LIHU‘E — The top song of the day in the year of Hawai‘i statehood, 1959, was “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles, and the only place to hear it on Kaua‘i was AM 1350, KTOH, which stood for “Kaua‘i Territory
LIHU‘E — The top song of the day in the year of Hawai‘i statehood, 1959, was “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles, and the only place to hear it on Kaua‘i was AM 1350, KTOH, which stood for “Kaua‘i Territory of Hawai‘i.”
Bobby Darin’s “Mack The Knife” was hot, as was “I Only Have Eyes For You,” “There Goes My Baby” by the Drifters, “Shout” by the Isley Brothers, “Kansas City” by Wilbert Harrison and “Love Potion No. 9” by the Clovers.
Po‘ipu had one hotel, the old Waiohai, and there was just one hotel between Kilauea and the end of the road at Ha‘ena, and it wasn’t at Princeville, which was ranch land.
There was an unconfirmed rumor that some students at Kaua‘i High School carried a casket to school on the day Hawai‘i became a state, a brave move during a time it was probably not so wise for your health to be anti-statehood.
Today, such hijinks would likely result in suspension.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., who recorded his weekly TV show this week with statehood as the theme, stands in the rare air of being a Native Hawaiian mayor who serves with Native Hawaiians in the positions of Kaua‘i Police Department chief (Darryl Perry), prosecuting attorney (Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho) and County Council chair (Bill “Kaipo” Asing).
Carvalho had this to say via e-mail on the eve of the golden statehood anniversary: “Statehood has brought many blessings to the people of Hawai‘i and to Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau.
“Over the past 50 years, we’ve enjoyed the benefits and privileges of being a state in this great nation of ours, yet have preserved our unique cultural attributes that set us apart to this day,” said Carvalho.
“It is wonderful to celebrate our culture and heritage: hula, agriculture, the spirit of ‘ohana —everything that makes us special. We continue to share those gifts with the world and will continue to do so in the decades to come,” he said.
“It’s all about bridging time and cultures and distances, and as a Native Hawaiian I’m proud to be a part of that ‘bridge.’”
Things 50 years ago were much different than today, as can be evidenced in the written record of the U.S. senators conducting public hearings on the statehood issue.
Nearly everyone who testified either for or against statehood was asked whether or not dreaded communism had a chance to taking foothold in the fledgling state.
The hearings took place during the height of the “red scare” when all eyes were on the U.S. House of Representatives un-American activities committee.
A U.S. senator calling Japanese residents “Japs” drew a stern response from Frank Fasi, who would become mayor of Honolulu and pointed out that he is married to a Japanese woman.
“It is a slap in the face to any American of Japanese ancestry,” Fasi told senators.
Fasi, Democratic national committee member from Hawai‘i, also had a vision for the economic future of the state.
“Another question that has been brought up as I have been seated here is the economic outlook for Hawai‘i. I think it was a very proper question,” Fasi said.
“The subject of tourism has been touched upon very lightly. I feel that the natural resources of Hawai‘i may not be iron or oil or any other chemicals, something you can mine. The natural resource of the Territory of Hawai‘i is its beauty,” said Fasi.
“And I feel that within 10 years, where we now get $40 million a year from tourists, we may be getting as much as $400 million a year,” Fasi said.
The hearings were conducted in 1953 and 1954, on two Senate bills and a House resolution proposing Hawai‘i “be admitted into the union on an equal footing with the original states.”
A Hilo radio personality told committee members he thought most of the territorial residents were not in favor of statehood.
The march to statehood was long, and factors on the Mainland and internationally set into play the events that would culminate with statehood 50 years ago.
The outbreak of the Spanish American war sealed Hawai‘i’s fate. In 1898, shortly after a victory in Manila Bay, Philippines, Congress passed a resolution to annex the Hawaiian Islands, and on July 7, President McKinley signed the resolution into law.
At the annexation ceremony in Honolulu, “Hawai‘i Pono‘i,” written by King Kalakaua, was played for the last time as the official anthem of the Hawaiian nation. The Hawaiian flag was hauled down, to be replaced by the stars and stripes. A proud nation was swallowed up.
Hawai‘i had lost its sovereignty.
