
nonentity, a race apart; race not
counted in the general population
of the country. He is not i'll
treated certain rights and privil-
eyes are conceded to him-but he
is not considered the white colonist
practically ignores his existence.
The same process is going on in
Fiji. The same process would have
gone on here.
But the men who have helped
the Hawaiian in the past help him
even up to the present time.
Though they have done his ruling
for him, they appreciate his quail
ties and, arrived at the political
cross roads, what do they offer ?
Do they ignore the Hawaiian By
no means. They have asked for
annexation to the United States,
and they ask, at the same time,
that the Hawaiian shall enjoy the
same rights. and the same inmuni-
ties that any American citizen pos
sesses. 1t is changing a brass
farthing for a golden guinea.
The true friend of the Hawaiian
is the annexationist. His secret
foe is the anti-annexationist. With
annexation, the Hawaiian becomes
an integral portion of great power
Without annexation, the Hawaiian
will enjoy no political picnic; he
will become the prey of politica
adventures of a very differen
stripe from those who have hac
kindly relations with him in tn,
past. The failure of annexation
would ring the death-knell of The