The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-09-12
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 70, 1899.
THE REAL NEED AT WASHINGTON


Hawaiian legislation seems likely to
be one of the important matters that
will engage the attention of Congress.
1t will probably be taken up early in the
session. We in Hawaii are vitality in
terested in it,
Hawaii in the United States, is a
subject that has received a good deal
of attention in the way of being some
thing novel, curious and interesting, but
not as a matter-of-fact, serious and
substantial subject. In other words ev
erybody in the United States has heard
and read something about Hawaii, and
has formed definite opinions about the
Islands, and yet real information about
them, what they are and the conditions
that exist, is not we'll disseminated. 1t
seems hard to believe that this is so,
yet there is abundant evidence to prove
it. Take the cartoons that appear in
the mainland papers as an illustration
Cartoonists as a rule are bright, we'll
informed, up-to-date men. They have
to be. In definite and exact informa-
ton on subjects of popular and public
Il
stand above the average. And
yet in all the cartoons that have
appeared since Hawaii was annexed,
there is scarcely one which shows a real
substantial knowledge of Hawaii as
she is, in the artist that produced it.
The conclusion to be be drawn from this
testimony is reinforced by other testi-
,,1npU hara who has rappiNad
many letters from strangers in the
states must have been struck by the
vague imperfect and erroneous notions
regarding Hawaii displayed by their
correspondents. In a thousand ways,
whoever will, can see that real Informal
ton concerning Hawaii has not been
thoroughly disseminated in the rest of
the United States.
Hawaii has suffered from two caus-
es. Writers who have come here have
too frequently found the bizarre and
unusual more interesting to their read
ers than the usual, customary, but more
commonplace, of real fact. Then there
is always a tendency in the human
mind to classify. Hawaii became a sub
ject of great public interest at about
the same time as Cuba, Porto Rico and
the Philippines. 1t had one character
istic in common with these-it was new
to public interest and it was distant.
The natural tendency was to classify it
with them, to think of it as similar to
them.
If this is true, and there is no doubt
of it, the need of having a representa-
tive or representatives at Washington
able to give exact, detailed and correct
information when Hawaiian legislation
is pending becomes all the more appar-
ent and important. For Congressman
are fairly representative OF their con-
stituents.
The primary and important purpose
to be served by such a representative
is to give information. If the real facts
about the Islands and the people and
things of the Islands can once be thor
oughly presented to the minds of Con-
gressmen We have nothing to fear from
what Congress will do. If we can be
thoroughly differentiated and dissociat-
ed from Cuba, Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines in the minds of the public and
OF congressman, ana IL can De made TO
appear what we really are, an Ameri-
can people in an American territory,
the deep seated sentiment in America
in favor of local government will
insure us the most liberal form of ter
ritorial government.
What we want then is a representa-
tive capable of giving this information
and impresslng it on congressman.
Individual opinions regarding this or
that detail of governmental machinery
will cut very little figure alongside of
the great fact that we are an American
community. That is the central fact
TO be presented. That is the fact upon
which we are all agreed There are no
parties or divisions on that question. We
stand as a unit on it, We are all
equally interested in it's forcible pre-
sentation.
1t is for that purpose that a repre-
sentative of Hawaii should be sent. And
because that is the purpose is the
strongest reason in the world why he
should be sent at the public expense,
that he may represent the public in a
matter on which the public is agreed