The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-02-02

"WEDNESDAY NEXT, February 9th, is the day
appointed by law for the election, throughout
the islands, of Representatives Of the people in
the ensuing Legislative Assembly, which meets
in the month of April next, on such day as may
be designated by Royal Proclamation. The mum
Der Of the Representatives by the present law of
apportionment is t wenty-seven, viz. eight from
Hawaii eight from Maui three from Kauai,
and eight from Oahu.
We desire earnestly to impress upon our read
ers the importance of foreigners who are quail
fed to vote, taking an active part in the canvass,
and not, as in former years, looking upon the
elections with apathy or perhaps contempt, and
exercising neither their influence nor franchise.
1t is a serious duty which they owe to themselves
and to the country, to use every legitimate effort
to secure the return Of a sufficient number of
able, intelligent and independent men of their
own class a. shall operate as a check upon the
crude legislation and cratic proclivitieS of many
of the native members. as witnessed in the two
last preceding Assemblies. In 1874 there was
but one foreign born Representative in the House
in 1876, there were three. 4 fair proportion OF
foreign Representatives, in view Of the material
interests involved, would be a: least ten. For
several years after the adoption of the Constitu-
ton of 1852, under which the Representative
system was perfected, the average of foreign born
members IN the House was never less than twelve.
But from various causes, which it would require
a whole chapter properly to elucidate and ex-
plain, the House has of late years become almost
entirely native Hawaiian in it's composition, and
with results that have been anything but salts
factory. The members,-with some honorable
exceptions, have been blatant demagogues,
plant Office seekers, ignorant impracticables, or
simply hungry seekers after the lOaves and fishes
of the position. With Il House Of Representa-
tives go constituted it is not to be wondered at
that the session of 1876 lasted five months, when
the amount of work accomplished need not have
occupied more than two; or that there were
blunders perpetrated in legislation. To remedy
these plumbers to guard against the occurrence
of similar errors to provide needed amendments
to present laws to vote supplies for necessary
public improvements and perhaps to u limited
extent make new laws (our statutes are by no
means lacking in quantity, whatever may be said
of their quaIity)-tEesc are the objects which
should engross the attention Of the next Legisla-
ture, to the exclusion of lengthy discussions on
the dog and horse taxes, and kindred subjects.
Let us not be understood by our structures on
the native born Hawaiians who have of late years
occupied nearly all the seats in the House of Rep
resentatives, as condemning the whole Hawaiian
4Tee as unfit for legislators. The truth is that
the best Hawaiians in these days do not put
themselves forward for the position, as was the
case some twenty years ago, when the people re-
turned such men as J. Kckaulahao, Il. KaauwaL
S. p. Kalama, John Richardson. and others
whom we might name, honest. intelligent and
conservative men.
Again we would earnestly press upon the at
tention of the foreign voters the importance-the
grave necessity-of their taking an active part in
the coming election, and by their votes and by
their personal influence, endeavoring to secure
the return of honest and capable men. Every
man whose home and whose property is here, has
a personal interest in this matter. 4 neglect to
discharge our evident duty in this regard, will
surely be Il matter for regret hereafter.
So far. we have heard Of the following foreign
es who are candidates Honolulu-Messrs. Z.
Preston, Cecil Brown. Frank Brown; Koolau-
poko-C. Ii. Judd Koolauloa-W Z. Lane
Lahaiua-W. NJ. Gibson; Makawao-C. II.
Dickey WaIluku-W. o. Smith HiIo-D. II.
Hamakua, Hawaii-R. +. Bickerton;
Kohala w. r. Castle; Waimea, Kauai-V.
Knudscn Lihue, Kauai-W. Ii. Rice.