The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-05-02
ROYAL SPEECH.


MOBILES AND REPRESENTATIVES,
During the last biennial period the nation has
passed through important vicissitudes, in conse-
quence OF which two extraordinary Sessions of the
Legislative Assembly were convened The first
of these elected my Predecessor, His late Majesty
LUSALILo, and at the same Session, certain amend
ments of the Constitution were proposed. In the
Providence of the Almighty, it was not permitted
to the King LUNALILo to see the accomplishment
of his hopes. Scarcely one year of his reign had
passed ere he was summoned away. Upon his
death, no successor to the Throne having been ap-
pointed by him and approved by the Mobiles, as
required by law, it became your duty, under the
Constitution, to elect a Sovereign. Before max
ing choice of myself for that august position, you
had been informed by my public as well as my
private announcements, that l should abide by the
result of your vote, and in no event countenance
any attempt to violate the law of the land. My
election was, however, followed by a disturbance,
occasioned by the action Of a few turbulent men,
which taking the authorities by surprise, threat
ened for a time the peace of the city, but which
the Government, promptly and efficiently sup
ported by the forces of the friendly Powers then
assembled in the harbor, quickly subdued, and
those implicated have since been called to a just
account.
You will be called upon, in cooperation with
my Ministers, to initiate measures to advance the
real interests OF my Kingdom, and l now invite
your especial consideration to q few of the most
prominent points which have attracted my atten-
ton.
The amendments proposed in the Constitution
have been published as the law requires, and will
receive from you the most careful and mature
consideration. They were intended to restore
certain features of the Constitution of 1852, and
of these that which re-establishes a separate
House of Representatives is the most important.
An amendment proposed in the clause which
defines the tenure of Office of Judges of the
Supreme Court will come before you for discussion.
The amendment excluding all Judges from the
principle Of the G Sonstffafffa %1 Whftc A67 fdf efSinde ahd
separates the Executive, Judicial and Legislative
functions of the Government.
The amendment requiring the King to give his
reasons for vetoing a bill, seems unnecessary. My
Ministers having seats in your House, and at
tending its Sessions for the purpose of enuncia-
ting the measures of my GoVernmet, would seem
to be sufficient for the explanation of my views.
The legal services of the Attorney General in
the Cabinet are frequently of much importance
to the Administration, and any amendment de-
priYing them of his assistance should receive your
careful consideration.
N l would invite you to carefully consider the
amendment removing the property qualification
of voters. Tho limited diffusion of wealth
among the masses of the people tend directly TO
circumscribe, under the present franchise, the
expression of the popular will in the return of
the members to the House of Representatives
The resources of the country have been largely
depleted by the extraordinary expenditure rem
dered necessary by the removal Of the lepers to
MOlokai-their maintenance there-the burial of
two Sovereigns and the election of their Success
sors, and other causes, all of which have been
borne by the Treasury. l would suggest to you
that some less complicated and more economical
system should be devised by you for carrying on
the work of the Government, and that power
may be given me under the law to merge two or
more Offices in one, where it may be found expe-
dent so to do.
The subject, however, that awakens my great
est solicitude is to increase my people, and to
this point L desire to direct your earnest atten-
ton. Perhaps some modification of the divorce
law may be found conducive to this end. The
Board of Health have been required to improve
to the utmost the hygiene of the people, but
much still remains to be done in this direction,
especially to devise means for the preservation of
the lives of infants, and l would suggest that
some special exemption should be made in favor
of those who rear large families.
The immigration of free labor will undoubtedly
enrich and strengthen our country, and to this
end l propose that a liberal Appropriation be made.
The condition of the Leper Asylum has had my
personal attention, and 1 have been pleased with
the kindness and care shown towards that unfor-
| lludlC lde VI my lcOpIC.
L would also call your attention to the import
ance Of considering schemes for irrigation and for
maintaining the water supply wherever it may be
required and none of these seem more immedi-
ately necessary than a plan to increase and main
tain the water supply of Honolulu, and that with
out injustice to suburban proprietors. 1t may be
that some legislation is required to secure the
owners Of ancient water rights, but unless accom-
panied by measures to maintain the supply of
water in certain districts, such legislation will be
futile.
l recommend a commission of men learned IN
the law, to report a codifcation of our laws for
the next Session of the Legislature. Our probate
practice, especially IN regard to land titles, to be
made more definite
am happy to inform you that our relations
with foreign ~untrie are in the most satisfactory
condition and l congratulate you upon the
friendly feeling which has been evinced towards
ourselves by the great and powerful nations hay
ing treaties with US.
\ proposition TO cede Pearl River harbor to
the United States, in connection with q treaty of
commercial reciprocity, was made last June.
But a cession of any portion of the national ter
ritory being found TO be not in consonance with
the feeling of the people, the proposition was
withdrawn. Should, however, that friendly
Power hereafter consider a commercial treaty to
be for its interest, my Government will not fail
to open negotiations to this end.
Furnishing facilities for steam communication
with San Francisco and Australia, and deepening
the entrance of the harbor for vessels of heavy
draft, will engage your attention. a submarine
cable, to touch here and give us daily news from
all parts of the world, is already projected by
enterprising men in the United States. These
things suggest to US the Importance of making it
for the interest of steam lines to touch here. In