The Hawaiian Gazette

DANGER IN RACE DIVISION.

It would be an all-round calamity if the natives should carry the elections with an anti-haole ticket and assume the control of Legislative interests here a calamity for the whites, a calamity for the natives, a catastrophe for Hawaii nei.

Native government—for a Wilcox Legislature would create municipalities for the anti-haole party to control—would stop the business growth of Hawaii as quickly as frost stops the growth of grapes. No man with a dollar to loan would risk it here. Let the plantations pay what they might, their securities would not go while the peril of bad government lasted: let real estate be never so attractive and not a lot could be sold while such men as Wilcox and Kalauokalani controlled the law-making power.

The history of South Carolina while an anti-white party was in authority is full of warnings to the property-owners of these Islands lest they assist in bringing to pass such conditions here.

There are warnings also by which the natives will do well to profit. No white population of the quality of that in Hawaii will ever permit itself to be plundered and misruled. An appeal to Congress for the modification of the suffrage would be the first move: and if that relief was denied or too long withheld, then the law of self-preservation would assuredly be invoked. The white people of Hawaii detest and abhor the color line but if any color is to rule Hawaii it must be white.

As things are the Republican and Democratic parties are willing to fairly divide honors and offices with the natives: but neither will submit to an aboriginal anti-haole government.

Trouble along race lines would hurt Hawaii about as badly as a tidal wave. To the timid ears of capital it would sound like the menace of San Domingo did to the French. Progress would be arrested; confidence would be lost; prosperity would dwindle. Is it not the wise part of Republicans and Democrats to combine their whole white and native strength to resist the Wilcox party?

Is it not more important to save Hawaii from ruin than it is to earn defeat under contending party banners?

Parties will mean very little here until Hawaii becomes a State; but the safety of our business, commercial and wage-earning interests means very much all the time.

Viewing the loss of their trade with Hawaii our Australian friends are not too modest to demand a change in the Constitution of the United States so that they may keep on competing here with an American industry.

Failing to secure this trifling concession they threaten reprisals. What they would do no one knows but let us live in hope that they won't come and annex us some dark night.