The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-04-13
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
S4TERDA I. APRIL Is.
The Impending Crisis.

$500 Nll.
Hawaiian Government p~uhlishcs a newspaper
which from week To week exhibits a moral tur
pitude. and want of deccncy, which, to say moth
ing of the demoralizing influence, reflect sadly oil
the credit and standing Of the Government. l
has sunk 50 low, under Its present management
as 10 be not only unreliable in many of its state
ments, bat unworthy of support. and would no
receive any were il not that some feel obliged Il u
take it for the sake of appearances. This Is the
paper which We approach as the physician does d
diseased carcass, because duty compels US TO deal
with it. Such being it, established character,
we are not surprised to find the following on the
editorial page of the last Gazette:
. But read again the next sentence carefully.
What Is the incubus to prosperity that is TO be
removed - The Ministry = Did the Ministry pro-
claim the new Constitution? You all know that the
King himself stated that he took the step which he
did take in the convention, without having spoken
one word 10 any one on the subject.
Since the commencement of the present reign one
Minister has been removed by death, and another has
retired, making two out of the four who were in
Office at the beginning of the reign, yet the Constitu-
ton remains a. II was proclaimed, the policy Of the
country remains unchanged: the Ministry, therefore,
in the connection Is nonsense. If God should remove
all the Ministers the Constitution would remain the
same; another word. therefore, Is TO he supplied for
the word Ministers in the article quoted. What
word is it that must be supplied for Minister'S, to
make sense?
Now is it true, is it the fact, that there is any man,
woman, or child in this country who prays that God
NAV remove him, under whose authority we are now
living, and under whose reign you are living in the
free enjoyment of peace and prosperity! Does not
every one loyalty pray for him length OF days! L
ask again, how long will you countenance and sup
port one who 80 constantly perVerts the truth Of his
tory, misrepresents your opinions, vilities those in
authority who are seeking to serve your best interests,
and who vilities the Hawaiian people by saying that
they pray that God will remove the author of the
present Constitution. Say not that such stuff has no
effect. 1t mny have effect abroad, though none ut
home; and if it has none abroad, the disposition of
the man remains the same. Yours HONOLULU
The above refers to an article on Suffrage,
which appeared in the Adrertiser Of the ODD of
cd are concerned Is unanswerable. The writer
quoted, without attempting to controycrt the
arguments, launches into Il strain, which shows
him possessed of more spleen than brains. We
care not to know his name, for a man who is 50
lost to sense and shame, as to peryert plain Ian
guagc, and cndeavor to drag the sovereign of the
land before the public in an odious light, as this
writer does, is unworthy of Il name. No one but
Il worthless adventurer, devoid of loyalty or self
respect, could ever stoop to an act of such mean
ness. The writer is either ii knave or Il fool, and
with him we have nothing more to do.
1t is the MINISTRY whom we hold responsible
for the uttcrance of the language which we have
quoted. They know very well that the theory
on which all monarchical Governments rest is,
that the King can do no wrong-the Ministers
alone are responsible. The moment that basis
becomes changed. the nature of the Government
changes to an AUfOcrdcy ON the one hand, or Il
Republic on the other. Knowing this, the Minis
tiers publish an article endeavoring to screen
themselves from an acknowledged responsibility
and To throw it onto their Sovereign. Was ever
such mcanncss and d~isloyalty shown in any king
dom on the face of the earth? VIII not men
who resort to such groveling subterfuges, betray
their Sovereign when opportunity offers? We
will not charge them with writing the language
quoted. but it was written at their instance, and
in thar 6ehaB, and we hold them personally TO
the full responsibility of publishing it to the
world.
The language we used was plain and unmis-
takeable. We charged the Ministry with the
responsibility of the Constitutional changes, and
the nation and Almighty God hold them RESPONSE
bic for it. The attempt To thus shirk the respon-
sibility by throwing it on to one whom all are
only taught TO honor, revere and reverence,
betravs a blackncSs of character almost without
Il parallel in history. In the name of the lla-
waiian people we demand the removal from Office
of men who are 50 lost 10 their duty as subjects
as thus to endcavor to dishonor their ruler. The
voice of the people calls for the appointment of
men who know the duties and responsibilities
they assume, are capable of acting in Il spirit
of manlincss and honor, and defending the good
name of the King from such a base attack as that
in the last Gazette. Were they possessed of the
of statesmen, they would instantly
Fave returned their portfolios on the appearance
of tine above article.
Aside from the attempt to throw off the rcspon-
sibility attaching to their official position, the
attempt to pervert and mioconstrue oar language
il ON a PAR with the former. though an oiicnse
of far less magnitude in comIarison, as Mis can
only affect ourselves, that the King. The idea Of
any other responsibility than that of the Minis
terS was not entertained, and could never be by
any. but one inspired by unholy and reasonable
motives. We do not concedc to the present MIN
istrv the right to judge of our loyalty, fully
believing that aur past acts are the best and only
10y which we can be judged. Certainly
we have never been guilty of so base a thought as
expressed in the above quotation, and verify
believe that 50 far rs the writer of it is concern
the wish i father To- the thought.
As We said when we began, we regret to have
to refer To- this matter at all but we see no
alternative left us. TIE Ministry publish state
mcnts for which they alone are responsible. Our
duty as journalists is to repcl. false enc
uttered by them, though it he under a mask. If
the language We have used is strong, it must be
remembered that they alone have called it forth.
supreme Court.
On Monday last. in the Supreme Court. one
O-b, Hendricks. a German. was tried and CON