The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-05
He Hold on Until December? -rhe Ohio state Journal


men. having survived the attacks of
monarchy, is now nenaced by those
! whom it benefits most. Shall we, hav-
| ing inherited a better form OF govern
ment than we could possibly devise
a system immune to the most pestilent
ills of American municipal politics
shall we make the first use of our
franchise to destroy it? Prominent
| publicists in America are advocating
| the entire abandonment of all munich
| palities as antiquated, unnecessary and
mischievous. Shall we, disregarding
the lessons of a century of history
take our first political step in the
wrong direction? Have we any reason
to believe that our citizens generally
are more virtuous or more capable
than those of New York, st. Louis.
Chicago or Cincinnati? What reason
have we to suppose that the causes
which have produced incompetent, ex-
travagant and dishonest administration
in the rest of America will produce
competent, economical and honest gov
eminent in Hawaii? The establish
ment of city and county government in
these islands at the present time may
confidently be expected not only TO
load additional taxes upon property
owners, but also to fasten upon them
y
will ruin the credit of the territory.
terrify prospective investors and
paralyZe existing industries.
Not only is taxation to be increased;
not only is the public. to become the
prey of organized hooters; not only is
business to be jeopardized and invest
ment discouraged, but the public school
system is to be destroyed. and theI
schools merged into the political ma
chine. No branch OF the public ISL
ness is conducted under such difficult
ties today as the education of our
youth. In no part of the Union are
the inherent difficulties of popular edu-
cation so great as in Hawaii. And in
no part of the Union has system been
evolved which SO completely meets the
requirements of the population as does
our present system of public instrncl
ton. 1t is not claimed that our schools |
are free from faults or that the sys-
tenn under which they are administer
ed is incapable of Improvement. 1t can |
be established, however, beyond a |
doubt that the solid and substantial
results achieved in Hawaii are due en-
tirely to ouI centralized system, and
would have been impossible under any
popular or local system whatsoever.
1t may be said. and truly. that our
pupils OF schools of like grade in the
northern states. A comparison, TO be
just, must not be with the northern
states, where the pu5lfe school has
been a popular institution from the be-
but with the black belt of the
South. There the negroes have had the
ballot, theoretically. at least, for forty
years. During part of this time they
mad absolute control of many sections.
u - Il
luate system of education. Yet. with !
full political power and with the sym
pathy and encouragement OF the North,
hey accomplished nothing. Today the
in the South is appalling. Thel
Hawaiian system, on the contrary. has
diminished illiteracy among Hawaiian
BORN to almost zero. Hawaii's educa- {
ional exhibit at Buffalo. by its char
leter and scope, compelled the adulira- [
ion of educators from all lands.
Now, as never before, the Board of I
cdueat ton is endeavoring to make the