Nuhou, Volume I, Number 5, 2 December 1873 — Hawaiian Political Sentiment [ARTICLE]

Hawaiian Political Sentiment

As cxpressed at the eelebr;ition of liawai'au fndepeudenee on Frlday !ast, eall> f-_.r a woiy! of mention. The Orator of the l>ay, llon. /. P-»]i sai»J, in commenting upon the polUieal eondition of.the eouiitry, thrtt the joint J»eelurution hy Hngland and France in 1840, hy wliieh thc two Powerb mutually guavanteed the independcnce of Ilawnii, inspired the utmost eonfidenee in the minds of .Hawaiiane, tlvat tbese Povyers dcsired the perpetuation of the independenee of the Arehipclag«t; and that the reeognition of Amenea alone, deelining to enter into a joint guarantce. eontemp!ated on!y commereial regu!ation, and was llable to be withdrawn for political considerations. And* then the Orator indulged in'some al!.usionp to the Ameriean eagle, saying, that the wings of the eagle hovered over Puuloa, (" na eheu.o ka aeto ke hooiahalahai ma na kapakai o Puuloa"); hut could not seize a etnp of the laud. Now the manao or opinion« of Z. Poli, or āny other indigeno.us poli-tician of this eountry, if uttered in the street, wouM ouly be the idlest of idie wind; but wheu spoken,by an.iuvited orator, on the occasiou of the chief polkieal anniversary of the qountry, at the celebrated Kawaiahao, or btone Church, where Ilawaiian Kings are instalicd īn ihe presenee of foreign representatives t goveri>ment oflicials, and a crowded assemhlage of people; and when,the vvords vvere loudly and vociferousiy applauded, then they deserve some eousideration as indicating the political sentiinent of the eountry. And that it is ehiefly an anti-Amer-iean sentiment 'is somevvhiit remarkahle, eonsidering the cordial feeling that existed towarde Ameriean during tlie past years. Some have attempted to aecount for the chauge by pretendiug that it is. owing to unfriendly to our great eontinental neighbor; but we defy auyone topointout a line of anv such unfriendly dlseussion in the journalism of this eountry. No—it is plainly owing m largC|part to the unwise proposition to cede a part of the national domain, whieh scheme having originated with Ameriean speeulative interests: —bein<i; advocated and proposed hy the Atuerican advisers of llis Majesty ; and supposod to be lavored and promoted by the American diplomatic representative, has caused a sensitive feeling among a people, who however poor aud feeble, nui&t be recognized as capable of entertaining some patri6tic sentiment. And wheu to the mistrust and epldncss caused. by the Pearl llarbor Cession is added another minful feel-

ing arisiiig fpom a woll groundod belief» that owing to a iooliah alarm to.»«' <fffida! mkreprese»tatioiV of danger t-> Amerioaii Ilfe aad property * (when mt a shadow of aueh danger exieted) a eommander of un Amenean man-of-war ia poit w \s indueed to put his fbrce in readinesi> to goashoie it a momenl^notiee,audlioist the Ameriean flag over a Iiawniian Government building; when we eonsider all this, it is not to be woudered at, that owitig to a great deal of oEoial timidity and huiiding s both foroign as weIlasdoiuestie, there has heeu uufortuuatelY deYeloped iu 6ur native eomnninitv a somew!uit auti-Amerio;m politioal sentiiiient.