The Hawaiian gazette., 1880-02-25

In our last weeks issue, we said that,
Judging by the past, and by the fact that in
Blk years we have seen FIVE changes in the
Cabinet, there is no assurance that the pre-
sent Ministry will outlive the coming session
of the Legislature. The AdrertiSeT declares
that it sees ono reason whatever for enter
tanning the idea" giving as its reasons, that,
"the present Ministry are emphatically a
strong Cabinet, united on all material points,
in entire accord with His Majesty on matters
of public policy; men ofliberal views, enter
prising and energetic: and that they have the
confidence of the country" We think the Min
istry must by this time feel that they have
had enough of journalistic laudation, and we
have not hesitated to give them our share of
praise. But we think that the AdreriiseT is
inexact in its statement, that, "public conf
dence in the stability of the Government will
be thoroughly confirmed by careful reading
of what we present to-day from Cabinet Min
isters." Let us glance at these ministerial
utterances. His Excellency the Minister of
the Interior says, "I claim that His Majesty
and his Government desire that the foreign
element should be represented, but want of
timely action and public spirit on the part of
the foreign voters made it failure" Also
that, By command of His Majesty, made
eigners to run for this district. l did my best
to work up on the part of the foreign popula-
tion, concerted, united action. l failed" We
protest that it is not becsuse the foreigners
were not united here, that they are not repre-
sented in the Legislature. Unity of action on
their part might or might not have accom-
plished something more. The real reason is
fully defined in the able public address of His
Excellency the Minister of Finance, in which
that gentleman emphatically says: "What is
the state of things that we have to meet to-
day? Never an election of the people passes,
but the influence of Government authority is
in some way interposed. Why this is SO, l
cannot here explain that it is so is cause
of astonishment to me, and must be so to every
true lover of his country. While the Govern
ment is being conducted safely and justly,
with honesty endeavoring to advance the pub
lie interests, what more does rank and posi-
tion crave for, that it must openly step down
and undertake to meddle in matters that do
not belong to it? While our sovereign is
invested with the executive power; is repre-
sented in the Assembly by his Ministers has
the creation of the mobiles; why, to my appre-
hension it would seem that two-thirds of the
loaf of bread were already III the possession
Of the powers that be, leaving one-third to us,
the people And yet, by the look of things
authority is not sated with its possession, but
is stretching out its hands for the small por-
ton remainingto us" Here we have stated
in most significant language, the reason for
our not being represented, and here also, for
it is useless to disguise this fact, is one cause
of the discomfort in the public mind. What
ever other members of the Ministry, or the
Ad0ertiser may say to the contrary, facts and
the history of the past, are more cogent than
present assurances"