The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-09-14
INFORMING THE AMERICANS.


forming the American mind about
our affairs, that these papers have
a considerable circulation in the
States and that American readers
Consult them with avidity." We
are quite willing that the truth
about it should be known, and if
we misstate the facts, are ready to
publish the foreign subscription lists
of our papers. OF the seven thou
sand papers, published in the
States, we do not believe that one
hundred of them exchange with
our local papers. Taking the Ad-
vertiser (the Oldest paper published
here as an example, we do not be
lieve that the exchange list reaches
fifty. The leading" papers do
not care to exchange. The Asso-
ciated Press supplies them with
what they desire. Not leading
paper in New York, Boston, Chi
cago is. so far as we know, on the
exchange list. We are subject to
correction, of course. Important
as these Islands are to the United
States, their leading papers prefer
to get their information through
their own correspondents, or
through the News agencies. These
furnish any exciting news, but
little of a sober character, which
will not be looked at by the gen
eral reader.
Aside from the newspaper ex-
change there is hardly a reading
room, connected with the public
libraries, in the States, that is fur
nished with copies of our local pa
pers. We saw last year stray
copy of the Independent in the
reading room of the San Diego
public library. 1t was the only
representative of Island literature.
Owing to the general discussion of
the Hawaiian question, we asked
In several places, why our local pa
pers were not taken. The replies
we need not quote at present. The
private subscriptions to our local
papers are usually made by old re-
sidents, who are interested in the
gossip. One American writer of |
note, who is quite familiar with |
our social and political condition
observed recently, that ''the Island |
papers were worthless, so far as
they were regarded as sources of |
accurate social, racial, information,
or of the workings of the political
problems here"
Therefore, it must be said, that
our local Press has no voice, which
reaches the fourteen million of
American voters, or the seventy
millions of people. The late Henry
n. Castle proposed shortly before
his death, the selection by the
Government of any one of the
journals here, and the constant,
steady, gratuitous circulation
among American newspapers and
library reading rooms, of ten thou
sand copies of it, until the annex
alton question was disposed of.
The scheme was not adopted.
Ever since the Commissioners
reached Washington in '93, and
negotiated the first treaty of an
nexation, there has been a demand
in America for a reliable history of
Hawaii, in cheap or paper bind
ing. Prof. Alexander's most reli-
able history was In limited or no
circulation, but no effort was made
to put it before the public. If it
had been remodelled to some eX-
tent, and printed in paper form
and sold at the price of % cents
per copy, it would have reached,
in the opinion of one large book
selling concern, sale of 100000
copies, perhaps more. 1t would
have at once taken its place on the