Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-01-01

The year 1880 has passed away, not with
this Kingdom. The biennial legislative assem-
bly, closed its session on the 18th of August.
1t seemed as if, at least during part of the
time, when this house was sitting there was
perfect mania for voting away public money,
with or without reason. A vote for an utterly
unnecessary loan of $40, 900, 900 was thrown
out by narrow majority, from numerical
point of view, though an inspection of the
division lists show that all the wealth and in
telligence of the country were opposed to 80
preposterous notion. The King resolutely
vetoed the Rum and Opium bills and the np-
probation of the whole country rewards him
for so doing. The vote for the statue of Ka-
mehameha /. we do not object to, though the
childish appropriation for the distribution of
photographs (framed and glazed by amend
mcnD threw an air of ridicne over tho more
reasonable part of the undertaking. Towards
the close of the session several silly little bills
were hnrriedly passed. That of SlO 200 for
coronation purposes, $4,000 for ascertainng
pedigrees of certain chiefs, another for the
education of Hawaiian youths abroad, do not
reflect any credit on the wisdom of the House.
The frst, because if it be a national necessity,
which we venture to question, is altogether
inadequate to dignifed carrying out of it's
object the second, because it is impracticable
and unnecessary, and the third, by the light
of subsequent events, condemns itself.
Some ten days before the propagation a vote
r "a r ~. 4
after much hesitation and-wcll-m Management
laid before tho House and defeated by 80 to
10. Nevertheless few days only elapsed,
when the Ministry was elected from office and
new one formed under tic Premiership of
Mr.. Bush. An adventurer, Moreno, of whom
we have beard too much already was entrust-
ed with the Portfolio of Foreign affairs, and
Foreign affairs at once were brought to dead
lock, as far as the three great powers were
concerned. Moreuo was forced from office by
the weight Of public opinion and Mr.. Bush
was appointed to administer that department
in addition to his own-the Interior. Then
came series of events unparalleled in Ha-
waiian history and such as we hope nevor to
see repeated. The stranger, Moreno. though
compelled to resign Office in the Cabinet, was
at once entrusted with very considerable, and
! still worse, vague and ill-defned diplomatic
powers, and sent off to visit the capitals OF
those countries, several of which had been
| at his instigation, wantonly insultcd. lie also
| obtained q considerable sum of public money
and the guardianship of Two Hawaiian youths to
be educated abroad under his supervision, and
q member Of the recent Legislature was jobbed
into the group as another YOUTH" of eight
aud twenty or thereabouts. Then came the
Lazarus job, the Molckai mutton job, the Ad-
rertissr loyalty job, and who can tell whal
else was in store for us?
CAPITAL was alarmed, intelligence disgusted
aud patriotism dismayod. All this time tlis
subsidized papers s,rove to uphold the exist
ing state Of affairs Those, ourselves in particu-
lar, who insisted on pointing out the dangers
OF the course 30 reoklessly pursued were rev.
lied as rebels, traitors, aud what Motive for
get half the choice epithets bestowed upon vi
| -, public meetings were condemned, studi-
ously moderate resolutions, respectfully pre-
scented, were by the same papers stigmatized
as insolent and arrogant and the native,
were told that the Kings prerogative was en-
croached upon. Still the work went on til,
Board Of Health was destroyed aud new on.
Of "inlelligent laymen A." substituted. The
physician in charge of tho lepers at Moloka
was removed, though notably the most abl,
and suitable man available, and, after an in.
terval. gentleman possessed of no sort o
special fitness was appointed At length pub
lie opinion spoke in terms too plainly to be mis-
understood. Still an attempt was made tS
bolster up thoroughly incapable, and vciou,
ministry, by the importation Of some one min,