The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-10-14
THE PACIFIC
Commercial OOcrtlsrr
SATURDAY,. O IA.

LfsKasLGTT, when exercised with reason. IL zoe
Of the higheft virtues that We look foF in 6
Christian gentleman; but wben exercised vitI-
out reason or discretion, II degenerates into leol
IzIness, and sometimes something worse. Ma
tiJns are but c0nglomerares Of individuals. and
in constitutional governments the Assembly or
Parliament is supposed to represent the vIadom
and 10 cary out rhe wishes uf the nation.
Last week Ee took cccasiCn 10 a~cknowl ledge .
good action on tho part Of the late Legislature in
appropriating s2j, 900 for water-suprly Of Homo
lulu md replanting the forest Of Nuuauu valley
to-day we have to refer 70 nm action Of that body
that 50 far from being commendable, is an ex-
tremely unpopular one, ard may be justly char
acterized as unwarrantabIe, unnecessary and un-
reasonable. We refer to the vote Of SO, 900 per
annum subsidy to the Trans-Pacifc line Of steam
ships. We have never yet heard that the COM
pany had applied to this government for a money
subsidy. 1t is not unreasonable to suppose that
the company is well posted as to the pecuniary
condition Of this little kingdom, which for the
past fifty years and more has been an especial
object OF American liberality and good will, and
would be disposed themselves to deal with it in
the same generous spirit. While on our part VIC
have done everything that could be expected from
our means to afford facilities and concessions to
the line, it would scarcely be supposed that the
Immensely wealthy corporation which owns the
line would stoop to ask us for a paltry ten thou
sand a year.
Nor is it all reasonable TO suppose that the
company would change its route across the Pa
cIic, avoiding Honolulu, for the lack of that sum,
or that, if they were losing money by calling
herp ron fbcusepd q y.or xro,I1 L. - -
The fact is, that not only is Honolulu a favorite
and very desirable port of call on the long route
to and from Australia and California, welcome to
the weary passengers and a benefit to the vessels
themselves, but it is also n profitable stopping
place, and the detention in our harbor for a few
hours each trip is probably worth to the com-
pany not far from 800, 900 per annum, in pas
sage and freight money. The argument that
appeared to have the most weight with Repre-
sentatives in voting for the subsidy, was, that
without it the steamers would discontinue their
calls. Where was the intelligent element in the
Assembly, that this fallacy was not exposed?
The vote was carried however, by a majority of
only one, 1.-THE presiding officer not being called,
which would have defeated i) and may be con-
sidered as one Of those ministerial measures
whose wisdom is SO difficult to comprehend. AT
ell events it is q specimen Of ministerial I" liber-
atty which the entire community condemns,
and looks upon as being without discretion or
reason. a poor country, poorly governed, as is
Hawaii, requiring every two years a new loan of
several hundred thousands, has every reason to
learn the difference between true and false liber-
elity, instead of making a fool Of herself by
granting unWarrantable, unnecessary and unrea-
sonable subsidies to wealthy corporations.