The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-12-30
AN IMPORTANT COMMISSION.

Hawaiian matters, which might
have been taken before Commits
sion appointed by the Provisional
Government. or by its successor,
the present Government.
For four year, the most absurd
rumors. malicious lies. and eXag
gerated statements have been III
active circulation here regarding
political and social matters. The
authors of them were and are,
very irresponsible people, and
have deliberately intended toI
make mischief. Correspondents
and tourists have been fed on this
stuff. Much injury has resulted.
Now if the Provisional Govern
ment had followed the British
= Government, in its appointments
{. of Royal Commissions to examine
important social and political
matters. or followed the American
Government in appointing Com
Missions to examine public mat
ters, and had appointed a Commits
sion of three men, representing
both sides of the political ques-
ton. and had given it the power
TO "send for persons and papers"
and examine people under oath,
we would have "a mass of direct,
carefully sifted-out evidence, OF
incalculable value now, and here
after. There are not barn doors
enough on the Islands to which it
could nail all the lies in active
use. The blatherskites who tell
Infamous yarns to tourists, would
become extremely modest before
q Commission We have seen the
working of many such Commits
sions. Their capacity for mail
inc" lies is simply marvellous. The
men who shout fraud 'out-
rage ..swindle," when brought
before such Il body and are
asked to tell what they do
know. at once show what they do
not know. Nor do they know any
one who does know anything on
the subject They are all dealing
i'm the cOunterfeited money OF So
cial life, rumOrS and not facts.
There are men and women here
who for many years have circul-
ated old standard lies about mis-
sionaries.' Put these people und-
er oath. and examine them on that
subject, and they would simply
stand dumb. Pull up some mis-.
siOnaries" before such Il Commits
sion. and ask them to give any
competent" evidence to sustain
the charges made, not against the
political. but the moral charac-
ter of the ex-Queen, and they
would remain dumb or venture tO
give testimony which any Court
would instantly strike out as ''ir
relevant and incompetent.
\ man under oath, with Il law
yer 'laying for him." on the cross
examination is rather careful
about what he says.
We are informed by one whose
life has been devoted to the ma
tives, and who knows them we'll
that the larger part of the natives
have been and are now, misled b.
the grossly malicious statements
of irresponsible whites, and ma
tives also. One of the usual state
mentS is that the natives have
beenrobbedof their lands by mis-
SiOnaries" and other white people
If lot of these slanderers, (anC
many of them are we'll KNOWN
were pulled up before a Commits
sion and asked to testify to wha
they knew about it, they woult
either back down, or try to tel
what they didn't know about it.
Full and exact evidence .takeI
before just and able Com
mission would furnish a most val
liable encyclopedia of material fol-
social and political history.
If annexation is delayed, sucl
a Commission should be appoint
ed at once by the Legislature. LIE
the native tell his story in his owl
words. Before he had finished anC