The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-30

has signally in the past delivered the
Islands from complications with the
Russians. the English. the French and
the California filibusters. and has res
cued them as a bright star in the gal
axy OF the American flag
HAWAIIAN ANNEXATION JUSTI-
FLED.
To a proper understanding OF the
Hawaiian matter. il is necessary TO re-
view briefly the conditions antecedent
TO. and involved in, the Revolution OF
1893.
The Hawaiian people are even now
only three or four generations re-
moved from state of heatheniSm. In
\. ID. 1900 there We're no laws except
the despotic will of the chief. There
was no written language. The COM
mon people had no rights that their
superiors We're bound to- respect. The
people were in abject subjugation. IL
is not strange that in so short time
they are not fully qualified TO under
stand and intelligently act upon broad
economic and political questions. They
are but children yet in the intricacieS
of political science.
The American missionaries arrived
at Hawaii a. ID. 1920. They brought
the Bible and the schoolhouse. those
potent agencies in promoting civil and
religious liberty. They found a people
just being delivered from the worst OF
tyrannous, superStitious syStems--that
of the Tabu. The idols had been
burned. and the people were without
knowledge of better God than those
their hands had made.
For half a century the faithful ser
wants of the gospel labored to intro
duce new ideas of the Almighty: a
reverence for Gods holy Word and the
sacredness OF home; "A conception of
the need OF education. of the necessity
of established law and order, OF
State and a Constitutional Govern
ment
This was in measure accomplished
and for years the nation gradually ad-
vanced in intelligence and Christian
ity. so that today. judged by the read
ing and writing test. there is less i'll
literacy in the Hawaiian Islands than
in the United States. But that is only
a part of what makes a nation. In
accordance with their fight and
knowledge. the people were Christian
lied as some portions of our own
favored land are said to be Christian
lied; not possessing the highest edu-
cation of the most perfect Christianity,
but growing towards IL.
The fathers have passed away. Most
of them spent their lives among the
people they had labored most unself-
ishly TO save and elevate. The sons
have inherited many OF the character
istics OF their parents. and are today
the foremost benefactors OF the Ha-
waiian people. far more so than the
Hawaiians are themselves. These sons
of the missionaries are the founders
of schools. builders of churches, insti-
tutors of kindergarten work-in fact.
the prime founders of almost all that
is still being done for the upbuilding
of the people, and they are doing nobl-
er work in trying to save the rem
nant" from themselves and their bad
advisers.
The Revolution of 1898 was not any
sudden uprising. nor was it due to any
improper utilization OF the L. >. rep
resentativeS. II was 4 elimination OF
political forces that had been becom-
ing more and more aggravated by the
natural antagonism of the desires of a
ruler for autocratic power against the
instincts OF those who knew what con-
stitutional limitations were, and dared
to maintain them. King KalakaUa
tried every vicious scheme to induce
a conflict of races. and started the cry
Hawaii for the Hawaiians," He
sought to SOW seeds OF diseord that he
might secure to himself more power
like the rulers OF the Oriental coun-
tries that he had visited. His admin
istration was utterly selfish. degrading
and retrogression towards heather
| ism.
| His sister, Liliuokalani, came to the
| throne by the death Of her brother
| having been named by him as the he'll
apparent. Much was hoped OF her from
! her early education. She had great
| advantages. and her early life gave
much promise. But on her accession
| to queenly power she seemed, TO hei
best friends, to have become another
person, showing determined viii u
rule in accordance with her own ideas
! 4 constant clash. for two years, be
tween the forces that would limit the
| government to constitutional channel:
and the power that sought for supremi
| control, brought the climax.
The people had had some five polit
ical revolutions within six years, ant
now when the Queen, by her influence
caused the Louisiana Lottery Bill ans
the Opium Bill to be passed. and thel
endeavored 70 abrogate the constitu
| ton she had sworn TO sustain, and q
establish by her royal edict anothe
one which greatly abridged the right
J that had for many years been en-
joyed, the elimination was reached
The people of intelligence. OF all IA
| tionalities. rose in their combine.
might. and said: Royalty has faiie'
from its inherent defects and its sub
version OF the peoples rights BY tn
voice of the best representative mel
of the Islands. monarchy died and tn
republic was born.
4 Z.