The Hawaiian gazette., 1882-08-23

people. than Of trying to bridge the Allan
tic Ocean. Great as is the loyalty Of the
English people. an attempt to impose upon
I the nation the personal whims of the In
cumbent OF the throne, would infalhbly
end in the reigning family being swept
away. brushed off as a troublesome fly
that was bothering the nations nose. Not
only Is this understood in England, but it
I Is perfectly understood by every monarch
who occupies a throne in Europe: Kings
are for the nation, not the nation for the
Kings. Wherever this has not been I'M
derstood. the lesson has been taught and
taught sharply
The Anglo Saxons have especially dis
tinguished themselves by the tenscity with
which they cling to their civil rights. As
long as it is possible to obtain those rights
by legal means. they will do so: they are
slow to be reused. but they can be reused:
If the Reform Bill had not been granted
in 1892 there is no doubt but that there
would have been a revolution. The
American Colonist for long time tried
what he could do to gain his due constitu
tional rights by means Of argument and
representation, but when that failed him,
he, though a peaceful man, appealed to
arms and in that way gained his point.
No matter where the attempt is made TO
rule in a purely personal manner, for per
sonal ends, il AnglO-Ssxons form large
leaven Of the population, We may be sure
that the result will be the same; either the
personal whims viii have to give way be
fore the common sense OF the community
or the person who has the whims will have
TO give way himself
There is a lesson in this which may well
be taken to heart here: there is discomfort
enough all over the group, it Is not as IS
sometimes asserted, the discomfort of dis
appointed politicians, 1t Is the discomfort
Of men who would never bother their
heads about the politics of the country,
If they did not find that the course now
being taken was not going to interfere
with their interests, was not going to in
crease the taxes on their property; this IS
the discomfort which means something:
the sugar planter. the ranch man, the
store6eeper not only in Oahu, but on the
other islands, are beginning to feel uneasy.
This uneasiness Is growing, and 1t would be
wise TO listen to the warnings and not TO
disregard them Men are beginning to
look into our system of government more
carefully than heretofore to discover the
sham constitutionalism; very soon after
this is fully realized by all, will come a
demand to do away with shams. Better
that the demand be anticipated, that the
sham be thrown aside from above, than
that II should come from below. Let King
halakaua have done with the sham Of n
and govern for the nation,
composed AS it Is of various races, and
not Tor himself, in short, have done with
capturing Legislatures, and let our biennial
sessions represent the people instead of
the palace. for that is what constitutes the
sham: have done with brummagem
travesty Of a coronation; let him order
his little ship Of state modestly and he
viii not only gain in popularity but in
moral strength: as long as he clings to a
sham, he is hanging by rope over a
precipicc, the sharp edge Of which Is
slowly but surely cutting through the
strands Shams are not only foolish,
they are dangerous: We trust that the
truth Of this aphorism may not be realised
too late by those who are most interested!