Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1899-06-09
luopyrignt. py RoBERr BoSSER,s soss.I
CHAPTER V.


tWCth eh-oO Meie mofe sudtplf uiHWu
than was the case anywhere else. The
intelligent classes embraced, besides
the Americans in the country, the
Caucasians in general, English, French
and German. The ignorance among
the natives, Chinese, Japanese and
their kind, was gross, and placed them
far below the whites, both mentally
and morally. The majority of the
intelligent people were Liberals, and
were opposed to Queen Liliuokalani,
while the majority Of the others were
Royalists. But there were some in
telligent supporters of the queen, and
not few native Liberals. Even this
was complication enough. But, con.
tinuing the division of parties, the
queens adherents were divided in the
Church Party and the Party of Ideas.
Do not mistake the use or application
of the word ''ideas" in reference to
the larger wing of the queens party.
They had ideas, it is true, but they
were not in the direction of advance.
ment or enlightenment. The name
"Party of Ideas" was one of the ideas,
aud emanated from the Inauguration
of queen. The Party Of Ideas was
simply the worst element of the lot,
and had for its motive the overturning
of the constitution and return to an
almost absolute monarchy, with the
simultaneous return to impure morals
and licensed wiekedness, which had
always accompanied that form Of gov.
ernment in the islands.
On the other hand, the Church
Party, while it strove to hedge the
queen round about with some sort of
dignity, and had long worked for the
uplifting of the natives from their CON
dition of moral turpitude, based their
support of the queen mainly. upon a
sort OF traditional fondness for the
pomp and trappings of royalty aud a
tpirit of gratitude for the freedom the
government had allowed the priests in
their work.
Now, as opposed to these two ele-
ments Of the Royalists were, as 1 have
said, the most intelligent of the resi-.
dents. The people who looked upon
the extravagances of the court, the
vaeillating, weak and degenerating
legislation produced by the existing
form of government, where the peo.
pie who had given to Hawaii its prom
inence as a country, who had invested
their wealth in the land, and who
maintained all there was to be main.
tanned Of the expenses of the state.
They were the men who paid the taxes
on lands, and who were always de-
pended upon to put forth their wealth
In tho furtherance of any project os.
tensibly for public Improvement. Yet,
according to the Royalist Party, not
only in Hawaii, but in the United
States and England, these men had
no rights which the crown was bound
to observe, nor even the right to dis
approve of the wretchedly wasting
policy of the queen and her cabinet.
But even this party was divided in
sentiment. One element, not a small
or insignificant one by any means, had
long been agitating the question OF
proposing annexation to the United
States. Their position was maintained
by sound arguments on the financial,
judicial and commercial benefits TO be
derived from the incorporating Of Ha-
waii into the United States, which
would eventually result in raising the
islands to the dignity of State or
collection of States, or at least to Ter
ritories. The benefits, as set forth by
the Annexationists, or left-wing of the
Liberals, were beautifully clear and
alluring, but there were elements and
conditions to be taken into considera-
tion that rendered the scheme mad
missable, or, at least, impracticable.
But the left-wing had able leaders,
and among them were Sandford Dole
and Mr.. S,eacamp.
On the other side Of the annexation
question were the members of the
right-wing Of the Liberal Party. The
demands of this organization were
clear, simple and succinct. They
wanted government for the people,
and of the people. They demanded a
constitution under which all industries
should be fostered, commerce encour.
aged and the wealth of the country in
creased. While, as a rule, Americans
are ardent In their love for their
mother country, they foresaw difficult
ties and evils in the plans of the left
wing which were insurmountable; and
in lien of annexation with the United
States, OF any other country, they de.
sired arepublican form of government,
able, strong and unwavering, which
would uphold the autonomy Of Hawaii
before the world and increase its i'm.
portance among nations. In short,
the main difference between the two
wings was that the left wanted to be o
small part of a great republic, while
the right wanted to be a republic by
themselves, with a policy under which
they might become great and stand
alone. Uncle Thomas was a stauncb
supporter Of the right wing.
The rule of the queen was at times
surprisingly lax and at others woefully
harsh. She was evidently a creature
of impulse, and was each day swayed
by her emotions and by the influence
of the INSCRIPTIONS men around her.
The leader of the left wing Of the
Liberals, Judge Dole, had frequent
tilts with his Royaiist enemies, and
they did all they could to injure him
and his friends. Iu fact. it had begun
to look as if the adherents of tna
queen, always deep in the mire of i'm
morality and evil practices, were 60
ing to drive the Americans from the
islands, if possible, by persecution.
The condition of things had been
getting worse gradually for years. The
situation had now become painfully
strained.
1t was we'll understood that the queen
was going to override the law and was
going to replace the existing constitu'
ton with one Of her own. More thar
this, she was about to make terms o.
license with huge lottery sshewei