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


,sttuus articles which hhvr Appeared In your
paper recently While some VI these articles
have presented facts and principles OF vital
Importance IN q oiei, aud iofriblo manner and
some have, perhaps, been markell mihc, Wy
violent and incorporate language, there scrma
10 me siil uccnaion fot rnm and disrImi |
mating consideration II the political situation
with careful dclibcmtlun o. to The special Oh
iecl To be kept IN view and the best course Of
action tu b, pursued Il sccms to ne, also,
that one ,hirl source oi our present trouble IA
the liberation, up io this time, NJ the admin
Htmlon VI public affairs by select, scllconsii
tutcd sort nl executive committee. A. an indi
,ilual, believing thai the vital principles Of
social urdc, have been impcflled 10y recent
events, would ask, through your columns, the
privilege OF inviting public discussion IN re
gard to the gravity OF the situation, and the
best means OF cstricnling ourselves from the
petils that hesct US,
II is evident In the FIRST place that the ques
lions as presented To Us now, Is not whether
certain people are in on ou oi office as one
ring clique, 81 set as compared with nnolhert
but whether the government, Is administered in
accordance with the principles and forms
tabshcd 10y The Constitution, II Is very easy
for interested parties to send from these Islands
dispatches TOT publication in influential papers
in the States, asserting that "the new Prime
Minister represents a l6mg HaiujiaH bto-
gJeniat sentiment opposed TO the former poll.
tics and the missionary clique influences. His
accession to power has been the occasion ior
a general demonstration Of confidence and sat
is(nction." Hut here in Honolulu we know
how little truth there is in such newspaper mis-
feprcsentations. Never before has the native
Hawaiian population shown such marked dis.
approval Of any ministry as 10 the case now.
That opposition to the Prime Minister especially
is daily increasing in intensity OF luminosity,
and only waits some fitting occasion to express
itself openly, plainly forcibly, kalakaua, II
is wcll.known, was not the choice of the LA.
wniian people, but secured his present position
by the active manipulation Of few energetic
supporters. Gradually he has broken every
bond OF pledge by which it was though, TO Sc
cure his fidelity to certain political measures
and parties. His increasing unpopularity with
the foreign and native elements has been in
tens6ed into distusi and dislike by variou'
Iinderhandcd transactions in the management
of elections and the control Of legislators
This is the eighth year Of 'Kalakaua's yeign
but one man yHt was never for one mo
ment contemplated or authorized 10y the con
A stitution.
Kamehameha I'll gave the islands consti
1 ,utional government. This was set aside an'
n new draft with some radical changes imposed
o upon the people by Kamehameha V, Angus
. 10th, 1864. Article ~ declares that eth
5 government Of this Kingdom is that Of a con
= stitutional monarchy" Article ~, eth
A King conducts his government for the common
good flor the protection, safety, prosperity am
Y happiness Of his people, and not tor the profit
honor, OF private interest Of any one man
family, or class Of men among his subjects
Therefore, in making laws for the nation, re
: gard shall be had TO the protection, interests
anu NtlItIt, npi 'liil VI iHt Niibf b'' 'h''
and rulers, but Of all the people alike" Art
V Gle 81, "The person Of the King is inviolabl
y and sacred. His ministers are responsible
= To the King belongs the executive power A
: laws that have passed the legislative assembl
: shall ,sgniy9 his Kaiefiy's signature IN orat
~ 10 Mei, 9aiidify" The clauses enclosed
brackets are in the constitution Of 1890 bl
L not in that of 1864. The clause printed
o. italics is modification Of the original constit,
:" ton Of 1890, which required that all law
should be signed by His Majesty and the ~
v nina Nui. All his other acts shall be approve
by the Privy Council and countersigned by Il
Kuhina Nu and the minister to whose depar
ment such act may belong" This origin
:, provision was evidently intended as a check {
the possible use of arbitrary and autocrat
;; power by the King, as his veto power was
= check on unwise, hasty, ill-devised lcgisatio
+, One Of the speakers at the Comfy dim
;, said that in this country representative SO
:. eminent has collapsed" lie did not sta
:, whether this collapse was occasioned by intri
!, sic weakness, or by strain put upon it great
than it was designed to bear. 1t certainly
,s not collapsed because Of any external violenc
:, | believe speak the sentiments Of the thinki
al portion Of the community when say that co
:, sttutional government has been subverte
!, There has been no Coup fEMt as when Lo,
7, Napoleon overthrow the French Republic a
,,s proclaimed the Empire Constitutional &C
~ eminent has been subvered, not violently b,
If revolutionary process or party, but insidiou
i. by its sworn defender We all know how
-; executive has encroached upon the legislati
y. and Judiciary department, which ought to
"a kept distinct. We all know from whom
n. emanated this interference with the prero,
tivcs, the rights and privileges Of department
=, The King has come back from his tour arou
~, the world, as has been well said, more
~, pressed with the barbaric show Of Siam
~. court than with the principles and progress
=. modern political institutions The COVE
~. ment, as formulated by the constitution, ex
j., no longer How shall We secure III
same reasons that forty years ago made il
id, Sirable to Try the experiment Of a co-operai
:. system Of government. a Hawaiian exccul
!. with Anglo Hawaiian heads Of departms
- operate to-day To make its continuance still
~. sirable. IIawaiians may properly and 6ttin
', claim such place and position as
~, cumstanees and qualifications indicate
best. No one wishes To overthrow OF set a.
the constitutional form Of government
how il can he restored and guaranteed to n,