The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-02-03
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3
The Coming Election.

II is by no means an encouraging sign Of a ma
tons vitality or hopefulness, when the near ap-
proach of the day for electing representatives to
the Legislature fails to awaken any Perceptible
degree Of solicitude or interest as to who are 10
be the members. Yet such is the case in Homo
lulu, and 50 far as we can learn, the same feeling
prevails in most of the other districts throughout
the Kingdom. The only persons who appear TO
bestow much thought upon the fact that next
Monday is the day for election of members to the
national Legislative Assembly, are the candidates
themselves, and Of these it is true there are a
goodly number. The personal friends of some of
them are beginning to canvass to a small extent
in the city, but the principal amount Of work of
this kind, if done at all before the day of cleo
tion, is being done in a very quiet manner.
Years ago, a representative of the people was
known in common parlance as a /" luna wehe
pilikia," or, to put it in English the burden
relIever." The conception in the native mind
originally being that the principal duty of a
representative was to endeavor to lessen the bur-
dens of the people. The experience gained by
the lapse of years, has to a large extent dissi-
pated this idea with the people, although we still
see petitions brought forward every session, ask
ing for the repeal of taxes which are considered
burdensome. If the people at large were made
aware of the fact that the policy of the Ministry
is to get the country in debt as much as possible,
they would probably understand the uselessness
of petitioning for a reduction of taxes. These
complaints of the burdens of the people are
generally accompanied with urgent requests that
the salaries of ministers be reduced. Five thou
sand dollars a year naturally sounds very large
for a ministers salary, to a poor native who finds
no little difficulty in raising five dollars with
which to pay his taxes. But all these petitions
for lessening of burdens and reduction of salaries
are received at each session as matters of course,
excite little notice and no discussion, and dis
appear, never to be heard of again, in the COM
mittees to which they are referred as a matter of
form. With this system going on for a long
series of years, the general apathy that prevails
among the people as to the election of a 3 luna
wehe pilikia, - is not surprising.
And it is not among the natives alone that the
lack of interest is manifested. Intelligent for
eigncrs, who have long resided in the country,
become naturalized, and have all their interests
of family and home here, look upon the present
system of Hawaiian parliaments as but little more
than a costly farce, and they make no hesitation
whatever in saying so. 1t is hopeless, they viii
tell you, to dream of carrying any measure of
Importance through the Legislature which does
not meet with the appreciation of the Ministry,
and so it matters but very little who is elected.
Surely, this is an anomalous state Of things to be
obliged II to confess as existing in the pattern King
dom of Polynesia.
We do not however concede that no good can
result from a choice of representatives. The
presence of a few independent members in the
house, who will fearlessly and intelIigently dis
cuss matters of national Importance, is necessary
for the information of the country at large, and
for the creation of a correct and enlightened pub
lie opinion. The Ministers themselves. if they
are honest as well as wise, will welcome an hon.
est opposition. The governmental policy that
shrinks from a close and searching scrutiny, lay
ing it open to the public examination, must be
wanting in the first elements of soundness.