The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1881-09-28

acIuauy Deg Tor ONCE 10 get Lnelr
own interests forwarded, We viii not ven
ture guess
A CONTEMPORARY takes exception to some
remarks which appeared last week, re
fecting upon the capabilities of portion
of the members of the Legislature. He
further goes on to state that "it can be
clearly demonstrated that the department
of the Hawaiian Legislators will compare
most favorably with the most enlightened
representative bodies in the world" and
then proceeds to cite an instance from the
American National Representative Cham
Der. 1t is said that Mr.. Hooker was
drunk and that the members of the Legis-
lature gathered round him " like needless
boys" and laughed. We have not come
across this case, and are not prepared to
weigh the report as quoted in our con-
temporary; it may or may not be correct:
but certainly our friend has taken by no
means good instance, our House has not
been clear of intoxicated men; on one oc-
casion last session, report says, that an
intoxicated man addressed the House; we
put it in the words "a report says" but
we had our information at the time upon
very good authority. Then again, we
: t'ould call our contemporary attention
ITO certain envelope which was put upon
the desk of the Honorable Member for
Makawao, the opening of which by that
Honorable gentlemen resulted in his turn
ing round and punching another Hon
orable gentlemen in some part of his face
At the time these things occurred we re
Trained from speaking of them, it was i'll
to show up faults of individual members,
and fasten them upon the whole House;
but when our contemporary tries to
palliate the proceedings of our Honorable
Legislative body by quoting an abnormal
instance from the Congress of the United
States, we feel obliged to specify deed
or two which has occurred here. No one
imagines that the American Congress
habitually has members in it, who behave
in the way Mr.. Hooker is said to have
done; and it was far from our intention to
insinuate that the proceedings of our legis
lators were not properly conducted. We
were of opinion, and are of opinion still,
that many of the men who filled the posi-
ton of representatives in the last Legis-
lature were totally unfit to deal with the
questions that came before them. We
wish to see in the next Legislature mem
bers who are fitted for their position.
Large interests are involved, and we
would have those interests properly set
forth before men who are capable of judg
ing what the outcome of their legislation
may be. If we happen to wish to buy
picture we do not go to a man who has,
all his life, been engaged in digging pota
toes and chawing bacon, for advice; we go
to man who knows something about art
But if on the other hand we have to adj
judicate upon the taxation of the realm, if
we are to pronounce upon the foreign
policy of the Kingdom, if we are to
further the prosperity of the nation, then
we are by means to choose from anyone
who has studied the principles of political
economy, who is acquainted with the re-
sources of the land he is living in, who
understands clearly, not only what are
the needs of his country, but what are the
best methods of supplying those needs,
who has watched the failures of other and
greater countries in the present and has
become conversant with the mistakes that
have been made in them in the past: by
no means: such man ought not to go to
the Legislature: he would spoil the de-
bates the half-informed man is the prope
person; the man who has little or no
of public affairs, who can be
easily led by one or two powerful and
minds, who viii vote Chi
nese steamer subsidy bills and will listen
to the magnificent scheme of introducing
1,000,0G0 Cinnamon at 81 head and SO
a revenue to the country of
$700O,000 This is the man that is
wanted. The sooner, the maxim that the
next Legislature be chosen to redeem
the character of its predecessor :" is ap- !
the better We say this In all
good faith; we are strongly Hawaiian in
our sympathies; we take the greatest in
ierest in the fortunes and in the happi-
ness of the native race. We wish them to
have all the Legislative power that is just,
out at the same time we must be just to
he white man also; he too must have his
word as to how the taxes of this country
ire to be spent: he who is paying the
bulk of the taxes, who is enlarging the
productive capacity of the country by his
,nergy and his capital must have his say
lpon all Legislative matters. There is
ustice on both sides: we do not wish to
zee an entirely Native House, we would
trongly oppose an entirely foreign House
# Representatives; we hope to see both
arties represented and rsa represented.
The strength of this country lies in the
ativa and in the foreigner going hand in
and; it is the old fable of the bundle of
ticks; there are many who seek to divide,
ometimes those who clamor loudest FOR
nifty ere the very ones who desire dissolu- j
ION We do yof cIopoo, vva xrorld offer |