Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 392, 18 Pepeluali 1892 — Page 4

KA LEO O KA LAHUI.

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

 

John E. Bush.

I una Hooponopono a me Puuku.

 

THURSDAY, FEB. 18,1892.

 

THAT TREATY

 

      Mr. Mott-Smith went to Washington to “sound” the United States government about the preliminaries for a new treaty.  What fresh inducement were held out to Uncle Sam will probably not be definitely known before the meeting of the Legislature.  One thing, however, is certain, that neither Mott-Smith or his proposal were received with favor.  The Washington government are aware that Mr. Smith is not the envoy of an administration which can claim the right, by virtue of its popularity to speak for the people on so important a matter as extended treaty relations.  The idea of a score of foreigners trying to tempt the United States into accepting Pearl Harbor or the whole Kingdom @@@@ offer as if they were the natives of the country is ridiculous in the extreme.

      The United States can be no party to help to bolster up an industry such as sugar which has filled the country with and threatened to yet extend an Asiatic invasion.  Sugar planters can rest content that there is no relief possible from such a mission as that of Dr. Mott-Smith.  Above all let the sugar barons understand that this country is not theirs to offer to any country, either as a protected or annexed territory.  The sugar-coated pill which “Conservative” would treat her Majesty the Queen to, will remain in “Conservatives” pill box.

      The planters have played tricks so often on the people that there are apt to forget that the @@@@ may be reached.  On the question of annexation or ceding territory, the native people alone will be heard and the alleged Legislature—which by its Constitution cannot claim to represent the people, will on such a question be checkmated by the Hawaiian people, and repudiated and ignored by the American people.

 

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The Member for Baldwinsville

 

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      The addled-pated editor of the Advertiser finds an “amusing illustration” of what he conceives to be Ka Leo’s change of editors, and stoops to the vulgarity of printing the name of Mr. C. W. Ashford as the “lightening change artist” of Ka Leo.  It may soothe the Advertiser’s nerves to be assured, that the gentleman whom the Advertiser would defame by its contemptable mention, is not the author of the article which appeared on the 16 ^th headed “what is in a name” or of any other article in Ka Leo.

      For the benefit of the troubled editor of the Advertiser, we reprint the paragraph from which he quotes, entire: “Mr. Baldwin’s pocket borough member for Baldwinsville who represents Baldwin’s cane @@@@ and mills, will no doubt @@@@@@ the coming session as on in which he cannot afford to be so nice about borrowing new alliances as he could in 1887.”

      We would like to find any sane man outside of the Advertiser sanctum, or the Lunatic Asylum, who would suppose for a moment that the above quotation could refer to “poor Mr. Kaluna” who was not in the session of 1887 or any other session, and whom Baldwin openly opposed until he found his own hired nominee had no show.  The “Jekyl-Hyde” part of the actual drama consisted in Baldwin adopting the veritable choice of the people as his own, and immediately proceeding to kill the Haiku calf for Kaluna and given him a new name and a reform harp to play on.  When we next picture a Baldwinsville ox we will inscribe under it “this is an ox.”

 

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Taking a Despicable Advantage of Position.

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      A short time ago Mr. Aldrich, Customs Guard, had instructions from his superior not to allow any one on board a certain vessel without a special permit.  Soon the bumptious fresh young man who reports for the Pacific Advertiser shoves himself along and endeavors to repudiate official instructions, and because the subordinate was firm in showing proper regard and respect for the orders of his superior and recommended the trespasser to go for permission to get on board the vessel, as the officer had no option in the matter, the reporter replied snappishly: “Never mind, I’ll get even with you yet,” hence the gratuitious and contemptible advertisement of Mr. Aldrich’s pecuniary affairs in the Pacific Advertiser of the 18 ^th .

 

 

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FINANCIAL

(No. 3)

 

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( Continued.)

      The same financial difficulties that exist the world over, as we have previously pointed out, exist also in Hawaii, but in more aggravated shape.  Capital is scarce and in the hands of a very few bankers, money leaders and usurers who form an oppressive monopoly.  The Hawaiian government is practically at the mercy of our principal banking institutions, the heads of which, because of their control of the bulk of available capital are becoming the greatest power in the land.  No Finance Minister can be appointed without their approval for fear of having the government finances crippled when assistance is needed as it sometimes is.

      In several instances they have presumed to control appointments to office, and they are becoming a dominant money power, to whom the government and all others must bend the knee.  The other money lenders also, as a class, are a haughty and arrogant plutocracy before whom all other men who seek their assistance, must be meek, humble and submissive.  It is the same every where.  The monied power is aggressive and oppressive, and in the hands of a few men is not always used for the best interest of the nation or the people.  The money is their’s and it is their privilege to invest it, hoard it, or send it away, as it may suit their own selfish purposes. 

      The various mercantile, industrial or agricultural enterprises are utterly dependent upon the favor and caprice of this monied gentry.  Some men who are friends of the financial chiefs, and whom it may be policy to favor, can get all the financial accommodation they want, others, equally as substantial, and with equally good securities, are badly crippled for want of the same accommodation, because perhaps they have not been sufficiently cringing and subservient to the men of money.  In times of financial stress like the present, they selfishly lock up all capital or send it away and thus embarrass every industry in the country.  Millions of dollars that have been obtained from the productiveness of our soil and should have been invested here, have been carried away and invested elsewhere by these uncontrolled and unpatriotic gentry, and this action has seriously crippled the industrial progress of this country which has not come to a standstill.

      The history of money lending in Hawaii nei is a well known tale of usury, spoliation and oppression.  We refer mainly to the class of small loans.  The financial assistance which has been rendered to some of the big plantations has been in every way worthy of the financiers of bigger cities.  But the way in which the poor natives have been despoiled of their kuleanas has been an outrageous injustice and hardship.  Say a poor kanaka enters the office of a lawyer who is the agent of a money lender.  He wants to borrow $500 on his property and pleadingly states his want.  Perhaps he has been haunting a number of these dens of the “devils own” for some days, but without avail, money being scarce.  Finally he is perhaps accommodated and after signing a cast iron mortgage, he is mul@ted in an extortionate commission for procuring the money, a heavy fee for drawing the papers, fees for stamps, acknowledgement and recording, and perhaps six months or one years interest in advance.  Perhaps he gets about $400 out of the $500 he wanted and has bound himself to pay.  This almost inevitably lands him in bankruptcy.  The trader or small farmer who finds his little enterprise flourishing and may wish to extend it, usually finds it very hard to induce the independent capitalist to loan him the sum that would enable him to largely increase his income, and consequently his enterprise must languish.

 

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“Be Just and Fear Not.”

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(Communicated by one of the “six editors.”)

 

      The morning Lyre which heads its columns with the above quotation, promised in a recent article to make a new departure by taking some heed to the adopted motto. While the ownership of that paper is composed of the boss monopolists and konohikis and usurers and long-faced hypocrites who for a pretence make long prayers and devour widows houses; it is safe to assume that its policy in the future will be what it has been, under its present management, in the past, namely: the organ of monopoly and the champion of everything which in America would be termed reactionary.

      No one heeds the Advertiser either in its pretenses, promises or curses.  The editor may possibly have good impulses which occasionally tempt him to make a break for a higher moral atmosphere.  He may feel in his heart that his theories are a misfit and sigh to throw them off, but the rich man “in the pen” with the cork-screw-eye which can bore a hole through a dollar, is too much for him.  Like Mr. Silas Wegg the man with the wooden extremity, he may rise up occasionally and curse Mr. Be@@@, but like Silas the repudiation at one end is weighed and checked by the amount of hard coin at the other end.

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ON DIT.

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      That the indications of the sugarometer marks stormy weather, and is still going down, which indicates a blizzard among the poor barons.

 

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      That our article on “Transient Nature of the Hawaiian Monarchy,” No. 2, is unavoiadly left over this issue.

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      That it was very unstatemanlike for C. W. Ashford to have made allusions to his opponents in politics so say the P. C. A.

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      That the P. C. A. @@@ need not fret over Ka Leo editors, as J. E. B. is in full command now, and is on deck all the time and horrible to relate is wide awake to the mid-day stalking of boodlers and their pals.

 

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      That Mr. W. H. Cummings has been nominated by the Road Board as Road Supervisor for the district and that his Excellency the Minister of Interior, sanctions the nomination.

 

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      That a crash may be expected among some of our high-toned capitalists by the next regular mail from San Francisco, that may help to give the poor people the manhood suffrage sooner than our rich friends expected the workingmen and poor people would expect it.

 

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      That Captain Martin of the Velocity blames the Superintendent of Customs in Hawaii, for placing him in a dilemma with a lot of opium on board, in an English port, and under the laws of an English colony, where justice is not weighed according to the amount of boodle, but in accord with the strict merit of a man’s doings.  We ought to have some of it here and some one to administer the same justice with impartiality.

 

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      That the Weather Bureau at Washington, informs the public here that there will be no more treaty with Hawaii, no annexation, and no encouragement in favor of slave labor on sugar plantations. This seems to be a retribution upon those who have robbed the aborigines of all they possessed in exchange for religions doctrines, which the bible traders themselves do not practice.  Sorry, but wrong doing has its own reward.

 

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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.

 

MONOPOLIES

      5.  We shall use our efforts to @@@@@ laws by which all favoritism in the government and all monopolies @@@@@ and @@@vileges to special classes shall be rendered impossible, by full, d@@@@ and mandatory statutes.

 

PROTECTION TO HOME INDUSTRIES

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

 

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 satisfaction 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.

 

PUBLIC SERVANTS.

      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 adequate compensation for the services rendered.  All excessive salaries should be reduced and all @ine ca@es or superfluous o@fice@ abolished.

 

PROTECTION TO THE LABORING 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 employment 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 exemption of their property from forced sale on execution, and from seizure in bankruptcy proceedings.

 

SMALL FARMING AND HOMESTEADS.

      10.  The wealthy fraction of our population have hitherto prevented the development of an independent class of citizens; the public lands have been acquired and have been tied up in a few hands or parceled 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 their 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 @@@@@ 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 distinctions of wealth and classes which blemish our laws with respect of the right to vote for nobles, thereby restoring to the native Hawaiians privileges which pertain to them in their own country, and of which they have been unjustly deprived.

 

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS

      13. We favor the expenditure of of sufficient means to secure a number of needed public improvements on Oahu and other Islands: school, railroads and harbors and wharves, public @@@@@ and also a thorough system of reservoirs and waterworks, not only for Honolulu, but throughout the other Islands.