Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 115, 17 May 1894 — THE FRANCHISE. [ARTICLE]

THE FRANCHISE.

Present Complications For The C. C. Tlie p. g. orgins are wasting lot- of Hi act* in eiplaining or at-| teni{>ting to eiplain tbe (liUienl tie.s nndtr wbich the gnvernraent; at j>resent is working. Tbei fr.iDchise qaesti<>n to bedecided| on by tbe Con.stitution«l Conven-! tion is so intricate and so difficult t<> solve tbat tbe countr_v is jnst fied in lookiug witb apj>rehension at tbe men in wbose hands tbe tnsk of forming a uew government aud fnming a new Constitution has been entiusted. Tlie fallacy of tbe theories enlurged ujK)ii by the Slar an<l tbe Alvertt.*er is fcasily recogniz:tble by everybody who understand tbe situatiou. The j>. g. organs express themselves as gratified becau.se the Japanese government has made, a treaty revision as far as Hawaii is concerned and has grauted to the Hawaiiaus eeilain rights not yet enjoyed by other foreiguers in Japan. Oue of the privileges is the right to be tried by t Jaj>anese courts a privilege that, i to say tbo least, is of very doubt-| ful valuo. Our couteraporaries forget or aie iguoraut of the fact: that tho main plu.uk in the platform of the I beral j>arty in Japan at the late election was tho de- i mand for treaty-rovisions wbichj will result in placing Japan on exactlv tbe same footing as auv J O • other civilized country. All uations now enjoyiug the exclusive rigbt of establishing eonsular courts iu Japau will, in the future, be placed on the sound aiul j>roper basis of equality with J tj>anese subjects and will have to take tbeir chances before Japanese courts anu at the same time find the interior country oj>ened for them. The p. g. goverumeut claims that it cannot interpret the Hawaiian —Japanesetreaty in any' w«y excej<t as acommerciul treatv and it claims that the “mostfuvored nution clause” has no bearing on ourinterual or domestic atl'airs. Wbat absnrdity' What nousensel The interpre- ! tation of tbe treatv as made bv< w I the Japanese governme it will be paramonut und Hawaii bas simp- ! ly tolnmpit.The Adrert{*ergetaon its dignity and says that Hawaiians in Juj>an cauuot heeome naturalized uor ean thev vote or * own real estate. Nobody deuiesi tl.ese facts and nobodv claimed that they eouhl. But the Ha-i waiiau-Japauese treaty j>rovides tliut the Jiii>anesf rēsiding in liunmi shall et\joy ihe .<ame rigl>(*\ " the suhjeds of ihe inost favored naiion and it doesn’t say a word about the conditions of the Hawaiiana i'n Japan. They eujoy tiio same rigbts as the raost lavored nations aud such rights «re ueither iufringed on norl curtailed iu anv manner. The government orgaus further exj>ress thfcmselves as if tbe only retaliation the Jaj>anese goveru meut proposes. if its just demauds are uot aceeded to, is to stoj> further immigration. They aro way ofi ! Over 20.000 Jajiauese have arrived iu Hawaii uuder the provisious of tbe treaty, whieh works like a contract. The Jaj>anese government inteuds to see_ that the rigbts of these j)eo|>le are grauted to tbe fullest extent and no i mount of argument or| sophistry c*n alter that determi-j uation. We have previously \ demoustn ted that the gractiogj cf the fn ucbise to the Jaj)auese; will at j iesent have veiy littlej practical imjx>rtauce because a very siuali fraction of them so far will be able to fulfill tbe neces&ary qualificationa. But tbere eao be no doobt that the govern-

nient wili be ob!īged to grant the j»rivi!ege of vot;ng to the Japane>e. The Hawaiiacs in Japan enjoy equal right-i with ’ otber foreiguers, the Japanese ic Hawaii must do the same. The next qnestion before oor j eonstitution m ikers is bow t> sati>fv the Chine>e. A >trong \ peiuion s gned bv al! the Ieading [Chiuese b vs heon forwir l- l to ! tbe Cooncils. Tbe Chinese de-, maud renresentation because they ■ y Oiie--fonrtb of ali the t i\e> ;«nd bec r.ise tiie bett.-r clrt-’> cf tbeiu xre j>eimaneut r si ieuts ! bere—ofteu iutermarried with I tbe Hawaiiana. lbe .4 >■* rti'-.r I whioh stands up at all tirne> f>ir i the rigbts of tbe womeo and of tiie Hawaiians faltboogīi it doe>n't mean auytbing in tlie j e tter line) denies the Cbinese t!ie right of representntion becaose I t wouldn t be “ exj>edient; that m.e a n s, of cour.se, advantageous to tbe rais>ioQ : aries. Nevertiieless tIie Chim;-e are sucb an imj>ortant fnctor here, tbat they cannot be over looked or ignored as if tliey werej a lot of insignificant barb irians. If the Cbinese are treated witb coutempt in a mauner heretofore sbown bv tbe AJvertiser au.l tho j j>. g. clique they will take m lters in tbeii own hands and make it uncommonly bot for tbe conventionand'for tbe government. It is woll worth remembering tbat so far tbe “club,'’ bas only betn heard from and the leaders tbere —all rich merchants—«reincliued to go slow and be easy. ben, short!y, tbe Cliinese Frotective Union makes its demaud, the | j)rosj>ects are tbat tbe wise m?u i above will oj>en tbeir prolonged ! bead-appendixes and bolieve that - a cyclone had hit tbe governmep,t seat. The elaim of tbe Cbine>e is perfect!y just aml legitimuteand | it doesn’t involve the country in | | so mueh j>erplexity as it expei ienced when the francbise wis granted to the illiterate PortaO i gaoso for tne purpose, as Mr. Juddsavs, to elieek the Hawaiian vote. . The Japanese wili get i there and so will the Cliinese. Tbe «juestion of a frauchise for tlie women is only being discussed witli any sevionsness in t!ie 'Ti*er. 11 is hard!y worth tlie wliile using space to show the impossibility of listening to sucb a proposition. The most civiliz?d states iu the w.orld have refused to entertain the experiment. A few I backstates in tho West aml Xew | Zealand havo tried tLeir haml at the feraale franchise and so far very little eutbusi ism bas co;;ie to tbe surface over tbe result>. With tbe d fiereut race qaestious j and with tbe other most dilficalt | loeal circumstances. we should bave imagined tbat Hawaii had j enough to do in getting out «>f its present dilemma without borrowmg trouble. The female fnn ; chise is an impossibility in Hawaii for reasons. Tiie white ' women chamj>ioneil by tho A>i>rrI (i*cr, are not of a class of whieh; voters are made. AIost of theoi have receved a very indifierent education, and have been brought up iu ttie hti:nbler waiks of iif>». We eau bardly beiieve tliat the editor of tbe A<lvertiser j>roj>oses to coufinetbe franchise to‘aehool mams’ ouly,and bygrantiug it t all the ex-cooks aml ex servants now rolliug iu carriages and i vealth he will bring the cout;try into a j>er{rict state uf pandemoninm. Tbe best e uss of tbe. Hawaiian women—suj>erior iu 1 breeding. in iutelligeuee, in dejK>rtmeut aud in educition to tbeir wbite sisters, are satisfied b3 ; remaining true women aud C0Qtent in allowing tho mon to • de.d w:tb tbe polilieal temj>e>; iu onr diminative teapot. aud tbe average Hawaiiau woiuau kuovs euoogb to know tbat she ku >ws notbmg about the questiuus of the day. By ail meuns Iet the AJ~ | r*rfīaer man jx>se as a lion in ihe | Cocco»nut Ciub or the W. C. l.U. j or tho Kawaiahao Teachers—de- | batiug—audfor—franctiise—fij btj ing Association. Ihe result of : ins being lionūsed are not of j>ractical iuouient. The most importanl aud oaly j saoe proposition made by the p g. paj>ers, is that no alieu &hali vote here. li ouly natoralized citizens 1

ire pīanieii tbe (rānchise ail i1:ffi('nltie§ wiil be OTerco3ie anu i there will be some pro>pects o{ >-'lving tbe qaestions now P nz * zling oor great strftesmen. Bat if sncb an idea is to be entertain<h1 it mn<t l>e strictly enforced. Thc>e wbo voted at tbe l«te eleeiion nmst t«ke tbeir cbances v.:tb anybody eise. lf » n es * ceptioa is made the Japanese and Cbinese question will crop up ■ r-giin, becau.se tbese two naiion«ltie>- faowever willing. * l’i' rlt(« -U /(»■<i j.<irttCipU>.tOIU t im t!,? t!edtvn, aud conseqnently an iujustice would be dcne to tfaem. Lct us start a new lcnve en a better basi-., and from tbe next eleelion, let only Hawaiian subjects vote. Tbe foreign t x-payers who dcsire to run tbis couutry sbould re:«lize tbat, if it is worth their while to as.'Uiue the and ;>riL >leye< of a citizen, it is well i wortb assuming the dutie* and re<j)on<ibilitie3. Tbe convention will not bave h pieuio by any means and if its \vork eiuls peacefully witbout any serions distarbance being caused 1 tbe goveriiment is verv fortuuate i indeed. In the meantime tbe Rovalists will lay back quiet'y .iud eujoy tbe circus. Wheu the Herculeau task of Mr. Dole’s couveutiou is over aiul ail tbe i »lidicult questions solvtd tbe restoration of tbe Constitutional uovernment will be in order and no more trouble will be raised leitberfrom Japan, Cbina or the otber womeu. lu fact tbe country will rest and say puu pilikia.