The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-03-23
TIE PACIFIC
Commercial AOOtrtiser.
SATURDAY Y. MARCH %.
The History of the Decree.

by reading the proclamation of May 9Th, 1864,
as given in our issue Of Saturday last, would be
that certain restrictions upon the rights and lib
critics Of the people existed and were apparent in
the Compact Of 1852, and which they had out
grown, and that the Sovereign had elected to call
q Convention for the purpose Of enlarging those
rights and priyileges-surely, not to initiate rev.
%olution, and a retrograde policy.
Soon after the proclamation was issued, a writer
appeared in this Journal over the signature of c.
c. H.-thc present Minister of Foreign Affairs,
then the head and front Of the conspiracy-and
he wrote as follows, on the proposed revision of
the Constitution:
"To suppo~e that they Constitution and Laws)
would not need change, is as if one was to make a
suit of clothes for a boy of six, thinking that they
would fit him when he should become a man, and
that he should continue to wear them all the days Of
his life"
These words were intended to give the impress
sion that the Hawaiian of that date lad so pro-
gressed as to have outgrown the Constitution of
1852, and that the intention was to enlarge the
provisions of the new Compact, so as to allow
liberty for both past and future political growth.
c.. c. H.. then goes on to say
ellis Majesty is DESTROYS of referring back the
Constitution to the parties that made ito the con-
stitutIng DOUeT, the italics are not ours to meet the
delegates of the people, freely elected, and the Mobiles,
on equal terms, in a frank and confidential manner
to talk with them face TO face, and to see whether any
changes should be made in the fundamental Jaws of
the Kingdom for the common good-beIieving that
He has no interests distinct from the interests of all
His people-nay, believing most earnestly that His
smallest interest is dependent on their well-being,
and being sure that his whole happiness is wrapped
in theirs. In this Convention, If the people accept
His invitation, they will be represented by trenty-
screen delegates, being thus, if they band together, an
overwhelming majority, inasmuch as the number of
the Mobiles will not be increased, so that no changes
can be adopted without their consent. There is no
concealed thought in this Proclamation-it means
just what it says, and no more. There is no desire
and no intention to seek to lay any new burdens on
the people, or to disturb the well established order of
things-nO craving for power, no thought of propos-
ing anything not in the interest of the people. 1.-THE
delegates shall meet the King in the spirit of conf
dence in which He will meet them, good Will certainly
be educed but if, on the contrary, they choose to
meet Him in the spirit of distrust and obstinate, I'M
reasonable opposition, though no good will come of
the Convention, most certainly no harm can come of
it." : The King intends TO respect and
seeks to cause them to value-that Government as a
social compact, Of which He is the head-and that
that compact has for its only end and aim the COM
mon good. = . He invites the people to listen
TO Him with the same respect that He will listen to
them or their delegates, and requires nothing more.
. . . If the Convention is willing to adopt an
improved Constitution, it is well if not, the Consti-
tuition stands as it is
Well may our readers rub their eyes, and
doubt the evidence of their senses, after reading
the foregoing, but this is just the identical smooth,
seductive, ingenious sounding language used by
our Alcibiades in pre-Convention times.
The pleasant idea OF meeting the delegates g on
equal terms in a frank and confidential manner
loses its force. when taken in connection with the
remarks of the Hon. C.. R.. Bishop, before quoted
by US, to the effect that the proposed amendments
had not been published, and e only the King and
Ministers knew anything about what was to be
done, and the way the matter had been managed
was not in accordance with a spirit of liberality;
information had been withheld and the people
kept in the dark"
The assurances given by c.. c. H.-that the
delegates had an overwhelming majority, so that
no changes could be adopted without their con-
sent that if the Convention should be willing to
adopt an improved Constitution it would be well
if not, the Constitution would stand as it was;
and that if the delegates were obstinate, though
no good would come of the Convention, most
no harm would result from it these do
not harmonize with the following extracts from
the Kings speech dissolying the Convention:
''This is the fifth day of the discussion of this
Article Ion the right of sufrage1 and it Is certain
that the delegates could not pass the Article. =
Therefore the Convention terminates now.
l, therefore, take away the Constitution Of 1852,
and l will give you n Constitution"
How does the foregoing bit of history read to
those who love truth and fair dealing?
In view of any possible but perfectly charac-
teristic attempt by the Minister to shift the re-
sponsibilty, we again suggest that he read the
first two sentences of Article 81 of the Royal
Decree of 1864.