The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-17
ON HER OWN MERITS.

Representative Knoxs report from
able exposition of Island affairs, and
supplies an immense amount of infor-
nation upon the political commercial
and social condition of the group. Re-
garding the position of Hawaiians, he
says in his preamble,
1.-THE propriety of creating a territor-
ial government for Hawaii depends
upon the fitness of the people of the
Islands for such a government. The
! important question is, are the people of
Hawaii in their present condition as a
whole, fitted for the representative gov
eminent of United States territory =?
This question should be decided upon
considerations applicable to Hawaii
alone. The question whether the inhab-
itants of other islands coded to the
| United States are, or are not, fitted for
such a government has no place in the
discussion"
This is the attitude of an enlightened
reasoner. The effort of some Represen-
tatives and Senators to class Hawaii
with Porto Rico and the Philippines is
here distinctly met. Hawaii and the
Hawaiians are put upon thir own basis
and are considered from their own
standpoint. The test of fitness, Mr..
! Knox says, is as follows:
THE American idea Of universal suf-
frage presumes that the body of citi-
zens who are to exercise it in free
and Independent manner have, by in
heritance or education, such knowledge
and appreciation of the responsibilities
of free suffrage and of a full partici-
patton of the sovereignty of the country
as to be able to maintain a republican
government"
Tried by the test" says Mr.. Knox,
1.-THE Hawaiian people meet the require
ments for the government proposed"
Having thus laid down this dictum,
the report proceeds to show what the
Islands and their people are quotes
from the report of the commissioners
and from other sources of information,
giving, as has been said a very clear
idea of conditions on the Islands.
Among the subjects treated of are,
of course, the schools and some inter-
given, and comparisons made between
our work and that done on the main
land. Figures of this kind, though not
having a direct political bearing, have
an important bearing upon the test of
fitness for territorial government.
Thus the average number of school
days during the year in the United
States is 1405, in California ia, and in
Hawaii 200 Which scores considerably
for Hawaii. The cost of education per
pupil was 1882 for the United States
$31.51 for California and $21.17 for Ha-
vail, while the cost per capita of popu-
lation was 1921 for the United States,
$40S for California and $2O6 Cor the
Hawaiian Islands.
country which can carry on it's edu-
cation on lines like these and can get
$500 per cent of it's school population
into school, is doing very well, and is
qualifying itself very thoroughly for
citizenship. That we are going to have
that citizenship is undoubted In spite
OF partizan and preiudiced attacks, the
sense of both the Senate and the House
is to grant us territorial form of gov
eminent. They will not grant us speci-
al privileges which certain of our pub
tic men desired, but which there was
difference of opinion upon. but they
will grant us an organic law similar
to that of the other territories, and
leave us free to manage our internal
affairs.