The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-08-19
HENRY N. WHITNEY.

HENRY N. WHITNEY.
Forty-eight years ago last month {
new paper appeared in Honolulu witt
the name of II. NJ. Whitney inscribed
as editor and proprietor. The paper
was called out in protest against the
monopoly of local journalism by an or
gan of the Government. No intelligent
public esteems an organ and that OF
Honolulu, though loyal to authority,
felt profoundly the need of free press.
One day in 1S49 a bright-eyed and rud-
dy-cheeked young printer of island
birth but mainland training stepped
ashore from a clipper ship, bringing
with him strong Anglo-Saxon sympa-
thies and the traditions of Greeley and
Bennett and Stone, among whom he had
served his apprenticeship in the art
preservative of all the arts and from
whom he had derived the habit of direct
and independent thinking and writing.
This stirring youngster was III. Nj.
Whitney and the paper he started seven
years later was called The Pacific Com
mercial Advertiser. In the intervening
time he had gained a clear knowledge
of local conditions by service in the
business department of The Polyne-
sian.
For more than a generation. though
not continuously. Mr.. Whitney was the
active director of this paper. man
so influentially placed is able to do an
enormous amount of good or of harm
to the community, according to his
Temperament and principles. look
through the files of the old paper shows
that Mr.. Whitney always followed
policy of good will, of conciliatioh and
of encouragement to those benign en-
terprises which, in less than half
century, have raised Hawaii from low
estate of semi barbarism to its pres
ent rank as a civilized land and COM
mercial and business center. Not that
the Advertiser was amiable to the point
of forgetting it's duty to the cause of
good government, for under Mr. Whit
ney's direction the paper spoke in no
uncertain tones on the great questions
of moral citizenship. But this, after
all, was but a phase of its leading
policy, the material Improvement and
upbuiding of Hawaii nei; it being true
then as now that between good gov
eminent and commercial health is
bond which cannot be severed without
cutting an artery
If one goes to the final analysis of
things Mr. Whitney may be set down
as the most influential citizen of Ha-
wall during his active journalistic life.
A man who writes for his country ev-
cry secular day in the year as he did
addressing his arguments to the whole
people and educating men all the While
to his way of thinking about public
questions, Yields directly and indirect
N an influence which is hard to meas
lure and with which no other individual
force bears comparison. The politician
works for his party only during cam
paigns and legislative sessions, but the
political editor works for it the year
around The Chamber of Commerce
rises to meet trade emergencies when
they come: the commercial editor works
month in and month out to prevent
their coming; the citizen only awakes
to his duty when the alarm bell rings
and the editor rings the bell. In ways
which neither he nor the public appre-
ciate the influence of man placed
as Mr.. Whitney was ramifies through
all departments of life, affects the con-
duct of enemies as well as friends and
by shaping public opinion finally crys-
of legislation During his cycle of labor
on the press, Mr.. Whitney not only
wrote enough matter TO fill the volumes
of a library but he left distinct even
if not always an acknowledged impress
on all the institutions of Hawaii.
Mr.. Whitney though burdened with
infirmities. the partial loss of his eye
sight among the rest kept in touch
with the printing press until the middle
of April of last year when he relin- !
quished the editorship of The Planters |
Monthly. During his long life in Homo !
lulu he was honored with various pub |
lie positions-which he in turn honored
among them the Postmaster-G
ship of the Kingdom. AS an official he
was, in a very high degree, useful TO the
islands, making marked improvements
in the manner of conducting public
business.
With the details of Mr., Whitney's
career this journal of his founding
deals at length in its news columns.
1t is sufficient here to speak of his char
acter, which was ock-ribbed i'm the
qualities of manliness. \ clearthink-
ing, genial man, transparency honest,
n Christian in faith and practice, al
ways on the right side of moral issue,
Mr. Whitney illustrated the best that
was i'm the American citizenship of his
day and generation. He has gone now
and will not pass this way again, but
the influence he leaves behind will
lengthen the usefulness OF his life into
"A time when those who knew his per-
sonality shall have passed away,
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