The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-04
A GLANCE BACK.

anu WdlCuSu luS SlOWlu Vi tue
country, taken part in its vicissi-
tudes and watched its successes.
On Monday, September 6, the writer
will hase completed twenty weight
years of continuous residence here,
SO that he may be considered as
having had opportunity to know
what things were then and what
they are now.
In 1869 Honolulu was a little
one-horse town, built almost entirely
of wood, there being only one or
two brick structures and a few
adobe buildings. The streets were
vertically moss grown. There were
no public conveyances, only few
carts and very few private
carriages. You had either to ride
horseback or go-a-foot. Standing
yesterday at McInerny's corner one
recalled the little wooden building
which once occupied the place. In
stead of the handsome sweep of
business blocks which one can now
see from there, there were simply
few tuinble-down wooden stores,
carrying very small assortment of
goods. There was no hotel. The
Government offices were in the
adobe building opposite the fire
tower and now used as a carriage
shop. All the business done in a
month might have been done in
day now. One steamer a month
called here, and used to lie in har-
bor eight or ten days to give people
time to write their letters.
But if Honolulu was so behind
hand, the country districts were
away in the rear. Hamakua, on
Hawaii, was a wilderness through
which you might ride without meet
ing a single wayfarer. Hilo, now
busting, busy town, was a sleepy
village. The road to the Volcano
was bride path. Kohala had
single sugar plantation. Kau was
at that time was mere waste, with
village.or two skirting he shore,
and trade in pulu. Maui was
more advanced than Hawaii. but
the plantations were few, and de-
cidedly struggling. On Kauai there
was plantation at Lihue, a strug-
Cling effort at Hanalei and another
at Koloa. The rest of the Island
was devoted to cattle. And so little
demand was there in those days
that the cattle owners used to boil
them down for tallow. There had
been quite demand in the flush
whaling times, but that had gone,
and with the loss of the whaling
fleet early in the seventies, it was
snuffed out altogether and with it
the little driblet of prosperity that
kept the place alive. Communica-
ton between the Islands was by
schooner, there had been steamer,
but she was laid up in 1869. 1t was
both in Honolulu and throughout
the Islands very dead and alive
place.
And then came the Reciprocity
Treaty of 1876 and with it came
prosperity undreamed of in the early
days. Gradually the wild wastes
of Hawaii, of Maui, of Oahu and
Kauai, places that had harbored
only the wild duck, the water hen
or the plover, were reused by the
hum of industry. AS the country
districts prospered, SO did the capt.
tai city increase, till we have the
Honolulu Of today, thoroughly
up-to date city; till we have
steamers running to every port on
the Islands; till prosperity has its
home in every part of the Islands.
1t is true we have built that pros
perity with Asiatic labor, but it was
because we had no other means to
do it with. But there has been
honest effort to improve in this
direction. The presence of $1,000
Portuguese in the place, steady,
industrious workers, people advanc-
ing rapidly in the social scale, is
due to the planters. They have ex-
perimented with Norwegians, with
Germans, and even with Austria
llans, the latter proving an utter
failure. ..s....
1t is true that we have put our
capital into sugar, but it was no
Government and certainly it was
not Mr. Damon who forced capital
lists to invest. II was in the natural
curse of events that they should.
AS the Islands have filled up other
Ell erprises have been entered upon.
The coffee industry has attracted
many and it bids fair 10 rival sugar
as a staple. Fruit growing has
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