The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-01-26


Interference with Personal Liberty.
The first speaker on the resolution
was Professor Babson of the College
of Hawaii, who said that he was as
strong backboned an American as any
born under the Stars and Stripes, but
was in favor of the resolution, which
betokened no disloyalty. The present sit
uation resulted in the personal liberty
of the citizen being abridged, inasmuch
as the shipping laws in.erfered with
the freedom of travel. AS an instance
he related personal experience.
Last July he received a semionicial
position in Hawaii, being engaged to
join the faculty of the College of Ha-
wall When he was appointed, he was
in Boston, and he consulted the ship
ping agents in order to secure passage
down here. He found out that the
only American vessel leaving an Amer
lean port for Hawaii which would
bring him here on time was full. A
Japanese liner was leaving San Fran
cisco on which he could have sailed to
reach here for the opening of the coli
lege, but this he could not sail on.
81 was compelled then to go out of
my own country to foreign port to
take foreign liner for this American
Territory. / was not the only Ameri- |
can who had to sail from that foreign
port, and in discussing the matter on
the way down the opinion among us
was unanimous that there was some
thing wrong when American laws made
American citizens leave their own
country in order to sail for another
part of their own country. The ques-
tion Of patriotism has nothing to do
with this question of geography. There
is as much patriotism in attempting
to remedy this extraordinary condition
and emergency as there is in handing |
over American interests to foreign con |
suls in the event of war. As | under
stand it, we are simply trying to es-
tablish normal conditions here, and it |
is making mountain out of mole /
hill to impugn anyone's patriotism
over it,
Compliments for Matson.
There were calls for l.. A. Thurston |
on the conclusion of Professor Bah
sons remarks, and in response Mr.. /
Thurston made a terse argument in
favor of the resolution and took occa-
sion of the opportunity to pay tribute |
to the worth of Captain Matson to the
commerce of the Pacific. He said in
part:
Gas to the question whether this !
suspension of the coastwise laws would
hurt the existing American lines,
think it can be shown that it will not. |
With free travel the passenger traffic
would grow larger, especially if it were
no longer advertised that those coming
here can not get away. l am told by
those who have come here from the
Orient that that is steady and regu-
lar statement made by the agents of
the Pacific Mail in Japan. Those who
make inquiries regarding staying over
here are advised not to. Instead of
our passenger traffic growing, under
these conditions, it is not only not
going to grow, but it is going to de-
crease. Under these circumstances, if
we can have temporary boats, we can
advertise that those who come to Ho-
nolulu to visit can get away on any
steamers they choose. Then we will
have great influx of tourists and
every tourist we can get here is a
great advertisement for Hawaii-he is
walking advertisement paying his
own expenses.
"We will have the subsidized steam
ships then working up a business for
the new American steamships that will
be built for the increased traffic that
will become theirs automatically as soon
as they are able to handle it. These
foreign steamers will build up a bust.
ness for us which does not now exist,
and in working for this suspension of
ba tN.rica 1at,r
ing directly for the benefit of American
shipping"
Mr.. Thurston stated that he and Mr..
Shingle had presented this phase of the
matter to various steamship men on the
Coast some time ago. The general man.
ager of the American Hawaiian com,
pany had agreed not to oppose the Ku-
hio bill if the matter of perishable
freight be left out of the bill; Mr..
Schwerin had also agreed not to OPP
pose it; Captain Matson so agreed; the
only one who said he would fight the
bill was John d. Spreckels, and he has
been fighting it tooth and nail ever
since
~ do not know what has caused
Captain Matson to change his mind
about this matter,'' continued Mr.
lHurstOn, 'Dut i want TO empnatlcally
disagree with the idea that in this mat
ter we are opposing the Matson Naviga-
tion company. For myself, l glory in
Captain Matson, who by his own worth
and energy has grown to what he is.
a power among the shipping men of
the Pacific. l remember him when
twenty years ago he came to these wa
ters as the captain of schooner, and
| have known him since, when he
changed his schooner for a brig, the
brig for ship, the ship for feet
and then for a steamship, buying an
old transport and putting her in the
Hawaiian trade. Now he is recognized
as leader in the shipping trade of
this part of the Atlantic and | believe
that he will eventually dominate in
this trade. We will help make business
for Captain Matson and on the business
We will have / expect to see Captain
Matson here some day with his own
Manchuria, Korea and Mongolia"
]. P. Cookies Kokua.
r p CooEn andorsnd oyarytb;nr +bot .