The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-16

The full text of Hon. Gorham D.
Gilmans address on Hawaii at the
Mohonk Conference appears below:
Mr.. President Ladies and Gentle
men: I regret that the limited time
allotted to me prevents my giving you
some account of one of the most inter-
esting people of the island world of the
great Pacific, of their early history,
traditions, customs, government, OF
their discovery and development from
barbarism, ido1atry and degradation to
civilization and Christianity-all with
in the comparatively short space of
hundred and a few years. of the great
active and extinct volcanoes, of its
beautiful valleys and scenery, and all
the attractions of a Paradise of ma
ture but I must confine myself to a
brief resume.
THE TERRITORY OF HAWAII
THE CROSSROADS OF THE
GREAT OCEAN-THE PARADISE
OF THE PACIFIC.
The political evolution Of Hawaii from
savage feudalism to royal authority,
to a republic and now to close union
with great nation affords material
for most interesting study, and the
tremendous changes of the last thir-
teen years especially.
In January, 1891, King Kalakaua died,
and his sister, Queen Liliuokalani, be-
came the reigning sovereign. Under
the Queen was continued the conflict
begun under the King, between those
with whom had not completely died out
the despotic ideas of feudal ancestry,
and those who had imbibed the prin-
ciples of Anglo-Saxon liberty. This
conflict eliminated in the attempt OF
the Queen in January, 1898, to over
throw the Constitution she had solemn
ly sworn to support, proclaim one
which would have destroyed most of the
| safeguards to life and property, and
Introduce strongly autocratic govern
rnent.
She failed and to the monarchy sue
| ceeded the provisional Government, .
its title designating its characterize
aim to promote the union of the is
lands to the United States. But IN
expected obstacles interviewed, and in
self-defense the foreign population,
with some native Hawaiians, combined
| to constitute the Republic of Hawaii,
Hon. Sanford B. Dole continuing to
act as chief executive. Efforts were
continued to secure the primary OBJ
| ject of the Provisional Government, the
| admission to the United States. The
| tender of the islands to this country
was repeatedly made until by the
| ''Newlands Resolution" passed by
| both Houses of Congress, signed by
President Mckinley April 80, 1900, the
| islands We're admitted as a territory
of the United States.
| The early missionaries of the A. B
! C. F. NJ. to Hawaii were instructed
not to interfere in the political affairs
of the country to which they were sent
| They were Americans, however, who
had been educa ted in the principles OF
| civil and religious liberty, and although
| they obeyed their instructions they
could not well help teaching as they had
been taught, that where there is light
| there is liberty. and in the light of the
Gospel is freedom and progress.
| Today the missionary pioneers have
| passed to their reward, and are en-
titled to grateful remembrance for work
we'll done, but their children, the ac-
| tive forces in the country, have now
come into the place of influence and
| power. Others also, not sons, but
those who went from this country, Ger
many and England and her colonies,
| inheriting the same fundamental prin-
| ciples, the same desire for safe, stable
and constitutional government, united
in one common cause IN which also the
| intelligent and educated Hawaiians
| heartily joined. that the words of King
Kamehameha III, the motto on the seal
of State might be perpetuated, The
7 &I1 e III cd rio hr
eousness-"
In the institution by Congress of the
Territory of Hawaii the little republic
became merged in the greater country
which had always been the protector
and guardian of the once far off isles
~ the Pacific. It was a most alluring
anticipation to those children of Anglo
Saxon blood that by this union with the
mother country they were at once to