The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-12-30

cember 3, in answer to an interview
given the Boston publication by w. r.
Castle. Some weeks ago The Advor !
tiser published a brief report Of Doctor
Scudder S address before the American,
Missionary Association, in which heI
was quoted as saying that the franchisel
had been given to the native Hawaii
ans without being properly safeguard
ed. This was followed by an interview
with Mr.. Castle, also taken from the
Transcript, in which Mr.. Castle took
exception to Doctor Scudder's remarks
Now, in response, Doctor ScudderI
writes:
Reply to w. R. Castle.
To the Editor of the Transcripts
Our local daily, The Advertiser, this
morning printed the account of an in
terview published in recent Trans.
clipt which contained criticisms by myl
good friend Hon. w. Il. Castle uponI
some statements made by me in an ad.
dress delivered before the Americana
Missionary Association in fremont
Temple last October. The offhand ma.
ture of an interview doubtless aceoantsl
for some of his unguarded expressions;
hence what would be my surprise at
siderably mitigated.
Mr.. Castle did not hear my address
or he could not have criticized it as he
did, and indeed he seems not to have
read carefully your brief report of it.
[ made no statement that would give
any color to the inference that the
franchise had not been granted to the
Hawaiian people by rulers of their own
race. On the contrary, the cruX of my
argument on this head was that those
rulers had safeguarded by wise restric,
tons this gift and that congress had
been urged by its commissioners, Sena'
tors Cullen and Morgan, Representative
Hit President Dole and Chief Justice
Frear of the Republic of Hawaii, to
take the same safe course, but that it
refused to do so.
The Limited Franchise.
In 1910 Kamehameha III. instituted
a legislature of one chamber, composed
of fifteen hereditary mobiles named by
himself and seven representatives chos'
en- in informal manner by the people
in 1852 a more carefully drawn constl'
tution. in which the hand of his mis-
slonary advisers was unhidden, ordain-
ed a two.chambered legislature of not
more than thirty mobiles, chosen for life
by the king, and twenty-four to forty
representatives elected by manhood
suffrage. The ballot here was restricted
by shutting off all the people except the
| king from any share in the selection Of
the members of the upper house.
In practise it was found that all the
people were not ready for the. privilege
of electing representatives, and in 1864
Kamehameha promulgated a new con
stitution which substituted legislature
of one chamber with not more than
twenty mobiles appointed by the king
and with from twenty four to forty
representatives. Only persons with a
certain amount of property were to be
! eligible to election as representatives
and the electors were required both to
be able to read and write and to pos
sess a small amount of property. The
| king well knew that what the Hawaiian
most needed was some incentive to IN
dustry and thrift This constitution
permitted the property qualifications to
be increased but not diminished.
In 1857 revolution, engineered by
the whites, reestablshed n two-cham,
bercd legislature of elective mobiles and
representatives with property qualiiiea-
tions for eligibility. Electors of mobiles
were required to own considerable prop
erty. but this restriction did not apply
TO citizens voting for members of the
lower house.
Restrictions Under Republic.
In 1894 the republic in its senate and
house each of fifteen members and IN
the electorate maintained like condi-
tions. Thus throughout Hawaii's his
tory the franchise was hedged about
with restrictions, and after experiment
lasting twentyfOur years it was found
necessary by the Hawaiian king, IA
mebameha ", to impose educational
and property qualifications that still
further limited the right to vote.
With compulsory education and the
school habit developed through several
generations there was no special danger
of illiteracv among Hawaiians, hence
the relative unimportance of the educa-
tiOnal qualification Continuously re-
CURED since 1863, which was wisely
retained after annexation.
Where Congress Erred
Where congress wronged the native
was in abolshing the property quail.
fiCation, or in words of my address IN
giving 'lne lFhucHlht ~ lh' lihNhl-
ians without safeguarding conditions, -
and in thus laying emphasis upon the
ballot as manhood right instead Of
privilege 10 be earned by Il certain
amount of character development. Not
that money is TO be made the measure
Of character by any means, but as
Booker Washington Is 50 wisely teach
ing his race, thrift Is most important
element Ia training manhood, and far
more important here even than In "A
rugPeder cline,
Tho immediate outcome Of our ma
tlonal policy was 10 put the Hawaiian
race in nominal possession of highly
organized government which II was en
tIrely untitled by character or intel
leetual development 10 administer The
llawaiinus never had administered con.
stImtioual government because their
ehiefs and kngs hnd suffered them
solves, on since 1857, had heou SOM
| ppllei ~ te guided hY whites The
only persons competent 90 diraai af
WIIf hprl were che white people lu
! uwrT o. govern thp Territory therefore
after annexation ihn natives hnd ~ he
managed Ihr easiest NHY a. dHrrt
] III NJ. .....H..H ..I..E...f.. AND II.U