Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 305, 20 October 1891 — Page 4

KA LEO O KA LAHUI.

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

John E. Bush

Luna Hooponopono a me Puuku.

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1890.

 

A TREATY

 

            We hear a treaty has been signed by the Queen and that the Hyphenated Minister has gone to Washington, to complete the compact.  This treaty, if true, cannot be made in favor of any other interest, secretely, except for the benefit of the sugar planters, and for special advantages to America.

            We hope that this rumor is not true, but from the color of the administratino anything may be expected from the Cabinet, even to the arrival of the cession of our independence and the troup clause.

            It will be well, however, for the treaty makers to understand that the Legislature has to have the final voice in the matter.  This is our only hope in this affair, and may possibly check the inordinate assumption of power that do not belong to them.  We hope that the people will thus be forewarned and, when called upon will show their condemnation of any usurpation of soverign rights.

 

THE VOLCANO ROAD.

 

 

            The sudden and unexpected departure of His Ex. Chas N. Spencer, and Superintendent Macintosh, for Hilo, is indicative of very serious intentions on the part of the Minister of Interior of doing something by-and-by for Hilo and perhaps the Volcano Road.  The oft repeated lectures from the indomitable Hilo Record, has had its effect upon the dormant energies of our good-natured and well-meaning minister.  We are in great expectation of hearing from Hilo news of our absent friends.  It is to be sincerely hoped that Sir Charles and Mr. McIntosh, will be able to give more than promises to the Hilo people, who have every right to expect the carrying out of valuable improvements in that district, that will tend to facilitate travel and promote and develope agriculture, horticulture, fruit culture, and other industries.

 

A CHANGE OF FRONT.

 

            Berlin, September 19.—Finding the English Government is eagerly disposed to make its position in the Dardanelles matter a weapon of offense, Russia has suddenly changed her diplomatic tactics.  M. Nelidoff, Russian Embassador at Constantinople, has informally advised Sir William White, English Embassador to Turkey, that the alleged occupation of Sigri on the island of Mitylene by a British force does not in any way concern Russia.  And Count von Schouvaloff, Russian Embassador at Berlin, has explained to Chancellor von Caprivi that Russia disclaims any special privelege in the passage of the Dardanelles.

            A remarkably inspired article, which appeared in the St. Petersburg Novosti yesterday and which was telegraphed here through a semi-official agency, offers the hand of friendship to Great Britain.  “The Empire of Russia,” says the Novosti , “is already too extensive for her to desire to add to it by the conquest of India.  If she is forced to undertake that enterprise at some future date it could only be as an act of retaliation for the hostility shown by Great Britain to the Czar’s Government in Europe.  On the other hand should Great Britain renounce her anti-Russian policy she would have nothing to fear from Russia as regards India.”

            The Novosti concludes by urging the Salisbury Government to enter into a definite agreement with Russia at the present moment, when it could be done under more favorable circumstances, perhaps, than it could at a later juncture.  The article has given rise to the suspicion that the Czar’s Government is about to attempt to effect a compromise with England with the view of detaching her from the Dreibund.  The Czar will go to Warsaw in October, and thence to his chateau at Skirniwice, the scene of the famous meeting of the three Emperors in 1884.

 

EDUCATION.

 

            In other parts of the world, one of the great subjects of study among the good and wise men, is that that pertains to education.  Lately there was a Convention of leading Scholars held in the United States, which included among the list of attendants at the meeting men from all the leading nations, celebrated for their learning.

            Among the many interesting subjects upon which an opinion was given by all or nearly all who were present on one occasion, was what is the best source of Knowledge—invariably every answer pointed to the Bible as the mainspring of all knowledge, and the Saviour as the greatest of all the teachers the world has ever produced.  The opinion was expressed by Professor Prescott, Parr, Barnes, Smith, and others, from their own researches and studies, and from the immediate tests which they had seen proven in their meetings by the scholars, who professed no great knowledge of the classics, and languages, but were biblical students.  In all the debates and essays, on any subject, the Advent teachers, who depended entirely for their rule and guide in all things from the teachings of the Saviour for their knowledge were cordially acknowledged to be pre-eminent, and credited by themselves and their co-workers at the Convention, as indeed traceable and due to the study and inspiration from the teachings of the Divine Master.

            The unanimous opinion of these learned men have led to a decision that a revision of school books is necessary.  Taking for instance the erroneous knowledge conveyed to the pupil from Geography: that the world was created by a process of evolution was without foundation, it being merely the unsubstantiated theory of men, without any base in fact for the theory.  All knowledge comes from God through his Son, and this knowledge teaches of us the creation of the world and all things upon it, and the planetary connected with in.  No scientific system knowledge has given us a truer idea from whence man came.  He was created from the earth, and a breath of air breathed into him by the Creator, transformed the inanimate clay into a living soul, and upon his death, when he ceases to exist, he dissolves and passes back to the very material or substance from whence he was formed.  This fact is given in the scripture by the Divine Teacher complete in one short verse of the Bible, while the wisdom of man, has written volumes upon volumes on this subject and the whole put together does not give as much correct knowledge as that given in the one verse of the Bible, which shows how he was made, by whom and from what material, and when he ceases to exist.

            Take the planetary system.  The Bible teaches there are worlds innumerable, each having as complete a system as that around our sphere.  Yet we have been taught up to the present time in our books that the Sun of this world governs the whole planetary system of the universe.  How true is the Bible when it tells finite man that the summit of his knowledge is foolishness before the Infinite Wisdom of God.  Not very long ago a professing Christian teacher before an audience at the Y.M.C.A. Hall, said, in the face of the plain statement of the Divine Teacher, that the days of creation were a long decade of a thousand years, yea a million of years, at the same time bressing the scripture to his heart and saying he loved its teachings, etc., and he believed it, as it spoke the Truth.  Yet the Bible plainly teaches us that the Sun and Moon and Stars ruled the day.  The bible text is substantiated by the movements of this sphere and these divisions of light, which we are told by the Creator is to give light each one half of the day.  Yet this deluded professing lover of the Bible and of God tried to make the word of God an untruty, and set up in his conceit a man made theory on a supposition without a fact to sustain it, and thus cast a reproach upon the truth.  As we have said all knowledge comes from God, through his begotten Son, to man which he had created.

            As these Biblical teaches stated, there was nothing, no knowledge of any kind, in the literature of the heathen, pagan, or professing Christian, but is traceable to the Scripture.  No code of morals or rule of righteousness that embraces completemenss, perfection, justness and holiness as the Ten Commandments which was given for man’s rule and guide of action.  This view was proven and conceded by the learned council and it was resolved that the school book s of the period were erroneous in many features and should be revised and corrected.

 

ON DIT.

 

            That the International League will hold their meeting this evening at the Robinson Hall corner of Nuuanu and King Streets.

 

            That the Executive Committee of the Hui Kalaiaina will meet tomorrow evening at Robinson Hall.

 

            That T. Evans’ opium case was tried yesterday, before the Supreme Court.

           

            That the Mechanics’ Union is working harmoniously, thought not in as full force as formerly.

 

            That parties are negotiating for the purchase of the Elele.

 

            That the Lusitana Hawaianna is increasing in popularity among the Portuguese residents, and also highly appreciated by the business community as an advertising medium.

 

            That a native was discharged yesterday from the Government work on the water front, because he was supposed to be our informant in reference to that “sea-wall” and the amount of work being done.  Poor innocent heathen, such is your lot, a scapegoat for incompetent lunas.

 

            That a meeting of the Mechanics Union last week, the future Hon. Member from Balnafad was called upon to speak on the question of the qualification of voters; rising the gentleman started in bravely and stuck to the subject for a little while, but soon he drifted on to the Constitution of Rhode Island, and wound up witht the freedom of the colored people of the South after the war.  Thoughts crowded so thich and fast that the orator was obliged to stop, being unable to find utterance for want of enough words in the English language to convey the gems of thought which were burdening his active mind.

 

PLATFORM OF PRINCIPLE

OF THE

HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERAL PARTY.

PRINCIPLE OF GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION.

 

1.       We deem that all Government should be founded on the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity; we hold that all men are born free and equal before the law and are endowed with inalienable rights to life, to liberty, to property, to the pursuit of happiness and to self-protection against arbirary concentration of power, irresponsible wealth, and unfair competition.  We believe that just government exists only by the consent of the People, and that, when it becomes necessary for the public welfare, they may abolish existing forms and establish more advantageous and equitable system; and, as the present Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom never has had the approval of the People, but was established by intimidation and fraud for the benefit of a certain class therefore we favor the adoption of a new and more liberal Constitution, to truly secure a Government of the People, by the People and for the People.

INDEPENDENCE OF THE COUNTRY

2.       Out of consideration for the inherent rights and present opinions of the native population, we desire to retain the independence of the Country and defend its autonomy, under a liberal and popular form of government; but our Treaties with Foreign Powers, and especially with the United States of America, should be revised, so as to better meet present necessities and to obtain more equitable advantages in exchanges of those granted by us.

JUDICIARY REFORMS

3.       Our Judiciary system and Code of Procedure must be submitted to a thorough revision, so as to secure a cheap and prompt administration of justice, free of all sectarian or partisan spirit, and to render the Judges more directly responsible to the People; and we are in favor of a more liberal interpretation of Constitutional guarantees of the freedom of speech and the press.

TAXATION

4.       A more just and perfect system of Taxation must be inaugurated, to abolish the present inequalities, by which the propery of the poor is excessively taxed, while much of the rich man’s goods are under valued for assessment, and entirely escape taxation; we should @ demand the passage of laws that will more effectually subject the property of corporations and rich citizens to their just proportion of public burdens, while granting more liberal exemptions to the poor; and as a policy of discouraging the locking up of large tracts of uncultivated lands, a differential tax should be levied in addition to the usual assessment on valuation, which should be in proportion to the fertility of the soil.  We shall also favor the establishment of a graduated income tax, and thus expect to obtain ample funds for conducting the government and attending to all necessary public improvements without any further calls on the masses.

MONOPOLIES

5.       We shall use our efforts to obtain laws by which all favoritism in the government and

all monopolies, trusts and privileges to special classes shall be rendered impossible, bu full, definite and mandatory statutes.

6.       Better laws should regulate the Civil Service.  The principle of the election of officers of the government by the people should be established, and no man should be allowed to hold more than one office of profit, whilst salaries should be adaquate compensation for the services rendered.  All excessive salaries should be reduced and all sinecures or superfluous offices abolished.

PROTECTION TO HOME INDUSTRIES

7.       We are in favor of encouraging all home agriculture and industries, and all our native products, like rice, coffee, wool, tobacco, etc. should be protected and fostered by proper tariff regulation; and also it must be the duty of the Government, in its contracts and other operations, to give preference to national products over imported ones.

PUBLIC SERVANTS.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

8.        We desire a more liberal policy towards the different Islands of the Kingdom, outside of Oahu; they should receive a fairer proportion of the public moneys for the development of their resources and the satisfacion of their wants.  In fact the principle of local Self-government should be extended, whereby giving localities may choose the most important of their local executive officers, and levy taxes for the purpose local improvements of a public nature.

PROTECTION TO THE LABOURING CLASSES

9.        We shall endorse all measure tending to improve the condition of the working classes, and consequently, without injuring any vested rights, we will advocate laws to prevent all further importation or empolyment of contract-labor of any kind, upon conditions which will bring it into a ruinous and degrading competition with free Hawaiian or white labor.  We shall also, in the interest of the better protection of the poor, ask for more liberal exemptions of their property from forced sale on execution, and from seizure in bankruptcy proceedings.

SMALL FARMING AND HOME STEADS

10.   The wealthy fraction of our population have hitherto prevented the development of an independend class of citizens; the public lands have been acquired and have been tied up in a few hands or parcelled to suit favorites, and small farmers and planters have been driven out by corporations or combinations of capitalists; but as small farming is conducive to the stability of the State, it should be encouraged by a new and more liberal Homestead act, by which the ownership of small tracts of land and the settlement thereon of families of our present population,--and especially of the native Hawaiians who have been left almost homeless in there country—should be rendered possible.  To that end, the Government and Crown lands, (in so far as can be done without invading vested rights) should be devoted as soon as possible to homesteads, and conferred upon bona-fide settlers free of taxes for a limited period.

It should be the further aim of government to, at once, so far improve the means

                of transportation,--local, national, and international,--as to provide, in all the districts,

                cheap means of conveying the product of the soil to market.

ELECTORAL RIGHT

11.   We hold that upright and honest manhood, and not the possession of wealth, arbitrarily fixed, should consti- the right to vote for nobles as well as representatives, and no more power should be accorded to the ballot of the rich man than to the ballot of the poor man.  The discrimination in favor of wealth now made in our Constitution is contrary to all the eternal principles of right and justice and must be abolished.  To this end, we will favor a leveling of the present distinction of wealth and classes which blemish our laws with respect of the right to vote for nobles, thereby restoring to the native Hawaiians priviliges which pertain to them in their own country, and of which they have been unjustly deprived.

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS

12.   We favor the expenditure of sufficient sums to secure a number of needed public improvements on Oahu and other Islands; school, railroads and harbors and wharves, public light, and also a thorough system of reservoirs and water-works, not only for Honolulu, but through-out the other Islands.