The Hawaiian gazette., 1880-03-03
Communicated
Glass Legislation.

A distinguished American jurist based an able
argument for the limitation of suffrage on the
principle that commonwealth should be protected
from detriment. This principle will enable us to
clear away much of the fog of misappled theories
of civil rights, which may becloud the vision of
our coming Legislature.
1t will not BE disputed that such rights ultima
tey reduce TO the mere right of every one to good
government; and that this right primarily origi-
mates from the universal duty to promote good
government. There are not a few who would
find the first basis of all legislation, like that of
the ancient Mosaic system, not in human rlgf1ts,
either of subjects of rulers but in obligation to
God. The duty to protect commonwealth from
detriment therefore lies back of civil rights, and
either permits or limits, or forbids the assertion
of them.
Now starting with this idea of our obligation to
protect our country from detriment, rather than
with bewildernent about civil rights readily
see that there may at times be propriety as well
as necessity for classlegislation. In the matter
of suffrage, for instance, thus see both, that
suitable citizens ought to use their best energies
at the polls, and also that the unsuitable should
not have the privilege of voting; and are pre-
pared to say that legislation is needed to prevent
that multitude of immigration who are strange to
our methods of thought, of social life, and of
| jurisprudence, and who now about sufficiently
numerous to control our country by the ballot, If
| 1t We're granted them from prematurely obtaining
the privilege of suffrage, from obtaining that of
naturalization except after an extended period of
fifteen twenty years residence in this country,
/ or dIleT SOlue OlLer proper anu also
! even to prevent the coming of more than limited
number of such immigrants per annum into our
| kingdom, unless bringing their wives with them.
The writer of this article recently visited a
region largely settled by Chinese and secluded
that they were without restraint and inferred
| from what he observed of their obtrusion on the
homes of the natives, of their disorderly attend
ance at religious services for other purposes than
those of worship, and of their openly declared pur
pose to crowd the natives out of the region, that
| there may be incaleulabe detriment to these is
lands, if do not in season prevent their obtain
| ing too much civil power, and also limit their
| immigration into our country without wives.
With the same idea of our duty to protect our
country from detriment, shall also readily dis
pei the current objections to class legislation in
the matter of present prohibitory laws against
the sale of intoxicating liquors to Hawaiians and
must seek both to maintain and execute such laws
and also to enact similar against such sale to
the South Sea Islanders; and also to prohibit such
sale to the Chinese who candestinely peddle the
article through the country. The Arab who allow
ed his camel to put his into his door, and who
the entire beast within his tent stubborn
ly refusing to go out, made no greater mistake,
than we SHALL if continue to trife with the
beginnings of intemperance, till the monster so
fills the land that cannot exercise him. CIvIs.
If "Civis'' will keep on in this strain, We will
publish and cooperate in enforcing his views
ED.