The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-05-21

SSHosA
tuition Is very good as it is" But sir, q have you
ever read it," to which my interlOcutor readily an
s"ers NO" Another says, Z" the amendments will
De rejected with scorn." for hard words arG the
weapons OF such speakers. Sir, "have you lever
heard any amendments proposed, or asked any per-
son what they would probably be-" Answers. isno,
sir. Now | submit that the conversation of ali such
persons Is quite as baseless as the assumption that
the " church is to be added to the State. or this. His
MaJesty's Ministers propose to burden themselves
with the religious convictions of the nation, sor to
burden the Treasury with taxes for the support of
any theory Of religion or church government.
Scarcely any man who has been at all conversant
with the public affairs during these last ten gears
that does not say that the Constitution may h, re-
vised with advantage. If this be a fact. then most
certainly it becomes the duty of Governme1J no,
to wait till the difficulties become oppressive, or
until the people become FESTIVE, but to taLe the
initiative, and to offer TO join in the revision m the
cheapest, most conclusive and most s~atisfacto,f way
possible.
For this reason, a Convention has been called at
which every constituency may be heard on any point
that its Delegate or Delegates may see fit to suggest,
and that they may all deliberate on any proposition
undistracted by any consideration of other public
business. Certainly, sir, if the King is willing to
do this, the people can not and will not Complain of
his liberality.
Some of the faults of the present Constitution
arise from having paid too much Difference 20 the
then existing state of things, without looking suffi-
GENTLY to the future and providing against Us con-
tingencies. In some cases it has deprived the
Legislature of its just power of regulating tie gov.
eminent of the country, leading to the ex .yencies
thereof. And in several instances it is afflicted with
~verbiage and surplusage which render it obscure or
lead up to Inconsistencies. But the King is not
DESTROYS of DIcTA1ING any Constitution, g any
change in the Constitution to the people, but is
DESTROYS of meeting in a free and hearty mnnner a
free people, which has the power to refuse any
changes not clearly demonstrated to be for the public
good, and who he may reasonably hope will meet
him free from all p~rejudices and foregone conclusions.
The Convention has therefore been called at such a
time that if they see fit to make any changes, the
Legislature may be called within the time prescribed
by the present Constitutions; that is to say. before
the 23d of August. Now it may we'll be asked if
the people, chiefs, and King choose to unite in
making changes, which will commend themselves to
all foreigners residing among US, and not derog-
ative ofany foreign treaties, who remains to find fault
Let US now refer to the 25th Article of the Consti-
tuition, which L forbear to quote, but to which l beg
to call the attention of your readers. 1t will be seen
that its provisions were made for a childless King,
with especial reference to the situation of Kameha-
meha I'LL, not regarding the principle of the perpetu-
alton of the form of government and the rights of the
dynasty. If left to stand as it was, and construed
literally, without reference to the preceding, then
existing or subsequent events of the history of the
country, it would render the succession uncertain,
by leaving it to the within, caprice or negligence of
the reigning Sovereign, and expose the country to
the danger of expectant heirs, endeavering to win
tho & yor IF tho raiOninn Coyara;o, hv Srbsoryiopou
to his caprices-or even more reprehensibls means,
and to the great dangers arising from the intrigues
and jealousies of an uncertain succession.
Seeing this, amendments on the point were first
proposed in 1858, but were not put on theic passage
before the Legislature, agreeably to the Constitution.
until 1860, when they passed by the requisite two
thirds vote. But on account Of an accidental omis-
sion in the publication thereof, three months before
the election of the Legislature of 1862, the action of
the preceding Legislature became useless, SO that
they were again put on their passage de moro, in
1862; and would in due course have come before
this years Legislature, when if they received the
two-thirds vote, they would become part of the Con-
stitutional law but if they should fail to receive
that vote, all previous action would have been futile.
In the meantime Kamehameha ". and his son have
both died, and their death has called the attention Of
the thoughtful to the fact that the amendments them
selves are faults, and that whereas they were in
tended to make all things clear and certain, yet in
the case of the death of His present Majesty and the
Princess Victoria, without heirs, the Constitution
was open to the argument that the Monarch was
elective forever, than which all history shows that
no worse form Of government has existed on the face
of the earth, or the successor would be appointed by
each King in the same manner as has been previ-
ously shown to be so Objectionable. So that, to pro-
vide against an unfortunately not very improbable
contingency-the extinction of the present Roya
Family-it is thou ght that the amendments them
selves must necessarily be re-amended, so that the
Sovereign who may thus succeed by appointment OF
election should be declared to be the Founder of a
new Family, having succession in like manner as the
present Royal Family. Let it be understood that
do not say that it is clear that in such a case the
Monarchy would be held to be elective-nut it is oper
to that argument, and the community would be ex
posed to the agitations and uncertainties incidenta
thereto.
The KUHINA NUI has always been thought to b.
a most Objectionable feature in the Constitution o
this Kingdom, and indefensible on any ground
whatsoever. Let US turn to it, and see whether 1t
abrogation by the consent OF the people would de
prive them of g any rights and privileges sacred ant
dear to them, or would pave the way to a churcl
establishment with tithes and taxes imposed on tn
whole people" And here let me pause, Mr.. Editor
to ask whether after so full and explicit denials c
any such folly, the reiterated statement of such al
intention is entirely consistent with morality whe
one writes over a nomme de plume. If any on
wishes to reassert what is plainly denied, would