The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-09-13
THE BEST EVIDENCE.

that even the intelligent people OF
New England were remarkably
ignorant about the facts which
underlie our social and political
life. The same comment is made
throughout the States. The SEN
sational news sent out by the As
ISOLATED Press, concerning Us is
read, just as the news from Cuba
is read, and then is forgotten. The
average man one meets, and even
many of the most intelligent, sum
up our case as one involving the
deposition of a Queen, the pos
session of a beautiful climate,
the scene of missionary labors, and
a spot which Great Britain covets
The most intelligent men ask, ''do
you have a newspaper in Honolulu!
have YOU any school system. An
American Senator asks, are the
Judges all natives7l How are we
educating the seventy millions of
people, or the fourteen millions of
voters, who have, finally, some
thing to say, about our affairs?
The testimony given before the
Senate committee in 1898, of
which Senator Morgan was chair
man, is valuable beyond question,
so far as it goes. But it is regarded
as a partisan document by many.
But we have here the most valu-
able material for the legislator, the
student, and the statesman, in ar
irving at an estimate of our condi-
tons, which is entirely neglected.
1t lies in the biennial government
reports. These reports are not an
nexation documents, but the cold,
detailed accounts, officially made,
of the working of our administra
tive system. They give the detail
ed history of our current civiliza-
ton. They photograph in fact our
methods which are equal to, and
In some cases, quite superior to the
methods in many of the States.
They give an account, for internal
use only, of bridge building and
road making, of the markets, of |
public buildings and their cost and
purpose, of the system of public
works, of the water supply, of dock
building, of wharfs, of agriculture
and forestry, of the methods of
registry and conveyance, of light
houses, and dredging. They pre-
sent In fine detail the cost of our
educational system, which is supe
rior to that of many States; how
the administration of criminals is
carried on; the nature and number
of our courts; the administration of
the Health department, its modern
methods and successful control of
leprosy; the prevention of conta-
gious disease, and the supplying of
the natives with medical treatment;
the details of the excellent Finan-
cial system, its complete book
keeping its thorough analysis of
the government income and outgo;
the detail of the Post Office man
agement; the surprising success
of the Postal Savings Bank, which
is in advance of American practice.
In these reports lie the ''uncooked
testimony" as the lawyers say, of
what has been done here; that {
which would surprise Mr.. Shurz,
if he read them. And it was only
one of these stray reports, received I
by an editor of Philadelphia pa
per, one of the best read men ON
our affairs, last year who said, lit
gave me for the first time a correct
idea of what the conditions of the
Islands actually are"
We are not discussing now the
reasons why the Anglo-Saxon has
erected this marvellous though
small scaffolding of civilization
mere, and then inadvertently, or
1egligently allowed it to get into
uch imminent peril of being wash
ID away by alien floods, that