Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-09-30
UyfiY rs U,iN7FD.

UHAy rs HaN7ED
In discussing the present state of politics,
and after having heard the multfom objections
To- the conduct of govcrnmcn, under the exist.
ing administration that have been expressed ON
every side, the T. {. .4ity,h,tr, with an as
sumption OF mingled innocence and stupidity,
asks the astounding question. "And what do
these people want p ny the appclation "thcsc
people, We are undoubtedly to understand are
meant such as differ in their political opinion,
with the party whose spokesman Is offering the
question. II it has not yet been made per.
lcclly clear from all the writing and talking
that has been ELECTED upon the subject OF our
political needs, perhaps rctefation in conscc
utivc order OF those mos, important, may help
To refresh the memory OF such OF the opposi
tion as profess not to understand the nature Of
the complaints which have been made. First.
the people, through many successive rcigns
prior To that of the present incumbcn, of the
throne have become accustomed to the fact
that no sovereign ever attempted to exceed
excepting in one single instance, his prcroga
tive rs fixed 10y the constitution the exception
referred To being the arbitrary act OF kameha
mcha V, whereby new constitution was sub
stitutcd for the one then in existence. They
have come To recognize !, as established be.
yond question that immemoripl usage in this
respect is being threatened by an undue med.
ding OF the sovereign with such affairs of
government as in no wise properly appertain
to the prcrogativc of the King, such as infucnc.
ing, by circuitous means, the election Of repre-.
sentatiyes, and by like means, OF eficc,ing the
passage Of laws 10y the Legislative Body; in.
, terlering with the under executive in the cxcr.
else of their legal functions, as instanccd by
royal orders dictated to the Ministry, to do
this OF that special thing, properly subject to
| their control and To the control of no one else.
The order for transferring Mr.. Sumner from
| the lcpcr settlement at kalawao to that in lIo.
nolulu is but a fair sample Of many similar
| transactions that have occurred of late and
which tend to show the growing tendency to.
wards the establishment of an autocratic rule
We would not quarrel with the mere fat of
such a transf,S; but with the t,1ndbAf in.
volved. Such actions naturally tend to dc,ract
from the responsibility constitutionally attach.
ing TO the ministerial office and to belittc in
the minds OF honest and thinking people the
Cabinet that could hold office under such dicta.
tion.
Such things should not be, and oannoi be,
without immensely weakening the Government
by destroying its order and regularity. Dis
| turbances of this kind in the machinery OF gov.
| ernment may be easy to start: and may also be
| hard to quict from small digressions they ma
turally go on to larger, until, if allowed to 90
| unchecked, absolurism is fairly established 1t
may be pleasant to a weak. minded and vain
prince 10 contemplate the prospect of ruling
without the restriction and formalities of con.
stitutional government; but as is the case with
many such shallow theories, there is often
vast difference between the theory itself and its
actual working. An absolute monarchy presup-
poses weak minded, ignorant, and degraded
majority among the people TO be governed,
and is an impossibility, excepting where such
majority exist. The monarch in such case,
becomes in reality the mere slave OF his people
Such to-day is the position of the Emperor of
China; and he dare refuse no petition from the
lily governed population that is largely signed
and powerfully backed and the only disguise
of his wretched weakness, in such cases, is the
acknowledgement of the merits Of the petition,
however absurd the demands may be, and n
grant to It's terms preiaced by the, often false,
assertion, that g it has pleased his angus, ma
jesty the Emperor to accord to the people
| what may have been desired.
In our case, however, there is no weak.
minded, ignorant and depraved majority, and
any attempt a, ahsolutism, must receive rude
shock. How nauseous such attempts are, has
already been evinced by all classes of people
throughout the country, in expressions rcproba-
tive of this tendency, and Of the conduct OF
Ministers by whom it is instigated and en-
couragcd. |, Is their wish and declared in.
tention TO live under a constitutional and not
an auiocratic government, either in theory or
practice. Inasmuch as such form Of govern.
ment can only be conducted by and through
'esfefiabLt, competent, and ,r5fonSi6ie minis.
Try; these they also wish to see in place, The
reformation Of the numerous and various minor
abuses existing in government are mainly de-
pendent upon these two considerations, and
will fade away and become extinct as these
are again established and preserved