The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-15
MISLEADING THE COMMISSION.

Commission that strong attempt is
being made to use legitimate inquiry
as a means of doing municipalities
politics in this Territory. The Object
of a local politician in raking up the
events of 1893 can hardly be otherwise
Now 1893 marks a very sore spot III
Hawaiian politics-one which progress
sive ideas lead away from. 1t was
crucial period, one in which the mon
archy went down and the provisional
government went up, and it naturally
left a heritage of angry passion and
prejudice, now happily growing DOR
mant, which it is not wise from any
standpoint, least of all from a political
one, to revive. But it has often hap
pened when a demagogue wished to in
flame the Hawaiian voters, he went
back to 1893 for material. In that way
he could the most easily arouse them
against the Americans and the white
men and secuPe retrogressive politics in
this Territory. We who have lived here
long enough to know conditions and
men in Hawaii can readily see through
the scheme. It suits the professional
demagogue who is trying to lead the
commission astray, even as to figures,
to have a Home Rule victory this fall.
If that result can be reached he pro-
poses to charge the failure of the Re
publican campaign against Governor
Dole, in the hope that, when the Gov
c.fy
carpet-bag Governor may be appointed
in his stead. The demagogue in ques-
tor is acquainted with one who wants
the job; and incidentally, being but
thirty three years old, he wants the
age limit of the Governorship reduced
and has urged the Commission So to
recommend.
The pretense for the resurrectionist
policy urged upon the commission is
that the Queen needs the archives of
1893 to make good her claim against the
crown lands Now if she has a valid
claim, it is right that she should be
recompensed for her loss; and If the
United States deprived her of her lands,
she should be given every fair chance
TO get them back. But this is not the
place to investigate the conduct of the
Federal government towards Hawaii;
the place is Washington. If orders were
sent here to use the Boston's marines
in dethroning the Queen, surely there
are no documents on file here to prove
it. They must be looked for in the
portfolio of the State Department !
which contains the correspondence of /
the Department with the then Ameri- |
can minister; and in the portfolio of |
the Navy Department, where is to be
found the official communications be- |
tween the Secretary of the Navy and |
Captain Wiltse of u. S. S. Boston. |
What is on file here, certainly cannot
be In point; but IT'S production and !
publication would, by arousing old /
feuds, be of great advantage to the /
candidate who is trying to range the |
Hawaiians against the Republicans and +
to the demagogue who hopes to become !
a leader of the native party and who |
was its ally and adviser while he sat on ,
the bench.
Furthermore. was it the intent of the
Senate to have this crown land matter |
made an issue? Two resolutions were
up, according to the advices which |
came here. One REQUIRED the commits |
sion to look into the Queens claim; but |
this form appears to have been dropped, /
for the final resolution, the one adopted, |
has no reference to the claim. Its form i
is as follows:
Resolved, That the committee on |
Pacific Islands and Porto Rico be, and |
is hereby authorized and directed to !
investigate the general condition of the ,
islands of Hawaii and the administra |
ton of the affairs thereof, and for the |
purposes aforesaid said committee, or a |
subcommittee thereof. appointed by |
the chairman, shall have power to send |
for persons and papers, to visit the is
lands, to administer, oaths to sit during |
the recess of Congress, and said COM /
mittee shall report at the beginning of |
the next session of Congress the result |
of its Investigations; the expenses of |
said investigation to be paid out of the |
contingent fund of the Senate"
Do not let us be misunderstood. The |
Advertiser does not wish the Queen to |
lose an acre or a nickel which may be
due her. If the United States, believ- |
ing her wronged, should choose to give |
her $5,0O0.O00 for quit-claim deed, and |
call it square, Hawaii would greatly |
benefit by having that amount of money /
in the market. The cash would prob |
ably be loaned to great enterprises and |
become of benefit to all. But what we |
urge upon the Commission with all re-
spect, is that it shall not revive our |
civil war politics. If it must go into |
the affairs of 1898 we hope it will see
the wisdom of doing so at Washington; |
and if it thinks it requires documents |
from here and that public policy should
permit it to get them, let it seal them
and take them to Washington for re-
view after our elections have passed. |
Or why not recognize the fact that a
previous Senatorial Commissionr-the
one OF which Mr.. Morgan was chair
man-has gone through this whole mat
ter and made its report. What is the
use Of threshing old straw? Why not
use the wheat that the straw originally