The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-02-08
THE MEETING

put the party and it will put the mass
of the people upon record as utterly
adverse to the Infamous bin of Dele
gate Wilcox. There win be no danying
about the matter it will come straight
from the shoulder and win have it's in
fluence in Washington very adversely
to Delegate Wilcox. The Delegate
seems to have lost mis- head somewhat,
If ne ever had any for he is putting
in bills without any reference to even
his own party, let alone for the bencrt
of those who have 90 work aud support
the country.
The measure for making these ISL
ands a National Lazaretto, the Lozar
House of the Pacific Ocean, was an
idea which might have entered the
mind of a man who had never been on
the Islands, who had never known our
seakissed coasts fringed with vegeta-
tion, with the blue sky over head, the
benefcant health giving trade winds.
the exuberant soil and everything that
makes life worth living. But thar
such a measure should have been pro-
posed by a son OF the SOIL that he who
had an opportunity to help his fellow
counuymen should have been led oft to
propose that these beautiful isles
should become the pest house of seven
ty-eight millions. of people, seems al
most inCOnCeivable, except that Robert
Wilcox has always been doing the in
conceivable.
The consensus of opinion at the
meeting tonight will be a revelation to
anyone who has been thinking that our
people are anxious and willing to turn
our Islands into the Leper Hospital Of
the New World. The speakers will de-
nOunce the idea in no uncertain tones
1t will be denounced as a crime upon
an unoffending people. True We have
the disease Of leprosy among us. But
we are not singular in this. Almost
every state in the Union has lepers,
some more, some less. Every country
in Europe has lepers within its borders
Asiatc countries simply reek with
lcprosy. Why should we, of these
lovely Isles of the sea, be made the
dumping ground for the rotting filth
OF every State and Territory of the
Union, and probably of Europe for
there would be an incentive for Euro
peans to get over into the United
States for the purpose being shipped
to the New Worlds Lazar House.
As has been said in these columns
again and again, the sides upon which
this question can be attacked are al
To 81,
own good heartedness is to blame.
There is not a settlement of the kind
which was established by the govern
ment of Kamekameha V on MolokaI
which has had more money spent up
on it, which has had more care and
thought and hard work expended upon
it, than that one. Managed as it has
been, improved as it has been, it has
naturally attracted a very large
amount of attention, and the place has
been written up and talked about, and
lectured about and photographed, till
a considerable number of people only
know the Hawaiian Islands as through
this, to them, most interesting and
most philanthropic settlement. Our
hard work and our lavishly expended
money upon the settlement has practi-
Cally been used against US.
Who knows how many lepers are in
Louisiana. We do know that there are
many, but no one can tell how many.
In Louisiana leprosy is practically
kept a secret. 1t is true, every one
knows it is there, but it is kept as care
fully hidden as the traditional family
skeleton. We, on the other hand, have
come right out and faced our issue like |
men and we have to meet the issue
still. But while we have to face what
are our ownai ills, there is no reason
why we should face the ills Of others.
If we have one burden upon our Shout
ders, why should. we have the burdens
of others thrust upon US. Why should
we be made the garbage heap of the
rev world.
What we have to meet of our own. |
VIC have always been able to meet. and |
not that but to meet and to overcome
There is a manliness and a determine
ton about the men who have come so
far West and who have held the out
lying fort Of AnglO-SaXOn civilization |
against Orientalism which is a marked |
But what any man |
who thinks must deprecate is the sad
ding US with what other States and |
hardly dare face them
selves. Hawaii has come into the |
galaxy Of States and Territories, robed .
in spotlesS white and wreathed in
charming flower leis This is Hawairs
prettiest attribute. And then a wretched
little boy Of Hawaii's own blood, pro-
'eeds to squirt mud upon her spotIess
garments and to try to bedraggle her
Sweet scented leis. 1t Is not a pretty
picture which Home Rule Delegate |,
Wilcox makes, and the Republican
party intends to make its protest to-
night that the Hawaiian garment shall
remain clean, and the leis shall still l.
retain tbaip blPgD1 L., n8f{,v,1 Z ,..,,