The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-11

OF kAMEHAMEHAV.
Bold and Wise Sovereign
as Remembered by
R. A. Lyman.

Hawaii has not been known to the
world very many years, but during
that time a King of whom she may
Well be proud has reigned oyer the land,
a King who would compare very favor
ably with the monarchs of more en-
iightened nations, Kamehameha ".
who assembled the throne of the Ha-
waiian Islands upon the death of Ka-
mehameha " in 1863.
Before ascending the throne Kameha-
meha V. had acted as Minister of the
Interior under Kamehameha ". He
had very strong will, so that he was
not Minister in name alone, but at
tended faithfully to the duties of his
Office
Upon the death of his brother, Ka-
mehameha ", Kamehameha ". show
ed his strong will. He persuaded his
the throne, and in a few hours had him
self proclaimed as King. He declined
to take an oath to the Constitution,
and after making a trip to several parts
of the Islands, called a Constitutional
Convention to meet in Honolulu, and
upon the delegates refusing to impose
a property qualification for voters, the
King sent them home and promulgated
a new Constitution, in which he in
serted a clause that no one could ascend
the throne without taking the oath to
this Constitution. In after years when
1 became well acquainted with Kane
hameha, he often told me that he would
not take the oath of the old Constitu-
ton, as he had made up his mind to
set it aside, and he did not wish to
commit perjury by swearing to support
a Constitution that he had determined
to set aside. The King felt that it
would be wrong to commit perjury him
self, and one example will show what
he thought of others perjuring them
selves. When Kamehameha received
the news that k of Kona had CIV
en- up being minister of the gospel,
I and several others were present. The
King said that he had hoped that
k would stand firm as long as he
lived; that he was sorry to have to say
it of his own people, but too many of
them would commit perjury in court,
and that the native ministers and
church members seemed to think they
could take an oath to be ministers of
the gospel or followers of Christ, and
that when they got tired of that, they
could go back to a life of sin as easily
as they could put on a new coat; and
as long as the Nation does not realize
the solemnity of an oath TO God, and
the sin of breaking that oath, the Ma
ton could never amount to anything.
When Kamehameha came to the
throne, he found that his late brother
owed so much money that most of his
lands would have to be sold to settle
up the estate. So he had the Act pas
sed setting apart the Crown Lands, the
income of which was used to pay his
brothers debts, and after those debts
were paid, then the income was to be
for the Crown.
Kamehameha " was not King SIM
ply in name, but took an active part in
the Government, and was well inform
ed as to what his ministers were do
ing. He always dictated the program
mes for the state funerals which oc-
CURED during his reign. He always
ing and closing of legislatures and for
other state occasions. In order to keep
himself well informed about other coun-
tries, the King took great many
American and English papers and mag
azines. 1t was his custom to read
the speeches made in the English Par
lament and in the American Congress,
and he kept himself we'll Informed as
to the measures brought forward in
those bodies. Several months before the
legislature was to meet, Kamehameha
would hold a cabinet meeting nearly
every day to discuss the measures that
the government was going to bring be-
fore the legislature. The King said, Il
want my Cabinet to know before the
legislature meets what I will support
and what will not support; and
wish the Cabinet to show me before
hand the reasons why the government
should bring forward certain measures;
and then there will be no surprise to
my Cabinet during the session of the
legislature from not knowing what my
views are"
Kamehameha was an honorable busi-
ness man, and was unwilling to take an
unfair advantage of others in business.
Several years before he assembled the
throne he failed in business and went
into bankruptcy. After he had been on
the throne over a year he directed
Judge Harris, who had been his lawyer
when he failed, to pay all his old credi-
tors in full, saying, Although the court
has released me from paying these
claims in full, I wish to have them all
paid, as I am in position to do it and
do not wish any one to lose cent by
my having failed before"
The King was very particular about
the small matters of business, and did
not leave everything to others to look
after He always kept the run of any
thing that was purchased for him or
by his orders. He would enter the price
in his memorandum book. After break
fast he would call his people together,
and looking over his book, would pass
out the money to those who had made
the purchases, saying, You promised
that such and such an article would
be paid for today, now go and pay
for it,
Business men in Honolulu have told
me that they felt sure of their money