The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-06-24

ton might " pave the way to the establishment OF
an undesired Church. was not quite Is ground
less as the Bishop would have Us Imagine. To say
nothing Of the private views Of lis late Majesty
and Of some OF his Ministers. the language held
by the Bishop and his clergy on their arrival
showed that they considered themselves the Ma
tional : Church OF Hawaii, . and the list OF per
. sonageS on page 81 Is only one illustration cut OF
many Of their anxiety 70 give themselves the ap-
VearanCe. 81 least. Of being the Government
Church. Mr.. Nyllie's famous Parish Bib d.
vidinr the country into parishes, and putting ali
Church property under the control of Trustees TO
be elected by said parishes, pointed In the same
direction. The great difficulty experienced by the
Protestant Churches in obtaining charters, and the
attempts made By hook or crook 10 get possession
Of Church eGifces, were not calculated 10 alay
suspicion. Besides, the intention was avowed of
bringing before the Legislature of 1864 a bill APP
propriating money from the public Treasury 70
defray subscriptions which His late Majesty had
made 10 the English Mission. Other significant
facts might be referred TO. but they are not
needed, and we Will do the Bishop and his adher-
ents the Justice TO believe that the lessons OF the
last two years have not been wholly lost upon
them, and that they have learned how disastrous
to their own cause viii be the slightest attempt 10
establish a State Church on these Islands. 1t Is
true that : the Roman Catholic interest " did TO
a great extent : unite with that of the Puritans "
in electing men opposed to the revolutionary
schemes of the Ministry. 1t is to the honor of
the Roman Catholic missionaries here, that their
influence was always eXerted IN favor OF giving
the people fee simple titles 10 their lands, and of
the abolition of forced labor. 1t was natural
that they should oppose any change in the Con
stitution which threatened to disfranchise a large
proportion of their people, especially when 1t was,
TO all appearance, instigated and encouraged by
British influence. 1t was as impossible for them
as il was for the Protestant clergy to exert no in
huence in such Il crisis, when the fundamental
law of the land, the basis of all our rights and
liberties. was at stake.
The Bishop says, = Three missionaries were ac-
tually returned as delegates" He probably re-
fers to three young men, SONS of missionaries, who
were elected in the districts of Nlakawao, kOhala
and South Kona. Neither of these gentlemen
sought a nomination. Two of them Were nomi-
mated without their knowledge, and one, at least,
knew nothing of it until informed of his election
on another island. The Office was forced upon
them by q spontaneous movement OF the people
themselves, who knew them to be incorruptible
and fearless friends of the MdkGGinaRa. They
need never be ashamed that they stood up for the
principles OF constitutional liberty, as did Pym
and Hampden before them, or fear the epithet of
- disloyal, - when applied TO them for defending
the best safeguard of His Majesty's Throne. If
their clerical character is objected to, it must be
remembered that the Government made a large
concession on this score when Bishop Staley. re
tanning his clerical profession and remaining at
the head of the Reformed Catholic Mission, was
made a member Of the Kings Privy Council, and
afterwards Of the Board of Education.
The Bishop does not seem TO comprehend that
a " Constitutional Opposition = is an essential
element of every liberal government in the world,
and that loyalty to the Constitution is the only
security against despotism on the one hand, and
anarchy on the other. He calls the members of
the Conservative party in the Convention : in
cendiaries," and speaks of an orderly meeting
convened TO nominate candidates opposed TO any
violation of the Constitution, as q seditiOus
assembly" although the most loyal sentiments
were constantly expressed towards the King and
Royal family.
Now we have always supposed that we, as
Hawaiian subjects, enjoyed equal liberty with
those living under the British Monarchy. Every
one knows that when members of Parliament are
TO be elected the people of all ranks claim the
right TO exercise the utmost freedom in speaking,
voting, and writing, and equally so whether ii be
TO elect or defeat candidates favorable 10 minis
tiers and their public policy. Nor would the peo-
pie Of England for one moment allow the Minis
try to question their right to this privilege.
W here this privilege is not enjoyed the Govern
ment is 4 sheer despotism. And | cannot believe
that this Government is prepared to enter upona
crusade against the Protestant clergy of these
Islands to deprive them of liberties, such as are
enjoyed by members of their profession in Great
Britain or the United States. The long and we'll
tried loyalty Of these men to the nation, and to
the reigning dynasty, is not to be lightly called
in question at this late day. They understand
and make that distinction which is made in every
Constitutional Monarchy between the King and
1lllllSieTS. W Itl AT IdSL jHt oCnN tlllOH Edu
proved unmanageable, and when, by the fat Of
the King, the Constitution Of 1852 had been an
nulled and a new one ordained, why was it sub
mitted to in silence? This was certainly not
owing to the popular approval of the new Con-
nor to slavish cOWardice and venaEty. !
1t was owing partly TO the strong personal at
tachment of the nation to the family of the
great kamehameha, and not least to those senti-
ments of order and obedience TO authority which
have always been inculcated by those very men
who are accused of - treason and sedition.''
As for the new Constitution, which has been
called Il 80 palladium Of Hawaiian liberties - and
compared TO Magma Charta, it is chiefly distin-
guished from the former one by the abolition of
the Lower House. The representatives of the
people are merged in one Legislative Assembly
with the MOBILES and Cabinet Minister'S, and have
no longer any control over the finances, And
vet this is the principal criterion Of a liberal
\ Constitution in which the Rep
resentatives OF the PEG pie have not the initiative
OF all money bills, nor even any separate exist
ence as a House, and in which the independence
OF the Judiciary is virtually destroyed, is prac-
tically an GbsoLutsm, m~itigated only by the char
acter of the reigning Monarch, or by the power
of public opinion.
The manner in which it was received by the
nation may be Judged of from the fact that in
the Capital Of the Kingdom, the residence of the
Court, out of ll25 persons qualified by its pro-
visions to vote, only 262 applied for registration
as voters, while in the same district 240S votes
were cast in January, 1864. And the late Leg
islative Assembly, the wisdom Of whose measures
Is so highly co~mplimented by the Bishop, is al
most universally considered as by far the most
and incompetent Legislative body that
ever assembled in Honolulu. These are facts
well known here, but grossly and Systematically
.isrepresented abroad by pens probably hired for
the purpose. But