The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-11-15
HAWAIIAN GIVEN
VOTE TOO EARLY
DR.. SCudder Stated Belief That
Franchise Should Have
Been Withheld.

Rev. DOremus scudder, pastor of Cen
trail Union Church, Is quotedsby the San
Francisco Pacific, October %, with hav-
ing made some radical statements re-
garding the Hawaiian electorate. The
Pacific says;
At the meeting of the American Mis-
sionary Association last week in Bos-
ton, the Rev. DR.. Doremus Scudder, pas
tor Of the Central Union Church of Ho-
nolulu, said that chief of the problems
in Hawaii just now is the Hawaiian
voter. His words were in part;
"Senator Morgan of virile memory
knew that when ne served on the com
mission to recommend an act to con-
gress for the government of our young
est and now our only remaining Terri
tory. Tine South had been taught this
lesson by the most drastic experiences
any section of our nation has ever
known. Hence the Alabama senator, as
well as his four confreres in the COM
mission, favored a franchise for Ha-
wall based upon thrift and intelligence.
1t would have been well for the Ia
waiians if congress had needed the ad-
vicd of these statesmen. What his own
chiefs and kings, what provincial gov
eminent and republic knew, that the
average native did not yet possess the
power to govern himself, congress es-
sayed to give it to him. So it put the
ballpt in Ibis hand and made him at
once the bone of contention between
graft hating supporters of good govern.
ment on the one hand, and the unscru-
puious, liquor dealing, law despising ele-
ment on the other.
'The Hawaiian is the prey of the
INSCRIPTIONS. In the prohibition pie
biscite last July some 10000 votes were
cast, the liquor men securing more than
1000. 1t cost them, according to the
best authority l can find, from $4,000
to 100000 to do it.
"'Seven years. residence in Hawaii
has convinced me that the American
negro of the future will have cause co
look back with gratitude to the action
of his southern white brother in de-
priving him of the ballot until he should
have demonstrated his ability to use
and not abuse it. He will esteem it a
real service to his race, Notwithstanding
the manner in which it was done. In a
democratic electorate majority ele'
ment which is too ignorant or unde'
veloped or tnriftless for self-govern-
ment is a deadly menace to free inst
tutions. For the great temptation fac
ing the minority in such a community
is to control the majority by means
which, by debauching it, shall negative
all possibility of character development.
The gift of the franchise to the Ha.
waiian without safeguarding conditions
was the cruelest present our nation
could have handed them.
"The problem before the Christian
citizenship of the Territory is to coun-
teract the effect of this blunder. 1t
is no easy task, and it does not seem
as though much Roadway is being made.
The dread question is, Will liquor and
its comrade, tuberculosis, end the Ha-
waiian before any substantial gain shall
have been registered? There is no time
! to talk about our Asiatic problem. This
| is so little dreaded that we should not
mind congress admitting a little more
of it from China and Japan. We are
busy preparing some 10000 of our
Asiatics, born on our shores, to become
| as good Americans as the second gen
Grafton of your immigrants here IN
Boston"
In the course of. his address Doctor
Scudder said:
Hawaii today is a blissful center Of
Christian union. We dom use the word
Congregational out there; we don't need
to. We have the thing; why bother
about divisive namel We also have
the best of Presbyterianism in our
polity, the fervor of Methodism, the
whole Pacific Ocean for the Baptist part
of us. The Hawaiian community some
day will knock at the door of congress,
and Notwithstanding The Outlook IS hor.
ror of the outcome, will be admitted
among the sovereign States of the
Union"
In the above, if Doctor Scudder is
correctly quoted a radical change of
sentiment is to be found. In an article
written for the Independent in May of
1907, he says:
''In fine, it is not too much to say
that the hope OF honest government for
this Territory lies to no small degree
in the Hawaiian, and that there is the
best of reasons for believing that he
will justify expectations. Congress
made no mistake in granting manhood
suffrage to its midpacific Territory"
-s-<-O--
The State game warden has issued q
license to hunt in Texas to William j