The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-01
KNOX HAS
AN INNINGS
His Argument for the
House Bill.
NEEDS OF THESE ISLANDS
The Anticipated Effect of an Educa-
tionaI Ballot Upon Hawaiian
Political Progress.
CONTINUED from Yesterday

We are not met at the threshold of
action by the question of the extension
Of the Constitution to Hawaii. Cor the
annexation resolution provided that tine
municipal law of Hawaii that was not
in contravention of the Constitution
should remain until action by Congress.
And this bill, in so many words. ex
tends the Constitution h Hawaii; so
that there has not been practically a
moment of time since the Hawaiian
Islands were annexed to the United
States that the Constitution has not
been the standard by which all tho
laws of that country must be measured
Before the annexation resolution AMI
before our Constitution was extended
there its spirit had gone.
For sixty years the spirit of the Am
erican Constitution, the foundation Of
our traditions and our history, has eX-
listed in Hawaii. permeating the boCy
polite, enlightening the legislation Of
the islands. Together with the Consti-
tuition has gone the spirit of the Dec
laration of Independence, and the great
guarantee of personal freedom that we
extend to Hawaii is extended by the
consent of the governed.
Can we, then, extend a free repre-
sentative Territorial government to the
people of Hawaii? There has been no
time since the Northwest Territory
that there has not been several organ
lied Territories under the jurisdiction
of Congress. Twenty EIGHT Territories
in all have been organized. 1t has been
the standard of government which We
have adopted for all Territories of tht.
United States where there was not a
State organization.
Now, the question / ask the men-
bers of the House to consider, and one
that seems to me to be a fundamental
one, are the people of Hawaii fitted for
it; will it meet their needs; are they
fitted to- receive suffrage; will they ap-
preciate the great responsibilities of
government that is put upon them?
a word, then, as to the people of JIa-
wall. We have there about 10000 peo-
pie, the majority of them Asiatic-
more than half Japanese and Chinese
But under our laws, under the bill. as
well as in the past, these Asiatics are
and were not citizens of Hawaii in the
sense of being entitled to suffrage Or
taking part in the government; and the
moment that this bill is passed, the
moment Hawaii is given Territorial
government of the United States, the
Asiatics. japanese and Chinese, can
never be citizens of Hawaii and can
never exercise suffrage.
Now, what as to the remainder of the
populace of the Hawaiian Islands
There are native Hawaiians some 40,
600 in number. The Hawaiians are q
slowly dying race, fading out, soon 10
be wiped out from among the peoples
of the earth. The first census of Ha-
wall was taken in 1886, and from that
time up to 1874, when the reciprocity
treaty with the United States .starte,l
business and enterprise in Hawaii,
every census has shown large and
rapid decrease In the Hawaiian people.
No one can tell exactly the reason for
it. The chief reason, perhaps, is that
! they more quickly take to the vices of
/ civilization than to the virtues. They
/ initiate its excuses; they do not pos
/ sess it's restraints.
/ Like the American Indian, wherever
they come in touch with Civilization
/ they fade and die away. The position
of the Hawaiian Islands also as q
place for the calling of vessels of al
nations has at all times offered inviting
ground for epidemics, which have
swept off the people in vast numbers
Whatever the cause may be, they are
rapidly dying, fading nation. Those
: that remain who will take any par
under this government are fairly intel
ligent, simple, generally orderly; they
are educated either in the English ~
/ in the Hawaiian language. All the
( younger portion of the Hawaiian:
speak the English language; the Older
ones speak the Hawaiian language, anC
/ the newspapers are published in botf
I the Hawaiian and English languages.
In the early days of the missionaries
I in 1S20-the Bible was translated into
the Hawaiian language. There are
/ about $1,000 Portuguese. OF these more
than one-half were born in the Islands
of Hawaii. More than half have beer
educated in the public schools of Ha-
wall, where the English language has
been taught. They are orderly, peace
/ full law-abiding. We in America dc
! not debar them from citizenship, and
L think it will be admitted that in the
/ large cities where there are many Port
ugueS they are among the best, most
/ Industrious, orderly and tractable peo-
1 pie.
! The chief consideration as to the wis
I dom of extending the Territorial gov
| eminent to Hawaii, and as to the fit
/ ness of the people to receive it, is that
there is in Hawaii a controlling class
American, English and German, not OPP
pressive, but that has guided the peo-
pie, shaped legislation and been faith
I full to the best interests of Hawaii
through all the vicissitudes of its later
history. Among those who have IA
vored the reactionary tendencies, who
have opposed the present government,
this has been called the missionary
class.
The missionaries went to Hawaii first
In 1S20-went there to plant the seeds
of a Christian civilization. They went
from New England. The king at that
time, recognizing their great work and
what they could do in the future for
Hawaii, gave them and their families
in the islands valuable lands These
missionaries were followed by ether
missionaries and their families. They
acquired other lands, and they lived
there, intermarried. and were soon af-