The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-11-03
ToMoRRoW's ELECTION.
trrom Mondays Daily)

|
The election tomorrow is of serious
import to this Territory, and in all the
Islands no Republican vote should be
withheld, even though casting 1t may
be inconvenient or even troublesome.
Democratic votes, from American citi-
zens. are also expected. The formaliz-
ed issues are chiefly local, but the I'M
DERIVING issue, in which every Ameri-
can citizen is deeply concerned Is
whether, practically. the Islands belong
to the United States or are to be ad-
ministered as though they still retained
their cast-off autonomy.
This is the exact question, on which
the decision OF tomorrow may have an
important bearing. The United states
is the greatest home rule country IN
the world. In respect to qualifications
and conditions for citizenship and the
exercise OF the elective franchise
the Organic Act comprehensively
declared all citizens Of the Ha-
waiian Republic and all resident
citizens of the United States, on or
after August ~, 1898, and all other
American citizens who should AFTER
wards reside here for one year. to be
citizens of the Territory. 1t also made
liberal and unusual provisions for nat
uralization, and virtually left the pup
lie lands within Territorial control. In
prescribing the qualifications of voters,
in addition to the fundamental require
ments of citizenship and legal age, IL
only exacted compliance with the reg
istration laws and ability to speak,
read and write either "the English or
Hawaiian language"
Now a majority of the native voters
have been to some extent educated IN
the English language. and, in fact as
well as in law, stand upon precise
equality with all other citizens. Sut
there is minority of natives, who do
not possess an American education,
and who, with their retention OF the
| Hawaiian tongue, also retain the re-
| stricted and narrow Ideas. not even OF
the Hawaiian Republic, but of the ex-
ploded monarchy. 1t Is upon this ignor-
ant and un-American element that be-
sotted or corrupt politicians rely for
the support Of their stupid caricature
of home rule, which means the sub
stantial reputation Of annexation ard
of everything American, complete isola-
ton from the American people and
from American interests, and the per-
petuation Of an obstinate tax-eating
regime based upon the proposition that
the Hawaiian Islands are wholly indie
pendent of the Federal Government and
can govern and support themselves,
without any connection with the world
at large and especially with chat part
of the world to which sovereignty over
them has been legally transferred.
Such policy is transparently sui
cidal. Under its shadow, commerce.
trade, industry in all its aspects, and
even civilized society itself. could not
exist. 1t depends upon ignor-
ance and stupidity as deplorable as
were displayed recently by the>Indian,
Gabriel, who died at the age of hun
dred and fifty-one years, at the Salinas
Hospital in California, who remember
ed the ancient Missions and the Span
ish and Mexican provincial govern
ments, but who was apparently I'M
conscious of the American occupation
and OF all its results.
There are thousands of Hawaiian ma
tives within the Republican forces, who
are inaccessible to falsehood, chicanery
or dictation. A number of the best and
most influential speakers on the Ameri-
can side are among them. The self
dubbed Home Rulers embrace three
classes. who are by no means of one
race. First, there are malcontents or
lmpracticables, and their retainers, who
are imaginatively living under the
monarchy and vote only on that theory
These people. though dense to the last
degree, are at least honest and entitled
to n measure of respect Second.
there is a mass of indolent, thoughtless,
capricious and selfish survivors of the
unfttest, whose sole ambition is to live
without labor, and who regard the Fed
eral and Territorial Government as eX-
listing solely for their benefit. Third,
and last, Is a limited number of poll
ticians, some of them nominally Repub-
leans, who pull the strings from the
background, and who are animated by
the various motives of greed, of pref
udice or of revenge. The sneaks are
the worst of the lot, and, in their in
tense hunger or hatred of "the powers
that be-" would rather be rats in Ha-
wall than patriotic citizens within the !
Republic.
The men who are the representatives
of trade, commerce. finance, education,
morality, advancement, Americanism,
within this Territory, understand these
matters and are largely responsible for
the result whatever 1t may be. If they
will put their shoulders to the wheel
and work and vote tomorrow. there
should be a settlement of the feud be-
tween stolidity and progress, between
ignorance and enlightenment, between
honesty and rapacity, between truth
and falsehood. between patriotism and
treason. between rising Americanism
and relapsing barbarism, that would
draw the Hawaiian Islands to the
brain, the heart and the conscience of |
the Federal Government, backed by the |
American people.