No. 38.
Interview with George Mundon, of
Kealia, Wednesday, April 19, 1893.
Mr. Blount. Do you work for Mr. Blaisdell?
A. I am hauling wood for him.
Q. Do you belong to the Annexation Club.
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Are you for annexation?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Are you for annexation if your people are not allowed free suffrage?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Are a majority of the native population that way?
A. No, sir.
Q. They are opposed to annexation unless they are assured they have the right to vote?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Then, is that the case of those in your club?
A. Yes, sir; that is the case as long as they get their franchise.
Q. Well, outside of the club, are a majority of the natives for or against the Queen, if they had their choice?
A. I can not say.
Q. Do not you mingle with them?
A. Well, before the overthrow of the Government the majority were against the Queen’s action.
Q. About the new constitution?
A. No, not particularly the new constitution, but the way she carried on.
Q. Did they want her dethroned?
A. I can not say they wanted her dethroned, but they were talking against her political actions.
Q. You were not here during the revolution?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you know anything of the sort was likely to take place?
A. I did not think it was going to take place as soon, but I thought it would take place.
Q. What made you think it would take place?
A. In regard to the way the Government was carried on. It was against the wishes of the people.
Q. What people?
[Page 902]A. Hawaiian people and whites. There was a good deal said about it. She would appoint her favorites to office—her cabinet officers.
Q. What time was this?
A. I am talking about the time the last legislature was sitting. She would appoint ministers—that is her cabinet—the legislature would vote them out, and she would take a part of them back again. I think we had four or five changes in that way. That was talked about greatly. It was against the wishes of the people—and one particular point I want to say—it was against my wishes and a majority of the Hawaiians, the retaining of our marshal, Charlie Wilson. He was always in office. We thought he was an incompetent man. The Wilcox cabinet was approved by all of us. We thought it was a good cabinet. Through some bribery they were voted out.
Q. Were you here?
A. No, sir; but I take and read the papers.
Q. Was it from the newspapers you heard there was bribery?
A. I heard it from friends. We knew our representatives were not very good men—men of no standing—and especially one named Akina. He is half Chinese. He is a lawyer. He came up here with a salary of $250. He had a family to support. He was up here six or seven months. We knew he could not live on $250, and on his return he must have brought down $300 or $400 worth of furniture.
Q. Any more persons you think were bribed?
A. I can not say positively that he was bribed; but there was one of our natives, Paul Kanaa—I won’t say he was bribed, but he voted against the party he went for.
Q. Did the Reform party elect him?
A. Yes, sir. He even voted out the Wilcox cabinet.
Q. Did he help to vote out any other cabinet before that?
A. I can not say, but I think that he did. Rumors were sent out to Kealia that the United States would send out a Commissioner; that the United States flag was going to be taken down and the Commissioner was going to put back the Queen. They felt sorry for the Queen and wanted her put back—some of them, not all—some of the ignorant people. Down where we live they are not all well posted.
Q. Are they mostly ignorant?
A. I can not say they are ignorant. They can all read and write.
Q. Do they generally speak English or native?
A. Native; but some of them understand English and speak very well?
Q. How are they generally occupied?
A. They plant taro; some work on plantations—bullock drivers and so on.
Q. Do they make their own living generally; they do not beg or live at public expense?
A. No. sir; they all earn their own living.
Q. Is it generally true of the native population that they do not beg nor steal but make their own living?
A. Yes, sir; they all make their own living. We have no stealing. It is a very rare case to have a native up for larceny.
Q. Who generally commits larceny?
A. The Chinese.
Q. How about the Portuguese?
A. The Portuguese are very seldom brought before the court. I do not think we have Portuguese brought before the court once in a year.
Q. How about the Japanese?
[Page 903]A. Well, very seldom.
Q. Do they (the Chinese) intermarry with your people some?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Is that generally agreeable to the native population?
A. No, sir; it is against the wishes of the native population.
Q. Is there much of it done?
A. Well, yes they manage to get some of the young girls by bribing the parents with money.
Q. To pay for the girls?
A. They do not exactly pay right out, but by giving presents to the parents and girls.
I have carefully read the foregoing and pronounce it an accurate report of my interview with Mr. Blount.