Nuhou, Volume I, Number 17, 24 Pepeluali 1874 — Our Influence [ARTICLE]

Our Influence

On tbe native mind is 6aid to V»c great, but only for and nofc for good, A writer 111 the Gazeltē % who eigns * * * an old quill, who like an old gopher, always works and throws «p dirt under cover, sayB that we are the eauee of the late vow, and that if anybody is indictable.wc onght to be looked afterjby a grand jury. There is a eertain Bati6faction of amour propre in dietinetion of any kind, and somc would prefer notoriety on aceount of a pre-eminencc in mischief, rather than an obecure life witb jrio eonsideration beyond what ie awarded to respectable mediocrity. Now witliout admitting anything in relation to our espeeial idiosyncracy, w s e will 6imply say that the facts do not warrant the aecording to us df so mueh honor, as is set forth by the above writer, and othere who epeak in likewiee. :We" have written and epoken mueh untu the native people, it is true. We have leeome unto many an adviser, and a mout!i-piece. We eirculate 1,500 copies oF our paper, and we believe that every copy ls eeen by and communicated unto at least twēnty people, because the Hawaiian reads his paper out aloud to a lietenitig crowd, and therefbre a j6urnat of eome Vim and point as the Nuhou is supposed to be must go far 'i'n awakening the mlnd of an impressionable people like the riatives of these lsles. And we ihink we have awakened the mind of this people, as we aimed to do. We sought to fire the Ilawaiinn heart, as we came ofastock who have hearts to be iired. We essayed to nourish a patriotic feeling and to excite a spirit fbr the maintenance of national independence, and eo we went into a fight against a ministerial eeheme of nalional dismtegratien, without eounting the odds, and weproved the effect of awakening and concentiating the native sentiment, not only as againet thispartlcular eeheme, but in the large natiTe repreeentatjJon for the eauee of national mdependence, and in'ihe eleeiion of a King who was coneidered as the ehampion of this independence, And all this, say our critiee s lead up caueed the riot at the late royal election. *But what eaused the assemblagc of exclted, \mreaeoning inen with clubs and stonēs on the Bth of January, 1873, who on!y did not break forth inio a riot theu, beoause they gained their wish thi\mgli intimidation aod eontrary to the"exact law of the land? Wae it a Nuhou that waked up the mob fiend of that day, or was it not perhapseaused hy a King, who, regardleēTof tho iutercsts of hls throne, or the peaee and welfare of his country, left thc euccesBion of his Kingdom to bc eubjcct to electioneering lntrigue and partisan violenco? And h&e not this been donc agaln hy another King who would not perm!t the we!faro of Iu« Kingdom and eoimtry to prevail over u personal prcjudiee, and eo would Jeave his throne to be' fought for by a mob ? Theee are eoiue of the pnme moving eaueee leading to the event,but the immediate» active < iuw wele !ying aseurat\vcs and rcvolntioDai7 fctatementp made by pavti?ans who had no oihei' hojk of V|lnning the!r eau?ej thro«gh the loeil of a moh, and |

• J } so attemptcd ip this seeund interregnurn an im-' perfect imitation of lh*- politieal of thcj firsfc interr^gnum } and whieh was u._»t *o euoee^e-. ful, simply becau?e it was carried on in a sneakingj and coward(y mannei', and not like the former—! -n jii.d f.ught u:.t imd* boldty, rnpatriotic Kii»g6, aml a weak 1 governmoit caused the lute riot, and we thīnk* our critic bplonge to tlje eeeond class of our cate- • gory,—very likely he wae a partiean. or sneaking- j ly sympathetie in behalf of a eauee, hostile to the' now reignii|g order, but who has.very iikdiy got r an o.ffice as h reward for his opposition. or eow-! ardicc. - S