Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 155, 23 March 1891 — The "Leo's" Views for the P. C. Advertier. [ARTICLE]
The "Leo's" Views for the P. C. Advertier.
We are pleased to see our articles ©ccasionally translated afid published in the English dailies of this city, aiid more particularly those articles whieh show the change now taking plaee among the Hawaiian peeple. Like the rest #f the human family, they toO are beginning to leam their rights, and to aspire to have them on the fundamental principles of universal right and justice; an<l as the scales fall away from their mental vision, naturally, ūh is tra»spiring among the more advanced peoplesof the world they are clamoring to preserve them, either under a liuiited monarchy like the Hritish, or under a republiean form like that of the United States. The rigbts whieh we refer lo are what naturally belongs to man, and whenever infringēd upon or ignored, we feel it our duty to aaake a protest and to give the j alarm. Whenthose fundamental and self cvident truths whieh were given them, in a Constitution k 'that all ' men are created equal, that they are endowed by their C.reator w r ith c"rtain inaliennhle rights, ' were beirig ruthlessly and destroyed, and a retrogressive law r substituted m its plaee, taking away from the people their equality with an®ther and a foreign race in their own country, and those inalienahle rights subvefted from them by force, then and only until j then did theleaven of a higher form ! of government implanted among the Hawaiian people began t® w«rk a*d has ever since been working, uiit.il, we hope, with the aid of the Ka Leo, the whole mass will be thoroughly leavened. We know that these great fundamental principles of universal right are being most thorougnly appreciated, as they are inculcated int® the Hawaiian people, not in the half-heart«d manner as of yore, but by apt illustrations of heroic dccds on the part of nations, who fought for and obtained these sacred rights. We rejoice to see th« spirit of resistaace against any invasion of the people's rights. When a nation becomes incapable of being aroused to a sense ©f appreciation of the valueof liberty and equality, it is then time for them to pass away from the roll of relationship te ather nations as an ind»pendent people. We do not d#sire that the Hawaiiansas a nation or as a peopl'e, ghould be blotted out of existence by acts of aggression under the pretence of helping them, without unveiling the miserable subterfuge of their pretended friends, and of eautioning the executive against the wily advice of sycot)hantic aspirants for office and for the patronage at its command. Our aim is the reverse. It is to inspire in the race a proper feeling of self respect; to raise them to a higher plane of self government, and to encourage and advice them to maintain theirjust Tights and to respect their privileges. Far this reason, we have endeavored to teach our countrymeu that the ideal of government is popu!*r governmeht, and that the right of kings is an explode<l and that the realizatioa of the % greatest good to the greatest n«niber eau never be attaiaed by the rule of one or of a few. We held that the rights and the 4ignitj of man are 6est oonserved I
when uierit is recognize(l, not favoritism. In "tHis nianner encouragenient is given to all classes- —the Doorest in the land niay then attain the highest post of honor and truBt. This condition only be*realized by a just a*d inipartiitl administration of th« <affairs of the couutry, and by the disseminatk)n of intelligence and of a high moral standard of culture. In this manner ēncouragement is given to all classes, the poorest in the land may then attain the highest post of ,honor. It is with this motive in view that we have been fearlcss in attacking the loose teachings of our moraliste and the unscrupulous and unpripeiple action uf »ur rulers in their selfction of proper representative men to regulate thc affairs of the co'untry. There is is no doubt that the Hawaiian is growing out of his false notions of rcspect for his alii, esneciallv when the ;ilii turn away from him and forgets tliat their position as ruiei*s- is recognized by other powerB througri the ILiwaiian people, and through them the Hawaiian Nation. Th us there need be ko w-o.nd.dr. that, like thc fitful: gcftts o'f wiiid that immecLiately preced3 p. storm, tney aro henrd to utter ;t 4esire for a change of f»riu ef go\ ernment that will plaee all on an equality, and not as now tō be ignor«d and set asid« throUgh the advice of pērsonal friends and selfish foreigners who fear that their interest will suf!er by the appointment to office of men whom the people trust. ! The Hawaiians, who are in the ma.jorityj are becoming daily more conscious not only ©f their right£, but of their powers. They l|ive ehown more in the exercise ©f th#ir rights. than v:as anticipated. and it is our hope that the n"mbers of !he true aiul honesthearted among them will increase and become united upon a solid platform embodying all the principles of advanced government. Since the taking away of thier constitution by force, the people have been discontented. They have discovered the treacherv practlced upon ttjem by the leaders of the revolution of 1887. They have seen that what was represented to them as a liberal constitution, was an instrument lessening their natural rights and virtnally giving th« handful of wealthy men in the country an undue influence over them, and whieh has been exerted against them at the polls in the Legislature, in the Privy Council of State, and with the Sovereign,evea to the exercise of a little unasked for foreign adrice and the loan of munitions of war, and of a few men, from war vessels belonging to a friendlv nation. All this has been practiced upon theHawaiian People and the Sovereign with th« view to enslave a whole peeple for the pur« pogQ of gratifying t.he greed for unrighteous naammen and an unholy luBt for power of inen, and their followers, who were professJng at the same time to be heralds of that gladtiding of "peaee and good will t# uiankind. ,> The delusion of seventy vears of th£ biind !eading the blind is nbout over, The native Hawaiian imder 4 more honest insuiration is now aiming t® cast aside the ancicnt Boperstiti«n that kings are «f heav- • ilyJongin. and that Paul'6 and Living6t®n's way of preachiog . the!
gospel of salvatien to the benighted with only a staff nnel tiieir faith to support them, are soraewhat different to the way galvation has been xemplified to the race. The Hawaiians are entitled by their demeanor and intelligence to a free franchise, as are any other intelljgent olassof people. They have ahown, to the discredit of many of thcir more pretenti®ns brother, a raore i coinprehensive, liberal and just spirit, in the discharge of their functionB as legislators. His desire to change and remodel a constitu- ' tion forced upon him, a document \yhich its frauaers are ashamed to acknowledge, was met « ith bigoted and illogical reasons, by all the white r€fpresentatiyes of both politieai parties in the country, with one honorable exception, (Mr. A. Marques). the whole of whom thatwere eleeted by the national party as metnbers of the legislature shamelessly violating their pledges to the party, made ht-fore and after "thcir eleeiion. Fair plav among thieves is a jewel, but selfishness seems to override cverything in the esteem of sonie men. lt is our duty to teaeh t.he pco]>le what in pnneiple is rig]\t, and to disabuse their rninds ofwhatliasl>een errotveously taught llieni as beiiig right. It is thus that we are called upon to chronicle error and abuses, and leād *the way to a correction of those errors, by tliose eommi tti ng them, $nd in that nianner prevent dissatisfāction and anarchy in our affairs. More anon.