The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-05-06
HALF MEASURES.

II must be comforting Tor the MEM
bers of the Cabinet to have power to
appeal to when awkward questions are
asked. A firm in this city asked per-
mission to land Chinese in quarantine,
and then to forward them to Samoa.
But with such a matter the Cabinet
has nothing to do now, the matter is
referred to Washington, our national
capital, and the Government upon GER
tain stated grounds, refuses permits
sion at this juncture. The answer is
final There can be no pulling of wires
10 make a change, there is no use writ
ing trades to the newspapers. The
thing is done, and even If no reason
had been given it would have been
gust the same There is a vast deal of
difference between the official acts of
a strong government, and the official
acts of a weak one.
1t will be the same thing with our
labor question. When Congress is
ready it will act in the matter and
what ever it's decision there will be no
earthly good attempting to alter it.
Before legislation is passed our efforts
may have some influence upon the gen.
eral issues. When it is passed we shall
have no influence. This is a thing we
should have we'll in our minds. 1t is a
lesson we must learn, and we must un-
learn our former methods.
We have been accustomed in the
past to let things take their course, and
when necessity arose to bring about
what was desired, through pressure
brought upon the Cabinet and the
Sovereign. 1t was thus managed
through the reign of Kalakaua. But
this is entirely changed, once course
is decided upon there is no power in
the Hawaiian Islands that can make
it change its course.
The Treasury Department has de-
cided that the Newland's resolution
does not give it power to interfere with
our existing labor laws, and conse-
quently we are left to our own devices
in the matter. We can do what we
please about it, the Treasury will not
interfere. But as soon as it's course is
laid down for it. it will interfere, and
it will be inmaterial whether we are
prepared for the interference or not.
1t is no cry of wolf that one desires
to raise, but it is patent results which
must come, as surely as the sun rises
in the East and sets in the West. We
have time given us for preparation,
and it depends upon ourselves whether
we make use of this time or whether
we simply play the grasshopper during
our short summer and find ourselves
shivering out of doors when our win
ter comes.
The Star has maintained all along
that what ever move is made towards
getting a different class of labor
should come from the planters them
selves The days of paternal govern
ment and of looking for aid to a cabi-
net are passed. a Republic helps them
that helps themselves, and if we want
help, it is ourselves that must give it,
The Cabinet has taken a half measure
and has granted permission to the
planters to bring in one-half the
amount of Asiatic labor that has been
asked for. The desire of the Cabinet is
manifestly to try and force the plant
ers into getting some other kind of
labor, which is not Asiatic. The effort
is laudable, but it will call forth any
amount of criticism, and arouse in
tense antagOnlsm in others.
The strongest move of the Cabinet
would have been to have had nothing
to do with the importation of Asiatic
labor or to have boldly gone in and
put in no restriction. AS the question
now stands it is entirely different from
the case of putting Cinnamon into
quarantine, en- route to Samoa. The
Treasury has washed it's hands of the
matter for the present and the Cabi-
net stands on it's own bottom, and it
a much less stable foundation than
that of the Treasury at Washington. 1t
will be very interesting to see how the
present program will be carried out