The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-15
RAINBOW CHASING.

part of the United States exemption
from the operation of laws which ap
ply to all other parts, are presented
elsewhere in this paper. They are moi
only the opinions of Mr.. Swanzy, but
they have been adopted by the Cham
Der of Commerce and form the basis OF
a memorial to Congress. As such
individually and collectively, they are
entitled to a fair hearing.
Mr.. Swanzy's contention is, if we in
terpret it rightly, that, to find the pot of
gold on the end of rainbow would be
a good thing for this community, hence
the wisdom of all going in chase of the
pot For ourselves we do not regard
such a chase as worth while. The
Advertiser wants to go after something
attafnable and would be glad to join
the Chamber of Commerce in such a
quest--in an effort, for example, to
secure low ocean rates for tourists
by pledging to any line or lines that
would grant them enough freight bust
ness to make the venture pay.
In treating the proposal by the
Chamber of Commerce to seek relief
from the operation of the United
States navigation laws, this paper con-
ceded the good which the community
would get from such measure. But
the laws of the United States are not
devised for single communities but for
the whole country; are not designed
to confer merely local benefits but the
greatest good to the greatest number.
There are seaboard cities on the main
land which would be the better off
commercially for free trade. But for
an obstructive tariff, which does so
much for manufacturing cities and
agricultural regions, the seaboard
town would see its wharves lined with
ships, it's railroads burdened with i'm
ported merchandise, its hotels full and
fits business places thriving. But the
Chamber of Commerce of such a city
would never think for a moment of
asking Congress to exempt the place
from the tariff laws. 1t would know
that the proposal could not possibly
bring results, other than derisive
speech or two in Congress and some
acrid squibs in the the newspapers
Another illustration. There are
some millions of people in the United
the Tennessee, West Virginia and Car
DINA mountains, who feel that they |
are badly treated by the internal reve- |
nue. laws. They raise corn and tobac- |
co and have very little cash indeed |
with which to buy store products. |
They argue that the United States has |
no right, when they boil a little corn
and distill whiskey or when they roll |
up their tobacco leaves into cigars, to |
tax them for it, and they could frame |
a very good plea indeed as to the |
financial benefit they would get |
through special exemption from the |
revenue statutes. But even they |
would not ask for such exemption
They know that the fiscal laws of the
country are made for all alike and they
would not respect newspaper which
tried to persuade them that time and
money spent in trying to induce Con-
gress to tighten the common burdens
In one place and thus increase them in
another, would be well-spent.
Coming back to the special Hawaiian
requests for an abatement OF the Nav
igation laws and for the return of the
tariff receipts, the Advertiser does not
=, |
Of any disregard of the financial needs
of the Territory. These needs are
enough, Heaven knows. But
what is the use of bending energies
which might be usefully employed, in
chasing a will o the wisp? Hawaii,
unlike Porto Rico and the Philippines,
is organized as part of the United
States and must bear its full share
of the burdens in return for its full
share of the privileges. 1t is not
within the sphere of colonial or insular
concessions. True, the Navigation
laws were not framed, originally, for
nom contiguous coasts, but they have
been made to apply to them, not first
Az ouh case Jul iliSI III liS SeiSS SA |
Alaska. They have stood the tests of
years; they are of general advantage
to the country; they have back of them
the enormous shipbuilding interests of
the United States, the established pol
icy of economic protection and the
sentiment of the dominant party in
American affairs. No plea that little
Hawaii could make in its own behalf
could possibly avail against a law so
solidly backed and buttressed. AS a
colony we could ask for much that is
denied us as a Territory; as a Terri
tory we cannot hope to get anything
from Congress the benefits of which
are not equally shared by other States