The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-07-03

the Legislative Assembly,; except When between
fhe sessions of the Legislative Assembly the emer-
Cences of war, invasion, rebellion, pestilenee' or
other puSlic disaster shall arise and then not with
ont the concurrence of all the Cabinet and of ma
iority Of the whole Privy Council" L
maintain that the plain provisions ofthis Article have
been violated. l am that this point Will be
DISPUTED but | am confident OF the strength Of my
position Now l do not imagine that either the
Minister of Finance or Minister of Foreign Rela-
tions will claim that the cxigencies contemplated by
Article fifteen have arisen; that any urgent neces-
stv led them to appropriate these funds without au
thorty of this Assembly. The terms of this Article
demand that there shall be concurrence OF all
the Cabinet" Has this demand been met; say,
No To prove my answer will quote the language
of tho Minister of Finance at one of the meetings
of the promoters of the scheme, when in reply to
question as 20 the uonatendance of the Minister Of
the Interior he said: his views in regard TO the
size and cost of the structure not in harmony
| with those of his colleagues" In other words the
Minister OF the Interior did not concur; bis official
conscience had limit The Article further demands
that there shall be concurrence of majority of
the whole Priyy Council" Has this provision been
compiled with This cannot answer as positively
in the negative but claim that if the Privy Coun-
ell was consulted we should certainly have heard of
il in some one of the numerous articles which have
appeared in the Government organ defending this
scheme To still further prove that the Cabinet was
not unit on this measure shall aude TO the fact
that when His Majesty pleased TO call upon the
public BY proclamation TO meet him at the laying of
the Corner Stone ofthe new Government Building it
pleased their Excellencies of Finance and Foreign
/ Relations to absent themselves. This evidenced
most remarkable lack of official courtesy. Now it
may be that their Exceencies sick and could
not attend 1t is impossible for to say what kept
them away, and am not responsible for the rumor;
give it for what it is worth The fact that they
not present strengthens in the belief that there
was want Of harmony in the Cabinet on this hotel
question and that of the Government House.
Touching this fifteenth Article of the Constitution,
have before me bit of history. His Bxcellency of
Foreign Relations presented this Article to the Con-
vention of 1864 in this form "No subsidy, duty,
tax of any description shall be established levied
without the of the Legislature, shall any
money be drawn from the public treasury without
such consent except when between the sessions of the
Legislature an unforeseen emergency shau arise, and
then not without the of all the Cabinet
The vague expression unforeseen emergency" at
tracteu the Ol MuO ueclaItu
the nature of every emergency should be specified
Noble proposed amendments to the effect the emer-
cences of war; Invasion rebellion pestience or other
public disaster shall arise and also, 4" of majority
of the whole Privy Council During the debate upon
this Article, the then Attorney General, His Elk
celency of Foreign Relations said His Majesty did
not at all desire that the public funds should be ap
propriated without check. The Ministry
should be trusted sufficiently to carry the Govern
ment, not for purposes of corruption. Sometimes
people apt be lavish of other peoples money,
and this must be guarded against" For agree
with His Exceency he has been very lavish with
money that was not his own, and believe that such
a should be guarded against.
The amendment which called for majority of the
Privy Council was another safeguard for the people,
to prevent the expenditure of public funds submit
that the Constitution has been violated, and shall
VIC compound with the violators? Our rights are
guaranteed by the provisions of this Constitution,
and this Article embraced in the Bill of Rights.
This violation will tend to demoralize values.
have heard some fine-drawn distinctions upon law
and Constitutional points, but submit to your com
mon sense whether the Constitution has not been
violated. We should defend every constitutional
provision. The policy of the Government assuming
the Hotol as a venture has been ably debated by my
colleague. I believe that such course will tend
to cheaper the dignity of the Government. 1
We have been told that the Hotel pays expenses
1 should have been much better satisfied if I
could have seen debit and credit account. If the
Hotel has paid, it has done than anyone in the
community believes. The policy of mourning debt
is questionable at any time, but when incurred for
the purchase Of a Hotel it is less polite. If l was
the unscrupulous Annexationist that it has pleased
the other side to describe at times should strike
hands with them and urge the building of second
Hotel, a magnificent Palace, expensive Government
buildings AID should seek every opportunity of in
creasng the debt, for this reason with your Bonds
in the hands of foreigners you would be at their
mercy.
If this investment pays so handsomely as has been
urged by the Minister of Finance, cannot under
stand why he should be so anxious to put it upon
the people The Minister in his report says "This
large risk has been assumed in the full confidence
that you will justify it. ~ If the Govern
ment was so positive that this Assembly would
justify the building of a hotel and the project has
been entertained for years why did they not present
it to the Assembly Of 1870? viii tell you They
knew that the proposition would not be acceptable
but conscious of their power in this one chamber
assembly, they determined TO build and then OBJ
tain the money. In my debate on the amendment |
to the Constitution providing for two chambers,
sdyered to the influence used, not always fairly, by
the Ministry, to press their measures through the
Assembly. In reply, His Elk. of Foreign Relations
said We exercise just influence" Now what
is just influence? Let report to you a CONVEX
sation between the Minister and a member of this
Assembly What is your opinion about this new
Hotel?-I admire the hotel for its beauty; but
don't think much about it at present.-If you think
that the acts of the Ministers are wrong and of this
Board (of Education) then il is not proper that
you should continue under this Board.-If that be
the mind of the Board, to take away the employ
ment account of my opinion to what is for the
public good, that remains with the Board Is this
exercising just influence? am sorry to say that
believe His Ex of Foreign Relations thinks it is.
Shall the Representatives of this Assembly be thus
intmidated and unfairly worked upon: Their Ex-
ccllences of Foreign Relations and of Finance are
deeply interested in this hotel they are pers onaly
liable for large proportion of the money expended
To you Representatives who vote for this Bill can
say you viii be open to the suspicion Of having been
thus worked upon. The suspicion may be fair per-
haps unfair whether it is or not is known to you
Individually. If you think that $4,000 should be
thus speut-say So If not-say so. If you vote for