The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-01-06
RACIAL EQUALITY
IN NATURALIZATION
Petition to Secure Such Secures
One Hundred Names Mass d.
Meeting In Protest.

Several months ago petition, ad
dressed to President Wilson, praying
or a greater liberality in the naturali.
alton laws in respect to racial quail.
ications was started in circulation in
honolulu, full publicity to the petition
tself and to the reasons actuating
hose having il in hand being given at
ne time. The fact of the petition has,
APPARENTLY, only come to some and dur.
ng the past few days there has been talk
.)f a mass meeting to protest againsS
he object of the petitioners and Of a
ounter petition to be sent from Homo,
.ulE., The charge is being made tllat
she original petition is one designed t.
ilelp the opposition to the passage OF
he Dillingham; Bill and TO throw q.
alse light upon the ideas Of Honolulans.
espeeting Oriental exclusion. Thf
further claim Is being made that the
petition is being circulated in secret
md that an attempt is being made TO
iide the fact Of the petition from the
:eneral public. M
That tnere has been the least idea
4 secrecy about the matter is denied
~ Rev. +. 3. Scndder, managing edi-
or of the Friend, who has been circu.
iting the petition and advocating the
dea back of it through the columns of
lis publication. There Is nothing to
,e secret about and nothing to be
ishamed about he said last night
when informed by The Advertiser OF
Ghe street talk in the matter.
Outcome Of Recent Friction.
II was the original intention TO send
.he petition on to the President at q
ime when the relations between tthe
United States and Japan were strained
over the passage OF the Anti.alien
and Law in California, and the Dill
ingham Bill, with its possible anti
Japanese clause, was not matter oi
,eneral interest. The securing Of the
Jne hundred desired signatures has
oeen ggslow matter, however, each
igner having been given plenty OF
.tme for consideration hetween having
she matter bfoaehed to him and the
Dissemination Of the paper for his hand
writing s n
To date ninetyseyen signatures have
oeen secured, each sigfef being re-
sponsibleycitizenfan and Well known in the
community. Mr.. Scudder expects to
secure the three more necessary within
a few days, when the petition will be
forwarded to Washington.
The petition is not, as appears to be
supposed, one to let down the bars i'm
diseriminately to japanese, but is one
to raise the naturalization bars so far
as proper safeguards to citizenship are
concerned and then to eliminate the
present bars to properly qualified
orientals. The object Of the petition,
in short, is to make the qualification,
to citizenship high but not dependent
upon color or race. H =. '
~ The Petition Text. '....
3 The full'text of the petition, which
has already been published in these
columns, Isl; .t
$40 the Honorable Woodrow Wilson
President of the United States. -
-Thetundersigned, citizens ant
.esidents OF the Territory OF Hawaii
respectfully make petition, and, fol
grounds therefor, represent as follows
In Hawaii we are. not Conscious o
the existence Of any race question
Every person here is not only theoret
leally bat actually equal before tn
law. Every one in TIE Territory. un.
derstands this perfectly well, and IL
therefore affopds an ease OF mind tha
does not seem TO exist in those parts
Of the world where there is not that
equality. OF course the language bar
rier prevents close social intercourse
but this Is perfectly we'll understood
by our different nationalities and there.
,ore no objection or teehng arises o..
that account.
f " just at the present juncture of al.
fairs in our country we feel that il
would greatly help TO adjust i'll feeling
and get rid of suspicion and soreness,
provided the laws of the United States
were so adjusted as TO revert to the
condition, which was regarded as ideal
by our fathers, that America is a.
refuge for the oppressed Of all nations
and that citizenship might be acquired
In the United States upon compliance
with certain conditions, such as the
ability to understand the laws, customs
aud manners of that country, coupled
with residence Of a number Of years,
etc, The years of prior residence
might well be increased, coupled with
other requirements now set forth in
the laws, and adding thereto such
further requirements as may be neces.
sary to more perfectly safeguard our
institutions; but entirely abolishing
any race distinction. .2...
=" Your petitioners, therefore respect.
fully pray that the influence of your
administration may be thrown in favor
of the enactment of such legislation
in Congress as may be required to do
away with race barriers TO naturaIiza.