The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-06-28
CITIzENSIP.

up very strongly Wltmn tne last rev
days. BY a ruling of the Legislature
during the eighties that is under the
monarchy, no person could fill govern
ment office who was not an Hawaiian
citizen, or had letters of denization. In
consequence of this ruling nearly all the
officials of that day took out their nat
llralization papers. The number who
sought denizenship was small Indeed
1t was far easier to get naturalization
papers than it was to get letters OF
flenization, which latter were granted
arbitrarily, while having filled the re-
Quisite term of residence naturalization
papers could be demanded. The conse-
quence of this was that nearly all the
officials under the monarchy were nat
uralized Hawaiian citizens, and as
such became citizens of the United
States on June IA, 1900.
Under the Republic there were only
two cases of naturalization, though a
great many might have qualified
through their special rights. Special
rights of citizenship were granted to
''any person, not an Hawaiian citizen,
who took active part, or otherwise rem
dered substantial service in the forma-
ton of the Provisional Govern
nent. TO obtain these special rights
man had to make application to the
Minister of Interior within six months
of the PRONUNCIATION of the Constitution,
and had to take an oath to support the
Constitution and laws of the Republic,
and he did not prejudice his native citi-
zenship or allegiance.
A large number of men took out their
Especial rights" and there stopped.
They did not consider the future. 1t
was very certain that when the Islands
were annexed that actual Hawaiian
citizens would, ipso facto, become Am
erican citizens, and they have. But it
was by no means so certain that "spe-
cial rights" of citizenship which did not
prejudice a mans native citizenship
or allegiance would be recognized. AS
a fact they have not been.
There was no difficulty, however, for
a man who had special rights" from
becoming a naturalized Hawaiian citi-
zen, for Section of Article II of the
Constitution says ANY person to whom
such certificate shall be granted shall
be admitted, upon application, to nat
nralization without showing any fur
ther qualifications" Therefore any
man holding special rights has only
himself to blame for not completing his
naturalization and thus obtaining Am
erican citizenship at once when the
change came. The opportunity was
clear.
Direct naturalization under the Re-
public, looked a simple thing, but it
was not. The difficulty the trainers of
the Constitution had to meet was to
prevent the naturalization or Japan
csc. While the new Constitution was
in course of construction the Japanese
Minister was very anxious that
his countrymen should become voters,
and much correspondence passed be-
tween Mr. Full and the then Minister
of Foreign Affairs. What Mr.. Full
wanted was the thin end of the wedge.
He expressed himself as unwilling that
the laborers should be made voters, but
he claimed that all educated Japanese
should be allowed to be naturalized and
''most favored nation" clause in the
Japanese treaty, it seemed impossible.
to allow one set of people to naturalize
and prevent others from doing SO.
without reference to them, which of
course would have been class legisla-
ton.
1t was problem. It has been seen
how those who assisted the Provisional
Government had their rights provided
for and a way to become naturalized
left open for them. Now how to keep
out the Asiatic Article is of the Con-
stitution, Section 2, reads as follows:
can alien may be admitted to citi-
zenship upon the following conditions.
viz:
Il. He shall have resided in the Ha-
waiian Islands for not less than two
years.
-. He must intend to become a per-
manent citizen of the Republic.
%. He shall be able Understandings
to read, write and speak the English
language.
a. He shall be able intelligently to
explain, in his own words, in the Eng
fish language, the general meaning and
intent Of any article or articles of this
Constitution"
so far any well educated Chinese or
Japanese could have qualified and Mr..
Fuji's point seemed to be gained but
Section settled the matter it said:
49, He shall be a citizen or subject
of a country having express treaty
stipulations with the Republic of Ha-
wall concerning naturalization"
That settled the matter. With China
there was no treaty at all. With Japan
there was treaty but in it there were
no express stipulations concerning
naturalization" 1t was an extremely
clever provision and got the Republic
out Of very embarrassing situation.
Who the author OF the clause was, has