The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-10-08
A FEW TRUTHS.

prejudice and who delight to put
the Hawaiian on level with the
negro, have few stock stories up
On which they ring the changes.
One of the favorite stories is that
some one went into a bar and was
not served, because he had Hawaii
an blood. The story is fact. A
young Hawaiian, who had been
brought up in the United States
and who had always enjoyed the
freedom and immunities of that
county, returned to his home. He
foregathered with his friends and in
the course of the day they went
into one of the principal bars Of
this city. That young man was
refused service, though his white
companions could drink as much as
they pleased. The story the royal
lists tell is correct, but it is not
geographically correct for the color
line in question was drawn in the
city of Honolulu in the time of the
monarchy. The young man resent
ed what he considered an indignity,
and returned to the United States
as soon as he could, where no color
line was drawn.
Another stock story is that in a
certain State young man of Ha-
waiian blood could not obtain a
license to marry a white lady. This
also was true. There is not a
country in the world where there
are not all kinds of ridiculous laws,
and especially are there laws in
Vulnerable about marriage. If one
is in England one cannot marry
ones deceased wife's sister, if one
is in any of the British colonies,
one can. In Germany one can
marry within certain relations Ct
consanguinity which in England
one would find precluded all
thought of marriage. And the
difficulty is to get such laws repeal
ed. Common sense is against them,
the general usage of mankind is
against them, but some of the
pestilent old fossils will stick 10
them, and so they remain on the
statute book. In England there is
at present no breaking the law
mentioned.
But what is not told in the story
is this, that had time allowed the
young man could have fought his
rights in the courts and would un.
doubtedly have won his case, fol-
the law in question is unconstitu-
tional Time was pressing, he had
only to take quarter of an hours
ride by train to where no such
unconstitutional law existed, and
where he could be married, so he
did not assert his rights in order to
save himself trouble. But the
beauty of the Constitution of the
United States is that though a Sc,
of fanatics may come together and
make a set of ridiculous laws, OF
one ridiculous law, there is always
an appeal to higher power, which
can prevent such an act from being
carried ont. The Constitution o.
the United States grants freedom
to every citizen of the United
States, no matter of what race or
color, or religion, or station in
society, and to establish that prin-
ciple the best blood of the nation
has been poured out freely and
ungrudgingly, and would be SC
poured out again.
The utter absur,!ity of the non.
sense the royalists try to put before
their deluded followers is evinced
by this. A young Hawaiian, dis
cussing the color line, said if the
color line ever effected him here, as
it did once, | should at once go to
the United S ates, where l know
1 can obtain my rights and line as
a man should. If these Islands
become part of tue United States
there will be no need to go very far
the laws and freedom Of the United
States will be here, never to depart
and ever ready to protest every
man, woman, or child who locks tc
them for redress.
What mans social position may
be under the Government of The
United States depends entirely up
on himself. The Hawaiian will
ris. to such position as he indivi
dually is fitted for. He will MOI
get office because lie is Hawaiian
he will not be kept from Office be
cause he is Hawaiian, but he vii
get them because he is man whom
his fellow citizens respect and have
trust in. He will not rise to higl
honors because lis father hao