The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-11-29

all fair-minded and thinking men make
question. The missionaries and the
public schools have greatly changed
and improved the people in this par
ticular They have taken on some OF
the vices of civilization but 1 am in
formed that fewer are addicted to the
use Of alcoholic liquor to excess than
Is true among Europeans. and the aver
age is very much lower than among
the subjects of Great Britain wherever
they are found.
With them, as a whole. the rights OF
property are sacred. You may leave
your. pocket book filled with gold in a
public place and the chances are bet
ter that it would not be touched or
that 1t would be returned to you than
would be the case in any part OF our
country or Europe. They are neither
thieves, liars or murderers. You need
not lock your doors day or night.
The more fortunes ones (who number
at least one-third of the population of
these islands) are large. strong, hand
some people. have seen here as come
ly men and women, apparently unni1t-
ed aborigines. as you would see in
Spain of pure Castilian blood. Those OF
mixed blood remind me much of the
-
descendants Of the Castilian and the
Moor. The other two-thirds of the pop
! uIation may fairly be divided into a
middle and lower class and they would
4 not compare unfavorably with those
classes of Europeans excepting that
they are much better educated than the
Italian races. They are of a rich, dark
brown color and where mixed have a
yellow tinge.
This applies to all classes. The en-
tire native population are f1ne-looking,
the first and second thirds especially
so. They dress about as we do.
+ There is every evidence that these
people are as a whole contented. and
they show a great deal of patriotism
/ and zeal for their new government and
it's flag. I have had a rare opportuni-
ty. AT the time of this writing 1 have
! just returned from trip of days
from Honolulu, on the island of Oahu,
to Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, at
the other extreme of the group.
I went with the delegation from
Oahu, taking on others at intermediate
islands, to the Republican Territorial
Convention held at Hilo. Fully two
thirds of the delegates were natives
and represented largely the first and
second classes as above described. I
became acquainted with most of them
and nearly all spoke English well. At
several places on the trip-at Hilo spe-
cially-patriotic speeches were made
and the STARS and Stripes" were I'M
furled and cheered to the echo. OBJ
served no remonstrance and should al
most have thought myself travelling in
our far West where sentiments are
practically unanimous affecting our
country and its policy.
1 In talking with these intelligent dele
gates, L discovered no serious sign OF
discomfort The principal objection
| they raised was substantially this:
Since annexation and within four years
the government of the United States
has received from the Hawaiian Is
lands s4,259, 546.S4 in revenue with net
| profit to the federal treasury of ST.
254, 66S.69. Many public works have
tdeteriorated since annexation and these
fair-minded Hawaiians think that the
government is a little slow in making
lappropriat commensurate with the
revenue received. All other complaints
were slight and all these gentlemen
seemed to have faith that all would
speedily be righted. Let US hope so.
The speeches, both enroute and at
the convention, were fair. eloquent and
patriotic There was less of dena-
| gogy than 1 expected, and indeed,
| would have found in the side shows
and post prandial exercises of the dele
gates to the average political conven-
ton Of our own states. Vastly less
than we find at our caucuses-
The Republicans are confronted with
| a political element calling itself the
Home Rule party, which is substan-
TALLY the Democratic party Of these
islands as I understand it. 1t means
statehood to some. independence to the
more radical.
AS TO STATEHOOD.
1t will be asked why, if these people
are SO superior. should they not speed
! lily attain statehood?
| The following reasons are sufficient
| without offering the more general ones
| Of policy or politics. It is COMPARE
| lively a recent thing here that educa-
| ton has been general and compulsory.
! although it existed for some 40 years
| before annexa ton. Before that it was
| rather a matter of church and mission
arv effort and necessarily more limit
ed. but of course, the infancy Of educa-
| ton was a struggling one. Most of
the men 1 met at the convention are up
| to a high standard. but the attainment
| must be more universal and Of at lea st
| two generations. If one is intensely
! democratic and can see no good in eth
er a monarchy or in subject prov
iDce or territory. he could well enough
shout here for Immediate statehood, for
there is no doubt that the white ele-
ment is of high average efd the ma
tive element quite up to the standard OF
many OF our states.-but the time has
| come to go slower in admitting states
into the Union.
But there are other reasons of vast
Importance at present and which are
peculiar to these islands. Nearly two
thirds of the people are Asiatics-Jap
anese and Chinese-who cannot become
American citizens. While these Asiat-