The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-23
THE BASES OF STATEHOOD.


Tho President is said to have changed
his mind about Statehood for New
Maxico because of the alien Citizenship
of that Territory. A large proportion
Of the people there are spaniards VINO
choose to remain Spanish. They teach
that language in their schools they
,raacb If from their affairs, they use II
IN the conduct of their courts Nat
,1raIlv people so educated cannot come
into intellectual sympathy with Amefi-
cans They think in Spanish, their
opinions are derived from reading
snanish literature, and between them
.nd their conpatriots of Old Mexico
is a bond of sympathy infinitely strong
or than that which exists between them
and the American-the "Gringo" OF their
anathemas. It is easy to coincide with
the President in the view that a state
so populated would not be an element
of strength in the American Union.
The citizens would not vote for any
man ar measure on American lines OF
thought and policy, but would approach
every candidate and issue from Span
fsh or Mexican standpoint. Perhaps
the Senators representing such con-
stituency in Congress might come at
some great crisis, to hold the balance OIL
power. Suppose they had done so dur
ing the preliminary legislation which
had to do with the Spanish war or the
government of the captured colonies!
It is easy to see that they could have
put the country at skies and sevens.
In this relation the prudence and wis
dom of those who framed the Organic
Act of Hawaii so that schools. courts
and legislature would be carried on in
English. comes out in bold relief. Ha-
wall might wait for Statehood as long
as New Mexico has waited quite half a
century-if anything had been done to
perpetuate, among the native citizens,
the use of their aboriginal speech.
The Presidents objections to State
hood for Arizona are also interesting to,
Hawaii. They recognize the fact that
the state has, at the present time. a
sufficient population, but it is concerned
in single industry, mining, which in
wolves two deterrent considerations as
affecting Statehood. First, the popula-
ton is not necessarily permanent, like
one of farmers owning their own land;
second, the mining industry may not
continue prosperous What such condi-
tons do for a State appears in Ne
vada where, since silver went low, the
population has dwindled to about that
of Honolulu and the State, politically,
has become rotten borough" ex-
plotted by nonresident politicians who
represent it in the Senate and House.
Nevada, at present, should have the,
status of a Territory, yet 1t weighs for
as much in the Senate as New York or
California. Statehood cannot be taken
from it and it is likely to remain a.
rotten borough" for many long year
to come Naturally the President does
not want the Nevada mistake repeated
in Arizona, nor does any one else, save
the politicians who figure ON seats in
the Senate and House.
The lesson to Hawaii in this is to-
work for a Investigation of industries
and large resident population Of farm
ers. More than half the Inhabitants of
this group today are nomads engaged
in single industry which may, in the
course of time, suffer the vicissitudes of
the single industries which preceded it
here, sandal wood and whaling. So long
as this condition remains any advance
beyond the Territorial status is not to
be thought of. Statehood, when it
comes, must rest upon a permanent
body of white American citizens. farm
ers preferred; and those who believe in
Statehood can do no more to further
its interests than to populate the vacant
acres of Hawaii with such an element
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