Ahailono o ka Lahui, Volume I, Number 21, 3 February 1890 — THE SILENT OPPOSITION. [ARTICLE]

THE SILENT OPPOSITION.

The imported talent of the Advertiser concentrates itsclf on an editorial entitled " Bilent Opposition." The whole fury of tho government at« tack has been directed against uative Hawaiian candidates. The organ cannot discuss issues abstracted from personality. Failing to find weak,ness in tho Naiional Reform party's platform it bowls against the native nominees. With a blind prejudice resurtiiig from yoars of bīgotrylTseēks to attach all the sins of omission and commission of these nominees to eaeh and every eandidato running on the National Eeform ticket. Accordingly it drags up such silly themes as the Bamoan Mission, knowing very well that sucli an ombassy would be an impossibility with any futuro govern' ment. The organ of perversion also knows that the former government and not the appointee was responsible for the Samoan fiasco. >Still it will harp on such silly strains. īt is a feature of its disingenuous tacties to argue issues that are dead and have no bearing on present events. īt decries prejudice 011 the opposition side and claims a monopoly of all appeal to it, The organ dismisses Mr. Widediseussion of tho French sub ject by investing it with a certain "antiquariaū interest." Will the Adver« tiser remembev that Mr. Widemann's oration is a reply to a theme introduced hy Mr, Th uvsiod and if "anii' quarian interest" attaehes to his re--' marks it is probably tlie interest of trutli whieh Mr. Thurston eonveniently ! omitted. The criticism of the other speakers is what might be expected of an organ whieh has such enlightened views of c< burning questions." īt compliments Mr. Maefar!ane for his niasterly expo« sitiori of National Reform principles and then innocently wonders w!iy Mr. Macfurlane does not form one of the compaet devotees. Mr. Philiips, in the estimation of the enlightened journal, lias no right to eriticise the government's extravagance in the matter of liglits and its parsi - j moniousness in the construetion of roads, becauso he sits b} r the side of a former Ambassador to Samoa! The folly in argument of the Adver tiser always terminates w}th au absurd eonclusion as a elimax. This time the organ ealla the opposition silent because it does not discuss tlie topies whieh the Advertiser eonsiders "burning quesfions/V Know, most veherable of journa!ism, thafc both the National Reform platform and its candidates havedistinctly pronounced on all "burning questions ,, and /•( '/ issues, »