The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-08
DANGER TO THE LEPERS.

Hawaiians ought to look long time
before they leap into the branb!e busH
which presents itself in the form OF
the Kahn-Wilcox Lazaretto bill.
In the first place the lepers now at
Molokai are living a free and easy pas
toral and village life, much as they
used to lead at home. They fish, batne,
cultivate the soil, have their church,
band of music and little fraternitias OF
enjoyment. Their lives are made as
pleasant as possible, and when they
become helpless their nearest of kin
are allowed to go and aid them. At
stated intervals their friends, under re-
istrictions may see them and may al
WAYS. we believe, send them gifts. Fin
ally the patients get the food to which
they are accustomed and the supply OF
/ this never fails for want of an appro-
priation, as IL might do IL the Molokai
exiles were the wards of "a Congress
that is distant, always busy and sub
( ject to strange freaks of thrift.
Should the Kahn-Wilcox bill succeed
and not be nullified In practice by the
reserved rights of States. the condition
thus described would be forlorniy
changed. We should then find the pas
toral lepers turned into the victims of
the clinic. Gathered into hospitals.
studied by young surgeons who's I'm
gers itch for the scalpel, made to I'VE
by rote, the poor people of Moiokai.
victims of a disease as incurable as de-
composed flesh, would soon be fretful
and rebellious. The old semi-free life
would pass away: the ''kukoas" or
helpers wouIu be warned off; uninfect-
ed frienos could not land; owing to
supposed relation between leprosy and
a fish diet the supply of sea food would
lAI ctn oil
gether: perhaps, in the course of ex-
periments with food. pol would be de-
MED curing long intervals or owing to
the want of a specific appropriation, |
crossed off the bill of fare.
Hawaiians should also consider the |
ill-effects of crowding. Inc Kahn
Wilcox bill proposes to make the leper
settlement the common asylum for peo
pie similarly afflicted from every part
of the Union. We have shown how
much violence and turmoil are likely to |
ansue in the contact of desperate white
epers with the races nav at the settle
nent, but the matter goes further than
hat. Given some thousands of lepers
md more room for them must be had.
None can be found under the shadow
If the Molokai pail and the issue VIII
lie between the transfer of eXiles to
N expensive guard and system of wa
erworks must be provided and costly Il
and condemned and bought, or their l
eportation to the Philippines. Before
Ong a great leper depot in our East
indian territory must be had. There :
re $4,000 victims of the living Qea.n !
here now. Assuming that our settle r
cent would grow congested and that {
here is plenty of room in he Philip t
ines, what is more natural than that
he smaller colony should be merged
18th the larger one. Now the Hawaii
n. lepers are safe at home, but under
ederal power-an authority that benUs V
} no sentiment and voices no "aIohas" t
they might be taken to the Far East
D spend their remaining days; and :
very fresh victim of the incurable
lague, found on these islands, would
blow them.
That Hawaiians can support blu
hitch might visit such results upon
hem can be explained only on the
round that they think Delegate Will
DIX, leader whom they have followed
lrough quagmire after quagmire, Of
IN to defeat and but once to any form
political success, is all-wise and in |
incible. They do not realize that, in
lis matter, Mr.. Wilcox is the uupe of
ulius Kahn, who wants to get lepers
Ut Of California because they are
hurting the State" He is willing that
ley should add TO our discontinue but
e naturally wants his own bailiwick
eansed. Hawaiians, for their safety,
lould warn Wilcox that these islands
ave evils enough without importing
ny. and that he will serve his native
eople best by doing what he can to
eep the pastoral villages under the
Olokai cliffs inviolate.