The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-03-17
ECHO Of OLDER
DAYS IS HEARD
BOTH PARTIES WHO FOUGHT IN
'os HEARD AT MEETING
YESTERDAY.
(From Wednesday Advertlssr.)

(From Wednesdays Advertlser.)
An echo Of the days OF the revolu.
tion Of 1895, when the residents Of
Hawaii, haole and Hawaiian, wero
divided into bitter factions, the mem
DRY Of which has in some slight
measure survived to the present time,
was heard yesterday in the meeting of
the ways and means committee Of the
senate when the bill TO refund to John
A. Cummins the fine he paid at that
time came up for hearing,
For just a few minutes during the
time that this bill was before the com
mittee there fitted over the cinemato-
graph screen Of legislative action one
brief view of the days before Amer
lean occupation, when the destinies of
the Hawaiian kingdom were drawing
to close. Each successive session of
the American legislature which sits in
the high seats of Hawaiian kings hears
less of these old days as American
ideals rapidly force the Consciousness
of the country's independent existence
into the faded corners Of the recollee-
ton of the native race.
One poetic feature of the brief
meeting yesterday was the presence on
the committee, hearing the claims of
the old high chief, of one of the men
who opposed him in the days when he
pleaded guilty to a charge of treason
against the country-Cecil Brown.
The first speaker on behalf Of the
claimant was w. R. Castle, who ap-
pearad as a private citizen only and
not connected with Cummins except
through personal friendship. He made
strong plea for the old man, asking
that the ghost of the anlmosities aris-
ing at that Tina be laid by the legis-
lature in the remittance Of the fine
paid by Cummins for treason together
with interest on it.
Answering Chairman Fairchild, he
stated that he believed he was repre-
senting the sentiments of the entire
community in asking for the discon-
tinuance of the old political feuds and
the official recognizance by the gov
eminent of all parties who figured in
the days of '95.
Here Cecil Brown raised for one mo-
ment the ghost of the old days before
it was again laid, probably for the last
81 know a good deal about this Incl
dent, :" he said. 81 was one of the party
that went to Kailua, 1 and Alfred Car
ter, to intercept the guns which we I'M
derstood were to be landed from Rabbit
Island at Kailua, wrapped in ii leaves
and taken to Washington Place. The
information came to us from boat
boy"
-
fact that out of the number tried for
the same offense by the officers Of the
provisional government and sentenced,
Cummins alone paid the penalty, the
sentences in all the other cases being
committed.
Lorrin Andrews, speaking on behalf
of but without the knowledge of Cum
Minis and also on the request of w. o.
Smith, who was unable to be present
at the meeting, made a strong appeal
for the passage of the bill.
Andrews is a neighbor of "Uncle
John" and close friend, and the pic
ture he was able to give of the latter 3
private life added to the strength of the
appeal.
Senator Fairchild held himself dis
qualified to speak by reason of dis.
tant relationship, except to say that he
believed the hard feelings of times gone
by should be laid away before a man
dies.
Following a short discussion the com
mittee unanimously voted to recon-
mend the bill for passage. The bill is
a familiar one in the legislature, having
passed both houses during the last ses.
sion when it was killed by pocket veto.
Cummins share in the "treason,'i
for which he paid large fine and bare.
ly escaped from a long jail sentence,
consisted, according to testimony at the
court martial which tried him, princi-
pally in harboring Major Seward, his
friend, who was responsible for the al
legged landing of arms and ammunition
on Rabbit Island.
AT that time Cummins had withdrawn
from politics following the nonsuccess
of the commission which the Queen sent
to Washington, pleading for reinstate-
ment, on which he served. At the time
Seward was landing arms on the little
volcanic isle off Makapuu point, Cum
minis was engaged in looking after his
own interests in Waimanalo and Kali
lua, but was the host of Seward and a
close personal friend at the time.
He afterwards admitted that he knew
of the arrangements Seward was MAX
ing and in fact the latter had appar-
emily set one of Cummips' boys at Ma
kapuu TO watch for the tug that was to
land the arms. This action was without
Cummins approval, however.
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