Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 188, 7 May 1891 — Page 4

KA LEO O KA LAHUI.

"E Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono."

 

Wednesday, May 6, 1891.

 

NOTICE

Copies of the KA LEO O KA LAHUI can be found every morning at both the News Agencies in town. Price 5 cents a copy

 

The Spoils to the Victors!

            The navigating officers of that old dowager pontoon, the P.C. Advertiser, after a remarkably long period of editorial collapse, suddenly flare up like a new Halemaumau, and, after having called out “all hands on deck” for help, laboriously bring forth a centepede-like and misty dirge in favor of the defunct Postmaster General. Sticking to one’s friends when they are in need, is certainly the most creditable thing that any man can do, as it is a rare, particularly rare virtue in the Advertiser’s crowd, we wish to give them special credit for this unique occurrence. Even more; we had the means, we would cause the fact to be recorded on a golden plate over the Advertiser’s street-door.

            But our admiration for that noble, though exceptional deed, entitle us to be a trifling more severe on a contemptible and weak, very weak defect in the Advertiser’s conscience, that of distorting the truth with a colossal “naivete,” and of uncharitably attacking the LEO, who seems to play on the nerves of those poor journalistic rusty navigators and their variegated crew, the part played by a red rag on a wild bull, that is to say metaphorically speaking. For the Advertiser has nothing in it of the bull, very far from it.

 

            After stating that the decision in the matter of Mr. Wundenberg, had been taken by the Minister of Finance at the request of H. M. the Queen, the Advertiser goes on to say: “It is more likely to have been taken at the instance of Mr. bush, who in the KA LEO has made frequent allusions not very complimentary to the Minister for his dilatoriness in not removing all the old officers of the government. To the victors belong the spoils such is one of the articles of faith of the KA LEO. In consequence of these frequent attacks, the removal of this officer (P. M. G.) has been looked for, and probably others will follow, not from any want of competency on his or their part, but solely to pacify the crowd of office seekers.”

            We are thankful that the popular importance and power of the LEO should be supposed and recognized by a@sedate and self-assumed authoritative paper as the P.C.A. to be such as to influence the action of the Queen or her cabinet, or at least worthy of being listened to. Unfortunately, we must deny that this is the case: we do try and will always try to do our duty as the Voice of the Nation, Ka Leo o Ka Lahui, in fearlessly letting the high powers of the land know what the people wish and think; but we have been poorly listened to as is shown by the innocent admission of the “Tiser” itself, viz., that too often the necessities of the situation have forced us to “frequent allusions not very complimentary to the Cabinet.” We do consequently excuse the mistake as regards Mr. Bush’s influence.

 

            But what we do pereraptorily deny, is that the LEO has ever asked for the removal of all the officers of the Government, and we equally deny that “one of our articles of faith” is that “to the victors belong the spoils!! What we do assume, is that to the victors belongs the right, may the duty of requesting the dismissal of one or two rotten officials such as the P. M. G. and it is the most unblushing audacity that will warrant a paper like the Advertiser, the unscrupulous organ of the unscrupulous Revolutionary Reform Party, to talk about “spoils!” Doesn’t ex-minister Thurston (who is said to write “occasionally” in the Advertiser), know about “giving the spoils to the victors,” a good deal more than any other man in this country?

            On the contrary, all the articles of the LEO on the subject of governments appointment, shows that we want merit before party or nationality as the motto for appointments, just as much as Hon. A. Marques@ “Civil Service” Bill showed, in leading and honest portion of the National Party, the desire of putting our public officials entirely out of all political influence. In fact, it was only a few days ago, that the LEO published the following: We never asked, as the Reform Party did for their friends. But all the supporters of the National Reform should be provided with offices, nor even that some of them should obtain situations for which they be unfit, but we do ask that merit and capacity be made the leading rule for appointments… the LEO never intended to blame the Revolutionary Government for any men of merit and capacity they may have appointed- [as spoils to the victors]. Etc..

            Don’t you know how to read neighbor? Or do you fall under the biblical class of “none so blind as those who will not see?”

Therefore we challenge the Advertiser to show where and when the LEO did utter the two facts aforesaid falsely attributed to us; and, to render the task easier, a full file of the LEO will cheerfully be furnished to the Advertiser, if desired. But we expect, from our contemporary’s Christian assumptions and protestations of impartially, a full retraction of the said charges made in its issue of May the 5 ^th . Failing which, we shall proceed to qualify the Advertiser according to its deserts: Look out for the squall, captain, and beware of reefs ahead!!

 

THE TREATMENT OF LEPDERS, OR SO CALLED LEPERS

One of the most important duties that can be intrusted into the hands of men is the care of the sick, and more particularly those suffering from diseases such as we have among us. The most important care now devolving upon the community is the proper and judicious treatment of what is termed leprosy. This duty is now placed under the supervision of a Board of Health, composed of a President, and four members, three whom are foreigners, and two Hawaiians whose sympathies are guided by their colleagues, besides an examining Board of three physicians. Into the hands of these individuals are given by law the executive power to do as they please in the disposition of the poor unfortunate native, whose decision is without appeal. This unlimited power is used very often by order of the Board, and has been arbitrarily exercised of late due to an attempt on the part of some of the foreign members of the Board, who are cautious in their feelings towards the unfortunates, of carrying out a policy of segregation that is unjust and inhuman. 

During Gibson’s administration of the affairs of the country, segregation was carried out among lepers as effectively, and more of the sick were gathered together and isolated with good will on the part of the people than has been done since his time. The intermediate hospital and the treatment there which is now proposed by Mr. Carter to be abolished, was one of the humane ways in softened the aversion of the natives to their being taken suddenly away and isolated forever from the sight of their relations and friends. To think of a poor child of four years old being torn from its parents and sent to a land never more to see the loving and sympathetic gaze of its mother, and left poor, forlorn, and helpless to the mercy of strangers, and under the heartless care of men. Whose selfishness would even allow to be wrongfully condemned to a living grave an unfortunate brother, who had been pronounced a non-leper by a specialist, and who was improving under medical advice.

The treatment of the leper patients should be in the most humane manner, and proper men, those whose sympathies and social relations connect them with the unfortunate, should be chosen for that service. Due consideration should be given to all those who are brought under the serveillance of the health authorities, that all means should be tested before a person should be condemned to part from all the ties that make life endurable.

The natives have no aversion as the P.C. Advertiser would have its readers infer to being segregated in a proper way. They are very willing to abide by the decision of the Board. Their objection is not against segregation, as it is against the summary and inhuman way in which pretended philanthropists are ordering the sick natives about like a lot of sheep to the slaughter. The most trivial causes are sufficient to authorize these demons in religious disguise to order and condemn men, women and children to a worse than death.

 

CHRISTIAN (?) ENGLAND

It affords us great pleasure to publish from time to time articles that will give us poor ignorant islanders an idea of how things are done in the old mother country. It is refreshing and instructive to see from these articles in which direction the world is progressing, and which may help us, who are so far removed from the centers of civilization, to realize our wants and embrace the knowledge they contain and apply them to better our condition spiritually as well as temporally.

The following extract from the Open Court speaks for itself:

A strange blending of Christianity and paganism was exhibited a few days ago, when the queen of England baptized a ship of war with wine; and with ceremonial words that sounded like incantations launched this iron corsair upon the sea, bidding it go forth upon its malevolent mission of devastation and death. How thin must be the bit of civilized veneering that covers our native savageness, when even in England, whose missionaries with fanatical courage carry the Bible everywhere, and preach its gospel to benighted s@ from Greenland's icy mountains to India's coral strand. It is thought consistent and congenial that such a swaggering buccaneer should be com@ssioned by a woman, a venerable and virtuous lady seventy-two years old! With lofty phrase and form that resemble the baptismal service in the prayer-book, she named this ugly rover after her own son, the Christening being done in pagan fashion by wine sprinkled on the forehead of the ship henceforward to be known in mischief as the "Royal Arthur." But the performance was not pagan altogether, because right there, by the very side of the queen aiding, assisting, and abetting the act of consecration was a minister of the Christian gospel offering prayer, giving grace and benediction to the sea monster, and invoking theo'ogical potency for its gunpowder and its guns. When the great cannon in the forts, and on the attendant ships in the bay, saluted the christening with diabolic thunder, the air became poisoned with a brimstone flavor, like atmosphere imported from the home of the condemned.

 

ON DIT

That down goes McGinty, and his name is Freddy

 

That Marshal Wilson is the only man of energy in the government service.

 

That a few more men, like Marshal Wilson, willing to stand by their duty without fear or favoritism, are sadly needed in this community.

 

That all the honest people are with the Marshal on the opium raket and hope he will be able to nab the whole boodle.

 

That the reported flight of Thomas Evans is a sure index of an awful scare amongst our opium aristocracy, and that, in consequence, a strain has been created in upper ten-dom out of which grows alarm as to the amount leg@ tender they are liable to loose; but they intend to trust to good luck and play the game to the last, hoping that the legal tender mercies will deal leniently with whatever scape-goat they may advance.

 

That it was S. H. Kahukula not S. H. Kupihea, who was suspended from practicing in the law courts of the Kingdom

 

That their Excellencies are receiving the attentions of Madame La Grippe as well as common mortals.

 

That poor Evans is missing the Lord knows where- and his colleagues too.

 

That the chance afforded him by a suspension of his case until he returns has probably given the smuggler general the opportunity to never return.

 

That the Queen had two faiths curers with her.

 

That Sam caught La Grippe on that evening of the 3rd. Too much grippe is not good!

 

That men "have heaped treasures for the last day," seems to find its verification in the fact, that at the beginning of this century there were only five millionaires in the United States now there are over five hundred of them, and even here in Bowow@e there are more than there were in the U. S. in the beginning of the century.

 

That twenty-five South Sea Islanders have been sent home by the brig Tahiti; but where they will be landed, is another thing, which the government has not provided for in a substantial way. We knew of a shipment for home, that never saw their homes.

 

That to advertise for bids and refuse the lowest bona tide bid from a bidder, all conditions being equal, is something that the uninitiated cannot understand, except on the general principle, that govern the times, that everything goes by reverse order, or no order at all.

 

A ROMANCE

(CONTINUED)

After that had been transisted, another, fat smooth handsome gentleman arose.

That is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court," explained the supervisor.

The Honorable Chief Justice in a few brief and elegant sentences expressed his joy at greeting these Christian converts. He was followed by a gentleman also portly and smiling, with extensive flowing side whiskers.

"That is Mr.Dives of the great firm of D@ Dives & Co," said the supervisor.

One after the other arose an addressed the congregation. They were according to the supervior all great men in Bow@wee. It seemed as if all dignitaries of the state were in attendance to welcome these poor foreigners. It appeared that the first lot of immigrants from Japan had arrived just a year previously, and these persons now sitting in front had in the meantime been converted to Christianity by the efforts of Christian missionaries.

After speeches, singing and prayer, Hon. Peter Stone arose and said: "Now, Christian friends we will extend the hand of Christian fellowship." A comparative insignificant individual, who was, in fact the minister, but quite eclipsed in the shadow of the great men present, came forward and stood by Mr. Stone's side.

The interpreter directed the Japanese, and they filed past solemnly shaking hands with the Minister and Mr. Stone. The procession was a rather long one and that worthy gentlemen soon began to perspire. Sweat rolled down his fat cheeks. He reached for his handkerchief with his left and having recovered it after a struggle wiped his face, while his right was being vigorously shaken by the converts, at last he turned around and said:

"Mr. Robin, will you please assist us in extending the right hand of fellowship?" Mr. Robin jumped into the breach, and Mr. Stone sank exhausted into a convenient chair.

After this ceremony and more prayers and songs, a box was passed around to collect money. Then the meeting was dismissed.

As the ladies and gentlemen stepped down from their seats there was a general handshaking and conversation. Several gentlemen greeted the supervisor, and he introduced Nyama and his wife.

These gentlemen, I am sorry to relate were a trifle less pleasant to meet than one might have supposed from their stage presence.

The smile they wore seemed all from the same mold, and their eyes seemed hard and cold as they glared at the two young people as they might at two not very important pieces of merchandise.

They each had some commonplace to say, but seemed to expect no answer and paid not the slighest heed to what Nyama said. But each looked at Faza, there was no denying that Faza was worth looking at. One of the gentlemen was enjoying a rather protrated stare at the maiden when his wife interrupted him. He turned with a little start. (To be Continued).