The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-09-29
TO Be CONTINUED
Precedent Established by Steam
0r China Case.
MAY Be ORIENTAL LINES
Position Occupied by Ho.
nOlulu Citizens.
.s~rss3& 49,: & s. ls.ss;
Hawaiian Born Sons of Asiatics
Privileged Characters May
All be Flag Owners"

The decision by the Supreme Court
In the case of the register of the steam
| ship China is farther reaching than
was first thought, and for the time be-
ing sets at rest the mooted question of
citizenship among a large number of
residents. A prominent lawyer, in
speaking of the case, said yesterday:
The color-line in the matter of citi-
zenship is swept away and the
Hawaiian born son of Chinese
or japanese parents can shake
hands with the Anglo-Saxon. whose
parents happened to come here before
he was born, and say: Brother. you
are one of us-shake.'
Under the decision, all persons
born of foreign parents become citizens
of the Republic. Children of Japanese
Chinese and Portuguese are citizens,
though their parents are not, thus
placing many of our citizens in the
unique position occupied by Mr.. Mac
farlane. According to this decision,
they are citizens, but cannot hold Of
flee or exercise the right of franchise.
and they are exempt from call by the
Government for either jury duty or
military service, their only privilege,
apparently, being the right to hold the
registry of vessels owned by foreign
ers.
THE question at once suggests itself: |
Will not many of those, born of for |
eign parents, Chinese or japanese, at |
once realize their rights as such citi-
zens, and will not the Government of
Hawaii be confronted with the inf1u-
ence this class of citizens may have in
the politics of the country? For upon
taking the required oath, a formal
ceremony which Colonel Macfarlane
denied on the stand having gone
to vote, but to sit in the Legislature
and hold official position Under a
Constitution built upon lines to suit
certain conditions, the AngIo-Saxon
must face facts which are, to say the
east, alarming The American ship
ping interests and those of the Islands
ire jeopardized to a considerable ex-
ent, and it may be a question of only
few weeks or a few months when the
larbor will be dotted with vessels,
owned by foreigners, whose captains {
ire lined up in the Custom House wait
ng for Hawaiian registers It may be I
hat we will have a new inter-
sland fleet, with Hawaiian born Jap {
inese or Chinese as flag owners, and
llong the water front will be steamers
lying the flag of the Nippon Company,
he Quong Hip Low Company, or a
lalf-doZen others.
The Supreme Court has been, no !
loubt, aided in the case by decisions
# the United States Federal Courts, as
Article II of the Hawaiian Constitu-
ion is identical with the 14th amend
nent of the Constitution of the United I
states, and the decision of the United !
states Circuit Court, in which but one {
Judge sits, is considered to be ample
for the position now taken, I
in several cases before the 7
ull bench of the Supreme Court of
he United States the contra opinion
las been expressed 1t will be inter-
sting to see what effect this will have
Ipon coming legislation before the
Tnited States Congress in the event of E
nneXatiOn or what view the United [
tates Supreme Court will take in case :
he question is submitted to that body. =
1T will be remembered that some /
ime ago a Japanese resident of Homo T
Ilu applied to the Executive for letters .
f denization, in order that he may
ecome the register owner of vessels
Intended for the inter-island traffic.
lis request was promptly denied, but 0