The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-09
The Disgruntled Glass.

A score or more of years ago small
numbers of men, more or less of the
adventurer type, began to come here
from various parts of the earth. espe-
cially from California and the North
west. Those who had money went
into business or agriculture for them
selves. or took up land. or engaged in
some useful enterprise: those who had
experience in some business which the
community wanted, or executive abil-
ity, became the employees of the men or
the firms already on the ground, or in
some other way established themselves
as members OF the community. But
many of them had neither money.
brains, experience nor ability. III places
were not made for them Immediately
they became disgruntled, cursed the
country in all the languages they
knew, and spread all sorts of reports
as to the character of the men here.
One or two OF them. unfortun ltely,
like the late Julius Palmer of unhappy
memory, had some skill in compost
ton; and masly of them talked to news
paper men with appalling results, so
far as the ideas inculcated into the av-
erage American mind were concerned.
From being a disgruntled and sour
man in a new country. the descent
was easy TO the occupation of the bar
room loafer. Nothing will try mans
mettle more surely than his behavior
under just such conditions. and many
of these men were not of the right cal
ibre. Those who did not eventually
drift back to the country which they
had left for the country's good found
congenial occupation in stirring up
natives and half-wnites against the
ruling class. This was in the days of
vicious, corrupt and dissolute King.
who gathered around himself men of
a low order who were shrewd enough
to impress him with their devotion.
They called the attention of the Ka-
nakas to- the fact that in the good Old
days the latter had owned all the
land. needed not To wear clothes or to
work for their living. and had no. hing
to do but catch fish. make poi. go
bathing and surf-riding. and have III
aus. Il was probably by Oversight;
that they omitted to remind the ma
tives that in 1.-THE good old days" they
had owned individually no part of the
land, but had merely held Il az the
will OF the chief Under the lead Of
some of these irresponsible fiiibusters
Queen Liliuokalani promulgated a new
constitution and introduced all sorts
of abuses: these were tipped ont. to-
ge,her with the Queen herself. in tlps
almost blOodless revolution OF 1893.
which Cleveland overthrow by an I'M
warrantable use of the United States
forces.
Best People RIleyv.
Since then the best people in the
country have ruled t.; and the most
critical and hostile observer who really
knows all the circumstances and con-
ditions must admit that on the whole
IL has been ruled well. The Govern
ment has certainly tried to do the
best that could be done for all parties,
including the natives. over whose
plight as pictured by imaginatiOns af-
fected by one-sided stories and the
tropical climate, no end of unwise and
ridiculous sentiment has been lavished.
If the Government has made mistakes,
IL Is nothing more than all govern
ments do; and IL has always meant TO
act for the best interests of the people
who have their homes or their stake In
these islands. Some of its regulations
worked hardship upon people who
came here with the idea of doing bus