Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 19, 9 October 1893 — TOPICS OF THE DAY. [ARTICLE]
TOPICS OF THE DAY.
The Hnwaiu.a Comraonwealth‘ That i* accnr«i*og to the Star the ne**- title by <which Mr. J. L. Stevena’ «•lmirrMtrHti ,, n is to be known The ?stt'e cliqne wbieb «t pre«ent is »lluwe»l to rnn ihe governraent i« £etting tire»\ o£ being prf*vi«ion«l «n<l iuten»ls i<* »<lopt th» title of ‘ eommonw»<«lth.” «n expreseion borrowed frora M ‘i h n«e4t* the plaee from whenee «11 oor Cjjristi«n ( .1 rnlers haile«l an»l originated aml were esporte»l on tl*e nsnal tenfeot< 8ubscription. The St*r «loea not tho«igh give ns the pr«) gr«mme of the revoiutionists in fnll. The i»le« of Mr. Hatch who nt present furnishes the g >vernment with l»rains is t<» etlect a con»promise with the opposition ilie object of whieh will he io satisfy the royalists withnat rt«storiug the monarcby. it is believed that by oth<rii)g oue or two cahinet poaitions to men who h«ve iniiuepee an»l corainan<l a considerahle following among tho leading roya!ists, th»t a |>erraanent republican form of government eau be securtd. an»l tlin t a compromi.se administration eau risk to iueet tbe people at the ballot box and bo 8ustainej. Mr. H«tcb is nn»louht»*dly a long bea»le<l man, and he is more over a fearloss tuaii, heeanne the step whieh it is propose»l to hike, will not he receive»l witb very go»>»l grace ainong tbo rabid ultr*-annexationists. Tbe.se nar-row-luiuded aii»l higote«l politicians wlio have receive»l their |»olitical e*lucation as ward-ruuners in S»n Fruu* cisco an*l other '*provinci«r’ citics in the Uttite»l St.<tes he lieve that the preseatgovern i.eat ean go on forever withoot tbe will of the nation being eon8ulted. They believe th«t as long as they have g*>t the saudbags around the palueeaml Soper and Kodgers and tbe gatlinggnas tbat they c«n eoniinue m power, dnw their government salaries and ilamn t:ie |HH>ple. Politici«ns of that stripe are often to l>e fouud in th« large cities of ln>th tbe old, an*l new world, and it is a t*sk occasionally for the loaders of « p*rty t > administer the proj>er ma.*AUff and lomi■ lomi thoir swelled heads iuto their natnral size and sba(>e. Tae Ha«-aiian Govemnieut possess»>s in Mr. Hatch ao«l Mr. Damon two long headed men. | who ean look into tbe fntnre aiul who realixe tbat accorvling to history and to all historical precedents. a free people canuot be deprived for ever of a voK-e in the management of its goverum«nt. nor eao a people use»l to exeroise the rights and privileges of the fraocbtse be b«rred for ever from eujoyiog snoh nghts. They also re<dise tbal whatever tbe futur-> o! Hawaii may be, let ! u> say a territory or a state or a ' rvpuh!ic under tbe proteotor»te
V * otf JLmerica. the day aast oome. and >t eanwol be far diatant. «hea the main prūiciple <rf Ani<riciD GesemiEcnt must b« j dotntaating tbe principfe of 8elf- j goverament. M hen that dav eomea—be it to-morrew. or « vear, or five years henee. the men wbo now osorp the govemmeni a£ainst tba w»ll of tbe people wiJl be swjmped. acd they wiii beiSO b«»llr defe«te»l. th«t it oi«y be Hrxpectett tbat ;t sy6tem of reaetioa &n»l reAali«tion will be ti»e ordex of tb« day. Aatl that will not be to tbe beuefit «f the r>Hiiitry. It i« to |>rovi»le for this tsoiergea»'v «nd to ga<ml ag«inst thĪ8 sans »lefeut t!*it Mr Hat*;h and Mr Damoa—siirewd j»oliticiHns «s thev are, intend t*> esUbliah an q*parontly j>erm«a»*ut governi«ient with « connpromwe administr«tion. Will they sncceed? M’ell —that is another qnestion. We nnderst.»nd that the meu upon whom these wily jH>liticians have fixe»i their eyes are Messrs Godfrey Brown and N.nimanii, — \Ve do not f >r a minute »leny that the solection is good an»l th«t it j>roves the cleverness of Mr. Hatch. The two gentlem*-n m*-ntioned, bave great inilnenee with, yes, to jycert.iin e\tentcontrol of the rovalists an*l if t!iey could be induced to j«»in hau ls with Mr. H »toh tl»e standing of tl»e present governmeut would be materially altered. The plan would further be to m.ike a constitntion for the ‘•Hawaii&o Commonwealth.” The constitution w<>ul<l of conrse be b;ise*l on the raost advanced prinoij>les. an«l «s far as tbe hj>jx*avanoe »>f it would be a ni<»st accoj>table fundamental law. Bot the “nigger iu tlie fenoe,” would be that the first eleotiou woulii be arrango»l t*> t»ke j>lace sav in 1H96. wherebv virtually the People wouKl be »lej>rived of «ny voioe in the raattjrs pertaining to the government for at lo«st two vears. Suol» a j»orio»l w«»uld be considered sufficient for the con»binati»»n cabinet to inanipulate i>ublic seutiments aml it wonKl l»e cou.si»lere»l s;»fe f*>r suoh an administration to ask for the suj>port of the people at the ba!lot box »t s; ch u dist«nt date. But tbe garae will m>t work worth a cent. lu the first plaee we do not believe for a momenl that «ny j>rominent roy«lists ean be fouml willing to join tl»e reIk»1s now in j>ower aml even if anv one di»l nothing wouKl be gained as far ss the aunexHtlon»sts are concerned. The bittor aml uncoroproraising hnstility with whieh the loral Hawaiiaus aml their friend- view the foreign a lventnrers. who basely have mis- ! nsed tho bospita]ity aml generosity shown to tbem. will never oease. There ean be no comprtv mise. The insnlts aml outrages heaj>ed on the Qneen and ber loya! friends and followers ean not Ik> wipe*l cnt, forgotten. and forgireu by otfering high plaeee and |>ositious to one or two leading roval»sts. Any atteu»j>t on the part of Uie traitors who basety stabbed the Hawaiian ualion to the beart nnder tbe poweHnl protection of Amenoan bayouets. to compro-
ao«i a£lia’:e shoal<i be re—siern!y anJ emphatic*Ily rejecfelE^Cet\thfi Prori<ion«I GoTemment cb\nge its name aod assonie any title it mav please. Let it be called the CoromonweaItb of Hawaii, or tbe Coromonweallh of Hades. Bnt let all frionds of Hawaii remain true, and firm. and nuw»Turingly stand sbonlder to shon!der in their fight for trae self g*'verc»ent. and in their opposition to tvranny and oliparchy. Mr. s scbeme will fail. There is no possibilitv. no room in H«waii for a couipromise with tbe traitors who to-*lay hold swny. Never nnnd hcw m»uy weary days, mouths,or years the Hawaiians will yet huve to sati'er under their present afHiction, the sun of freedom and libertv will snre1 v arise. and the yoke placed todav on their uecks by the vilfe «e'homeni will be br< ken. At the ballot box the Hawaiians will some day iueet tbe present nsurpeis and till then let them stand true to themselves, trne to their conntiy, and trne to their sovereign. That a cable will be of great benefit to Hawaii, nobody bas ever doubted. To procure it has been the careful »tudy and object of everv good and conscientious statesman in Hawaii. But so far we have got uo nearer to tho mark The Lottery Company. wus pledged under its ch.irter to spend large snm* f-»r the pun-ose of accomplishing a lelegraphio svstem. The frauchiso granted to that company wascancelled by the Provisiouul Government. but if the wise 'aen who performed that remarkablc act are under the impressinn tbat tho Lottery Company qnietly swallowed tbe iuiarv douo to them aud is dormant for over, they aro sotfering u:uler mistake whieh will be corrected in a prominent and, for them, verv unpleasant manner. In the ineantirae an act has been introdueed in tbe l. uited S- -tes Congress by Mr. McCreHry whieh extends the franchise granted to Ciesar Celso Moreno aud associates some years ago. We publish in another eolumn the aei. and it will be satisfactor> to the countiy to learn tbat there is no doubt as to the passage ef the bill, aud that those interested in the matter intend to start work as soon as Congress has taken action. fhe pr»ispects are that Mr. Moreno and his company will have a telegraphic line between Honolulu and San Francisco iu working order l>ef«>re tbe end ot 1894. The Hawaiian j>eople wi!l rejoice when the great project is accomplished and —w»-ll we sympsth ze witb General Hartweil. It is to be regrette<l th»t no •»pori’ ean l*e f«ūrly pracliaetl and enjoye«l in onr little eommnnitv without g.oubUug w th ail its necessaiy consequences of bribery an<l conr<ipt!on entering into it ud destroymg the otberwise wholesome etfect of any manly spt>rt. Horse racing in Hawaii was at one time a j>astim« whieh could boast of a h>gh sl.«n iml and a aoliil repntatioo—bnt how is it now t Nobody who h*s got any sense woaid pat ap a sing?e dol-
}ar here on a hor>e race except a man Beloogmg to a certain rrng. lt is not racing now a-da\-s it is joekeying and we all know it. B was a sport whieh was supjK>rtcrl by the ven>' best elcment in town antil the gambling spirit entere<i even tbere. and a certain first ; class pl»ver was bribe«l to throw a game of gre.»t iuterest Since then the meu whose wis lāPil to the g tme cooled otf »n>l ■ to-day tbere is as mueh “jockeying” on tbe base ball gronnd as t:iere is in Kapiolani Park. S-.uce the boai niee last Satuiday, there ean be no donbt in «the mind of anv f.iir mimleil spectator, that the gamblīng fiend has alst> entered that last of onr noncorruj»tevl sports. The Healanis lost the race. Well and goo<l. Nobo-lv wooUl corament and growl if it had been done fairly an>! sqoarelv But tlie one thing whieh ought to bo exp!ained is the miserablo time mado by : thern. During their training the Healanis in the H»»noluIu Harbor ra»le the s.»mo distance »s vesteniay in 10 minntes and 7 seconds. When they !ast year defeated the Myrtlesthey won the j race in thirteen seconds Iessthan tfaev nsed vestenlay in covering tfae coorse. Now we are ioath to make any accus.itione ngiin~t anybody. bnt tbe pnblic whieh faas followed tfais race for the championshij> with such a great interest has heeome 8Usi»icioos aml suspicions as to fairness aml honesty are the death blows to a!l sports. Ihe Healani boat was jmiled through tho water in tho fasbion of a jnmpii»g and bucking horse. £igbt strokes were lost bv £>UUe Holt being “hnekeil” ofi his seat by these iujuJicious strokes. We do not wish to mako anv iusinuations noranyaccu.sationsagain.st - anybody, bnt we will suggest to ; the morobers of the Healani B->at Clnb tfa.it they pnrify their crew, and eliminate the cause of snspieion—and then go and buy a new boat, *and beat the Myrtles hollow next vear. * Tho nnnsnal s ; glit of a “diplomat,” a fullfledged raiuister plenipotentiary even if it is for sucb a farcical governraeut as the Hawaiian P. G rushing inb> j»rint and getting into newspaj>er controversy with a j>rivate cit<zen must 1h? amnsing to the pe»- i ple conversant with internaMonal i atf»irs. Minister Tnnrst>*n s j open letter to Spreckels in the Washington Pnst is of comse no surpnse t>» H>w,»ii. His laek of tact and gooil forra are so well , known here. Tbat Ihe young man lacks all the breeil;ng an>l instincts of a g»ntlernan has l»e**n • reaiized here for years. It is fais , roisfortnue to be an iil-br»»l aml noe«laoateil raan ntid it i»the mis- ( foitane of tbe P. G. to beoblsged i to submit to coarseness »nd i biun>U-rs of tliiseelf-OpinU»nate<! | bore. e sh»ll refer to the merits of Uis letter in oor uext issae.