The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-06-29

~S~N'
Nh President Under the Constitution Of 1852.
MOBILES and Representatives sat apart, and continued
to do ; until the proclamation calling Convention
20 amend the Constitution issued in 1904 The
given for calling the ConVentiop Nere' that
amendments were necessary to provide for the sue
cession TO the Throne and the marriage OF persons OF
the Royal Family but there were those IN the COM
munity who believed that some more radical change
was contemplated and in the journals Of the day it
was stated that the merging Of the two Estates
Mobiles and Repfesentatives-Uas one Of the changes
20 be made. In reply 20 this charge. writer over
the signature Of &C. C. H. said: as Nor do re-
member to have heard any expressions which would
seem TO imply that His Majesty's advisers had any
opinion upon the subject, to whether one Chamber
or two would be preferable for the Legislative Coun-
cfl'' II I believe this, must, gather that it
vas not the inteuton Of His Majesty's advisers to
merge the two Houses q one, and that the PROPOSE
tion 10 am-nd a. now make il will no. meet with
any decided opposition The history Of the past four
sessions Of the Assembly must convince everybody
that the people represented here in theory not IN
fact We are told that the Representatives swamp
the Mobiles, because the former tUenty-eight in
number. and the latter but fourteen. But what are
the faets1 The patronage at the disposal OF the
Ministry Is used to control the election of sufficient
number Of Representatives to make the passage
Of Government measures-to control the Assembly.
II is the experiences Of every Assembly-of this
that proposed by the Representatives fail,
because Of this power in the hands Of the Ministry.
A majority Of the Representatives may vote for a
measure. but it falls because minority sides with
the Ministry.
This Assembly is simply an advisory Committee,
and its advice is sometimes needed, sometimes not,
and have remedy. IN properly organized
Representative bodies the people have power in the
matter Of supplies which may be used with telling
effect Ministry whose policy may have become
unpopular must give way TO tHis power, or revolu-
ton follows We have no remedy under this Con-
Ritutinn aud the defect Is in this very article that
propose for amendment.
have alluded TO the influence Of the Ministry
over eIectiOns-an influence freely used. They have
u-r--- IT,
Collector Assessor, to put themselves in nOmina-
ton, and toe election is sure. Men who tS these
Offices. hold thereby leading positions in the commu
nifty in which they reside, and have an influence
which patronage controls. The proof is before this
Assembly that these elections not in all
what they should be; but before one Chamber the
chance Of unseating member - small indeed, while
If brought before the Representatives alone, who
ahoali be the Judges Of qualification of Representa-
tives unseating would notbe rare an occurrence.
The principal reason given by the Ministry in
Convention for the change in the Constitution was
that q stronger Government was needed An extract
from Ministerial speech Of the times, will read
UndeE IL CCCnstution Of iss2l comneree had fourshed
sTtsas 10 this world From $1,000 the population had
sa oOQoO and every day the race was hssnas 70 ,hs
and the oussns Hoss- aonamsn. 9I thsir 0aesn
i ad eouIi IA dy patients AS
member Of the Board Of PsSlc be had bad IN h;
yesrs we're attend schools being sick from
SeasE.a The hAnd Of Go heavy on the people
Wers those results Of the Constitution Of 1852! No
Br COnssnlOa II did not create the ssi dia mol pro
Mn.Sss nd sugEesIous carefully Considered and
an the reports tEeAted a. mere waste paper"
shall not question the soundness Of such debate,
bat as the Ministry pleased TO put forward as
their strongest reason for change IN the Constu-
ton, may fairly turn it upon them. They needed
strong Govsrrment-they have very strong one
to pass measures to save the people, to stay the
rnvages of dreadful diseases; and ask, Is not the
hand Of God still heavy upon the Peoplef To-day's
paper tells tale Of the ravages OF disease among
children The most forcible debate Of this Assembly
has been On the question of the public health Then
NAV say that Ia this particular the Consultation has
But do lot believe that the saving of this race
was the leading thought in considering the change OF
Constitution. The central thought-and say this
after careful review of the past eight years-was to
centraIire poWer in the hands Of the King and
Catinet,-to render the people powerless. The
changes have practically drowned the voice Of the
people As read history, the most successful Gov
ernments, the most ~prosDerous communities, are
those where the people have voice in the Councils
Of the Government believe that " the voice OF the
people is the voice Of God and when you stiae the
voice Of the people you silence Gods voice in your
Councils All history bears me out in my position
Take the histories OF Rome or OF Greece, or from
their day to the present-the same testlmonysls Is
horne Ii was not under the rule OF the Patrician
that Rome developed; but it was under the rule of
the Tribunes Of the people that civilization and lib
ertv advanced. What Is the testimony Of the states
men Of the present dayr Let me read what Disraeli
said at Manchester, England, In April last
s8llemen- shall stop for moment to oneE you any
sssou That subject has been discussed century,
the stAbhmsnt ef the government Of the Unitsd
Sssss 8 'a Ss RnS s
especially maintained by political writer's in an
counties thai Ihe IsISH.ed failure Of what . called the
Chamber. But gsntiemen hO-evsr sn1OH. foreign
OOiy been quaIed BY dcuty which ihey have found in
fsIinins object een,Isnsn, the main power Of
public pure control Of the public expenditure"
This statesman also said that England has had no
revolution under the present Constitution, nearly
200 wears while France has been continually in
revolutionary condition every effort made IN that
country for Republican Government has ended
in revolution, because they had no second Cham
her Don't understand me that anticipate revo-
Iutiou in this Kingdom; / have sucb fear.
Under the present Constitution, since 1864, be-
iieve am safe in saying that decay has been
notieeabIe not so much perhaps in material pros
eritv as in the condition of the people Certainty,
disease aud death have received no check,-and it
was for this purpose that a strong government was
erected. l believe that under the Constitution OF
1852 a lust and proper conception of the abstract
idea Of civil rights was growing but after eight
years of this Constitution, add taking this Assembly
as nv index confess that the idea of civil rights
Is not comDTehended. Under the old Constitution,
the rights of the people were clearly expressed,
and the race gradually coming to an apprecia-
tion of them. II is claimed that the Hawaiian
cannot appreciate the idea OF liberty and personal
rights. The experiment of instruction was fairly
under way once, aud If il bad been continued
would have worked We'll a great wrong was done
this people whea the Constitution OF 1852
vrested from them and the present one substituted.
If this people had refused reasonable supplies,
enacted bad laws. been at all backward in vot-
ing a support to the Royal Family, some excuse
could have been offered for the wrong done but
this not the case
When the present Constitution was promulgated,
His Majesty said that when the people wanted to
make any changes he would be happy to meet
them for that purpose have sometimes thought
that this would be the better way to proceed
believe that the sooner we get back under the old
order of things the better it will be for the people,
and the gradual manner whiehJ propose must GER
tainIy be the least Objectionable. do not think
that experiments should be made 10 grave mattersi
but this Is not an experiment. We have 1t from the
Ministry Of Convention times that we had prospered