Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-09-23

Ministers are both "appointed and commits
ioned by the King, and hold office during His
MaJestys pleasure" Is His Majesty's pleasure
their sole tenure Of Office Was it the design
Of the Constitution, that they should be the
mere creatures Of his behest1 as Shakespeare
describes such, who
"Let the candid tongue lick absurd pomp:
And crook the pregnant hinges Of the knee,
When thrift may follow fawning
What honorable man will accept office on any
such tenure as that to be turned out at mid.
night a. some have been with the summons OF
a royal messenger to deliver up their port.
folio's immediately When pleasure treads
the path that season shuns," it ought to be
known by its proper name Of Folly.
Not only has the tenure Of office been rem.
dered so precarious, that gentlemen of ability
and experience in public affairs, may well re.
gard an invitation to take office with as much
compacency as pirates invitation to "wall,
the plank" but the Constitutional provision,
the Ministers are responsible" has ceased tc
have any force. The head OF any department,
OF the Interior Office, OF the Post Office, of the
Custom House, who by law is held "account
able for the conduct Of their deputies and
clerks and required to give bonds for tn,
faithful performance of their duties as well a
his own, may well claim his right to appoint
any and all ofhis subordinates Is it constitu
tional for the King to say, "You will give
such and such a man place in your depart
ment,' when the appointee has no fitness fol
the position2
How can there be Constitutional Govern
ment in this Kingdom il the King is to inter
fere with the Judiciary, the Legislative and tn,
Bureau of Administration Some may remem
Der the hopes excited by Kalakaua's words
when, after the Moreno fasco, the Minister,
gave farewell banquet to the King before his
voyage round the world in search of a popula
ton Of congeners. Let us turn to the SArUR
DAY PRESS of Jan. IS, 1881, and read the
royal utterances, which were then supposed tc
indicate new era of good behavior and /;
purpose to let government go on without an,
more meddling Kalakaua evidently knew
what responsible government was when he sale
Having appointed my sister as Regent du
rng my absence, and placed with her (no
under her) responsible Ministry, I hav,
hope that the Government Of the Regency will
be administered with full confidence and salts
faction to the nation. We must work in har
mony under the Constitution and laws, and
recognize cheerfully the fact that Hawaii, as on,
of the family of nations must be governed il
accordance with the ideas which control Con
stitutional governments. Is it ideas, tn,
ideas of intelligence, of economy, of probity
that control this Hawaiian Government, or i
it Kalakaua's whims and notions Which shal
prevail Is the government, as at present ad
ministered, a constitutional government
The people are to be satisfied, as we'll as tn,
King, if a constitutional government is to b,
were good reasons why the people hadnot beer
satisfied, for he proceeded to say, "If ther
have been mistakes in the past, let us profit b,
the lesson Of experience, and with honesty o
| purpose ict us press Oh 10 u iutuIe winch
trust may be bright with prosperity and hope
fulness." Is constitutional government stron
ger or weaker for those promises of the Kin,
two years ago, and the experiences of the las
half-year2 Do we not need some stronge
guaranty against practical subversion Of tn
Constitution than words about constitiona
government
"That pater with in double sense
| That keep the word Of promise to ear,
| And brake it to our hope.
The intelligence, honor, and wealth Of thi
community, need and should have constitu
tional government, administered for the publ
good, not for the Kings greed. The peopl
expect and they have right to demand it. l
this constitutional?