The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-04-30
THE WELCOME
TO NEWCOMERS,

In my observation OF Hawaii during n
residence OF over thirty years. decent, In.
telligent people have received a welcom,
here whether as visitors or settlers, such
| as they seldom find elsewhere. Profess
sional, financial or industrial ability. So
cial qualities have met quick recognition
and found larger rewards than their pos.
SCISSORS would he likely to find IN any
older community.
Nor did IL matter what their national
lily, politics or creed was, or II they had
no avowed creed. Not II few who came
after the overthrow OF the monarchy,
while Honolulu was like an armed camp
no one knowing what violence "a day
might bring forth. set to work and laiu
the foundation of permanent success. For
instance, If | may without offence make
personal illusions, who imagines men
like Mr.. Desky in his broad real estate
operations which he, a new and unknown
man, so soon established, or Mr.. VIII
Fisher in striking boldly into like and
otner kinds of business, or of the Lewis
Brothers, who made for themselves a
trade which asks the odds of no one, or
going back but a very little, of Mr.. Wich-
man, who started in at a time when
wiseacres might well have said. as l re-
marked that l thought, that he was too
| sanguine-without warning throng OF
other adventurous but thoughtful men
that they considered that the od-timers
held the advantage or were trying to
elbow them out of good things in Ha-
| vail And does any one suppose that
such comparatively newcomers as are
many of our bright, eager, level-headed
young lawyers have failed to discover
that Hawaii is good enough for them?
The idea that Puritanical hierarchy
has been rooted here, with a survival Of
strict Connecticut blue laws, and which
| md yt1 to f,ta
keeping to itself political power and Of
flee and crowding out all who oppose
them, Is SO grotesque that no one can
| believe that those who are so fond OF
its portrayal believe in 1t one particle
AS for holding office, 1t was no easy
matter, after the end OF the Kamehame-
ha regime and until the end of the mon
archy, to induce competent men to take
office. Quiet, self-respecting persons
preferred to attend to their own avoca-
tions, and could do vastly better in their
own interest by doing So During the
troubled times that followed until an
neXation, the position of those who We're
willing to be in office was anything but
enviable. They had to lay aside all re-
gard for personal ease or comfort, and
not infrequently of personal safety. 1t
was essential to the integrity of the body
polite during those years, in order to al
lay turbulence and probably to prevent
anarchy, that political power should be
centralized as was done. And now that
Hawaii's domestic tranquility is secured
by the strong arm of national power, 1t
Is equally essential that political power
be diffused in accordance with the prin-
clples of democratic governments.
But this cannot be done in day
In every State in the Union there has
been "A growth, a development of its
laws and institutions. Everything did
not come at once. To take new Terri
tory over which Indians had roamed
and few Mexican miners and ranch
men had carried the law in their revolt
vers, and open IT up to rush of new
settlers, involved an immediate estab-
lishment of such democratic forms as
had been tried and found to work fair
ly well in the earlier Territories. But in
a case like Hawaii, which had already,
under many difficulties, evolved a sys-
tenn of law and government, which con-
tanned many valuable features and which
in many respects met and provided for
social and race conditions, for industrial,
financial and educational needs, for public
health and the security of personal
rights, he would be n bold If not a wise
man who thought that everything could
at once, and without long and careful
consideration, be changed, that an en-
tirely new and necessarily complicated
suit of clothes, to fit.
And SO / trust that the intelligent new
corners Will, not In the belief that every
thing is wrong and only tney can set 1t
right, nor thinking that in all sincere
work for the welfare of Hawaii, they
are not welcomed by the genuine old
timers, take a hand in the thoughtful
solution of the problems before us. am
confident that those who wish to do such
work will not begin by wholesale denun-
ciauon and offensive personalities. Those
who deem it their mission to feed ana
cater to the natural resentments OF the
Hawaiians for the loss of their nation
atty. to play the role SO often and sue
cessfully played during the monarchy, of
persuadng the impressionahle natives
that they have been wronged and dealt
by unfairly by the white men who have
developed these Islands, may not be sur
prised that thoughtful men and women
look askance upon them.
Perhaps 1t is presuming too much for
myself, seeing so few people here as of
late years l do. to try to express what
IL in the minds of others. But l think
that lot of thinking has been done here
since the elections and during the legis-
lative session. Now that a system of
municipal government appears likely to
remain for two years in allegiance would
It not be well to form Good Govern
mont clubs-something like the country
"Lyceum" in New England In the 'hfties
ON every Island, for discussion of pollt-
zeal needs and reforms? Taking into
them, l hope, both men and women, Ha-
waIians especially, with no attempt at
party lines? ! have no doubt that even
in the much and deservedly rldIculed
FIRST Legislature are thoughtful Hawaii
ans who will gladly lay aside habits of
iLvectiye and wild or impracticable
scheming for thoughtful patriotic work.
This, and only this, deserves the name
of genuine Americanism.
ALFRED S. HARTWELL.
ali 1uar