The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-07-26

Is o. eternal Use 70 human Kind,
For ever and anon, when you have passed
A few dull years in peace and propagation,
The world i oyerstocked with fools, and wants
A pestlerce at least. II not q hero"
We come now to the report of the Secretary of
War, which will be found on the outside of this
paper. 1t is devoted, almost wholly. to a discus
sion of the question whether this government
ought TO maintain a standing army or not, the
opinion of the Honorable Secretary being. after
the experience Of sixteen years, that the salvation
of the kingdom rests mainly in a strong military
organization, . for which, - he says, /, as Sec
rotary at War, must ever contend, So long as l
have life and reason The Secretary thinks
that SOS lib is the smallest sum which ought TO
be voted for the military by the Legislature, and
I with a nOn-chalance which Is decidedly refresh
ing, goes on to calculate that that sum . is only
about Q per cent. of the whole estimated revenue
of the kingdom forgetting. purPosely or inno-
Gently. that of the 1856 ,353, as estimated by
the Minister of Finance about $50. 900 is 70 be
borrowed money. He then admonishes the repre-
seutatives. : before you refuse to vote that sum-"
(S6S, 1I3) - Irhich Ihope ron wiH not, | recon-
mend you well to consider the extract from Mr..
Gregr's lecture Of the 18th Of March. IS5S.' &c.
That lecture, a. We have before shown was
nothing more OF less than a successful bid for the
friendship Of the Honorable Secretary Of War.
and for the Office which Mr.. Gregg now holds.
II can have no weight, therefore, with any i'm
partial minds, who are acquainted with the his
tory Of It's origin and delivery.
We agree perfectly with the Secretary in the
main proposition laid down by him, and we be-
lieve all our readers viii concede Us much. He
saws
The end Of All government; being the production Of
the greatest possible amount Of happiness for these
who are governed, and 1t being impossible that the
governed can enjoy happiness, while their lives and
properties are insecure, II follows as a logical cOnse-
quence that 1t j. the interest Of every man in the
State that the Sovereign should have the physical
power to secure him in the enjoyment Of life and pro-
perty.
But the position taken by the Minister. in
recommending a large force Of 200 or 500 men, is
completely overturned by the concession which he
makes in another paragraph Of his report. that
any military force maintained here Is insufficient
in itself 10 protect life, liberty and property lie
says.
The only sound argument against the military that
/ have seen ventilated IN the public papers, y it, IN
suficieucy to protect life, liberty and property; but
in all common sense, so long a. it i the first duty Of
the Sovereign TO grant that protection. surely it must
no; to abolish the military on account of the INSULT
cheney OF its present force, bat loyalty and dutifully
to bring that free up 10 the measure Of the Kings
constitutional obligation.
We have never cOntsnded that the military be
abolished. but that 1t be kept within the limits Of
reason and necessity. The public have always
conceded that a guard Is needed for the personal
protection and honor Of the King and Royal
family, and for the safety Of the public buildings
and their contents, such as custom house. state
prison, government Offices, &c. Such a force Is
is adequate for the service. reason and necessity
call for. But beyond this, to maintain at
a burdensome tax, an enormous military force on
each of the islands, for fear they might some day
be invaded by that tfHbuster hand. which so long
troubled the repose and quiet of Rosebank only,
this is what the public justly oppose. We hold
as n fundamental axiom that the maintenance of
a burGensons army IS one Of the mos. fertile sour