The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-02-24

THE HAWAIIAN STAR,
own way--lt secured the guarantee of
the protection of the military and
naval resources of America. In ex
change for its custom receipts and
harbors and few minor considera-
tons, it also secured settled reciprocal
trade conditions with the mainland
and such assistance to it's chief in
dustry as a tariff, be it high or low,
can afford But in securing these
desirable things, the conditions which
were the unsettled conditions of
decade ago have become the unusual
and peculiar and perplexing condi.
tons of today.
Let us briefly review some of the
peculiar conditions to which frequent
allusion must be made in every dis
cussion of Hawaii's problems.
AS has been intimated, the group
is six days sail from the nearest port
from which it can purchase it's sup
plies or send it's produce. Yet Homo
lulu is held to be coast port of the
United States and the American coast
ing and shipping laws are rigidly en-
forced. AS a result nearly one-half
of the limited number of transpacific
-N, hof af hn ic1o az
so penalized by the federal govern.
ment as to prevent them from carry
ing passengers or freight to or from
the mainland.
Consider this group-this island
Territory-so different from all other
lands on earth, as being part and par.
eel of this great homogeneous group
of States. Think of it being governed
in the final analysis, in even matters
of detail, by the Congress of the
: United States whose seat of deliber.
alton is five thousand miles away over
| land and sea. Think of the Terri
tory's single federal representative
sitting in the congress, deprived of
vote and depending entirely upon
his persuasive powers in his endeavors
to present the islands peculiar con-
! ditions and secure fair treatment
where questions concerning Hawaii
and his constituents are concerned.
Consider the million and a quarter of
dollars in tariff duties that is annually
collected, largely from Hawaiis alien
population, and turned into the fed
eral treasury, to be returned to the
Islands in part, or not at all, in ma,
tional improvements to be voted at
the pleasure or caprice of congress
Consider the unprecedented spectacle
of the legislature of the Territory
finding it to the best interest OF the
people they represent, to be willing and
glad to defray from the territorial
treasury the travelling expenses of q
4 large party of congressman, in order
to induce them to visit the Islands
that they might see and know al
least something of the problems with
which they alone can deal. Think o.
the native Hawaiian population of
the Islands, intelligent as they may
be, with history and temperament Of
their own, being in undisputed con
troll of the elections and of local at
fairs, administering with undoubte6
capacity the revenues of the Territory
95 per cent of which are derived IRON
i, property owned by other than the
Hawaiian race. Consider that the ma
iority of the entire population of the
islands is already made up of alieI
races. In short, place Hawaii as 6
: territory of the United States along
side of any other state or territory
and note the differences. VIII lane
laws that sunlce to settle and develoI
Nebraska be sufficient and proper fol
Hawaii? Will transportation regula
tions that satisfied Iowa, with her net
work of railroads, be just and fall
:. when applied to these far away is
lands with their occasional steamer
1t is the hopelessness of just suct
comparisons that more than hal
dozen years ago forced the conviction
home to me, in which l am glad t.
say others have since begun to agree
that something really basic must bt
done to give back to Hawaii her mos
important economic rights, If the ter
ritory is to develop in the all-rount
way that it should and of which it'
early history gave promise.
Though it is now well on the ToaC
to becoming the greatest naval anC