The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-06

selves. 1t is not our internal affairs
that trouble us. 1t is our external af-
fairs. lnwardly we can manage, and,
in fact, have for four years conducted
our home affairs with perfect ease. 1t
is the foreign aggression that we fear.
To show how well and ably the Re-
publican Government can meet inter-
nal trouble there is only need to look
at the uprising of 1895. This was
carefully planned effort, well support
ed financially, and with ample arms,
and it sunk into the weakest outbreak
against a Government on record. True,
| it cost the nation $97, 7S2.56 to put it
down, but it was put down neverthe-
less. On the top of this came the
cholera epidemic, and that cost
100000, but the cholera plague was
stayed. 1t was confined within the
narrow limits of the district of Homo
=. lulu and at far more sacrifice than the
mere money cost reported, for it
meant four or five times that amount
in loss of trade, it was absolutely
stamped out. These expenditures did
not ruin the country by any means; it
is more prosperous today than it ever
was. One reason of its present pros
/ perity is that it is not hampered with
the expense of Royalty and Royalty's
/ hangers-on. 1t is run economically
and carefully.
Ruling the Islands. with a strong
/ government and the proper public
opinion which we have, is really a
comparatively easy task. We have no
such frightful crimes as reported from
the various States of America. Murder
among our people is rare. Indeed, one
may say it is unknown. Homicide does
occur, but the cool, calculating muir
derer is happily a creature belonging
to other climes. Even homicide is rare.
Laying aside murder and homicide,
the other great crime, viz: rape, is
practically unknown. There have been
within the last twenty-five years per-
haps a dozen cases on this charge
]
substantiated. The fact is that there
are few communities in which mans
! life and woman's personal honor are
more safe than they are in the Ha-
waiian Islands.
The latest report at hand from the
Chief Justice shows that in the per-
iod 1894 and 1895, there were in all
S,57S convictions for various crimes,
which gives about 1920 year, out of
population of 100000, or sos of the
population. But going into these fig
ures further it will be found that 2,35s
were convictions for gambling, $40
were for importing, selling or having
possession of opium and 1850 for drunk
enness. Offences against the law, but
none of which can be regarded as
crimes. This reduces the number of
convictions to 3,7O0--but even then the
story is not told. The remainder of
the otfenses are chiefly for deserving
contract service, needless driving, I'M
lawful liquor selling and such light
cases. Assaults and atfrays amount to
but $50 out of the S,51S.
There is no country on earth where
the people can go to. bed as we do,
leave our windows and doors wide
open and find not a thing stolen in the
morning. OF course there is little
petty thieving, but it is not much, and
it generally comes from the imported
article, not from the aborignee.
Were the men who are thinking of
the future to consider only their own
advantage, the annexation movement
would not be IA Government scheme. If
merely personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and
personal power were desired, they
would be quite capable of carrying on
that. It is not the management of Ha-
wall that its present rulers consider, it
is the future of Hawaii that they look
to. Our statesmen are far seeing and
look beyond the narrow horizon of the
present.
The men we have at the head of our
Governmental affairs are, fortunately
above the mere catch penny desire of
power. They are there for purpose
However well Hawaii itself may be
ruled, however prosperous it may be-
come, unless it is an integral portion
of some greater power, it may be
snapped up any day. The power of the
Government of Hawaii to keep in
ternal order is undoubted. The power
of Hawaii to meet foreign aggression
is nil. A small gunboat of an Asiatic
state might force a capitulation at any
time. Do the United States wish for
such q capitulatiOn?