The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-19

american tr1ckS on us. They were
very quiet and while the Home Rulers
were resting in fancied security the
I admire their cleverness and our peo-
pie will have lesson so that they
can not be caught that way again.
Prince Cupid is my friend" added
the Delegate. Personally there are no
differences between u.s.
BURTON ON HAWAII.
The Washington Star recently printed
the following article regarding the
widely quoted statement about his al
legged slur. on the missionaries of Ha-
wall:
Senator Burton of Kansas will be
tan Herald for statements he is alleged
to have made in relation to the mis-
sionaries in Hawaii.
'tSome time ago. the Christian Her
aid asserts, United States Senator
Burton of Kansas, who had recently
returned from visit to Hawaii, was
quoted in the public prints as having
asserted that the Christian missionaries
in Hawaii had swindled the untutored
natives by taking their lands from
them, in exchange for certificates en-
titling the holders to admission to heav-
en- The senator had gone to Hawaii
as a member of a subcommittee ap-
pointed by Congress to investigate and
report upon the condition Of the peo-
pie in these distant islands. which have
now come under American rule.
while believing such a charge to be
absolutely unfounded, the Christian
Herald, rather than oppose 1t with an
unauthoritative denial at the moment,
decided to first secure the statements
of the accused missionaries and lei
them speak for themselves. We imme-
diately communicated with the Ameri-
can missionaries now in Hawaii. and
the result is shown in the letters print
ed below from the Oldest, most ex-
perienced and best-known missionaries
on the islands,
The Herald then publishes copies OF
several letters from people in Honolulu
which are to the effect that the mis-
sionaries in Hawaii are landless. Doubt
is expressed that Mr.. Burton made the
statement ascribed to him. Rev. j.
Rockingham, the only American mis-
sionary there, wrote:
Il notice that he is quoted as saying
that the missionaries were from Bos-
ton, and have been here recently. This
would naturally refer to missionaries
of the American board. would say
that the only missionaries that the
American board has appointed to these
islands in the last twenty-five years, are
my wife and myself, appointed eight
years ago, and neither Of MS owns
foot of land here; nor has either of us
ever owned any
o. P. Emerson. after denouncing the
alleged statement, went on to say:
Indeed it is question if in view of
the facts the honorable senator spoke
seriously, if he were not trying in this
statement to make political capital by
burlesquing the so-called missionary
party now in power. He alone of the
three commissioners who recently visit
ed the islands seemed out of sympathy
with the government, and inclined to
look with favor on the so-called home
rule party which supports Wilcox"
The Herald, referring to the informa-
ton contained in these letters, says:
I'VE cannot for moment believe that
the Kansas senator himself invented so
monstrous an absurdity, or that it was
the outcome of any part of his legiti-
mate investigation. But an. injustice
has been done, which ought to be re-
paired. Senator Burton owes it to the
missionaries, who have been the suf-
ferers by this silly Islander; to the
American people, who have been misiri-
formed by his dissemination of the
story. and lastly he owes it to the dig
nifty of the United States Senate, to
make such prompt explanation as any
honorable public official would do un-
der like circumstances.
The attention of Senator Burton was