The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-04-02

OK the eve Of a session of the Legisla-
ture which will have to decide for another
two years whether the kingdom is to be
ruled in accordance with the spirit of the
Constitution, or whether the precedent of
the last two years is to be followed, and
the government Of the country given up
to the autocratic sway of one man, yelled
but not disguised under some pretence of
Difference to the provisions of the Consti-
tuition, it would be well to look the ques-
tions at issue fairly in the face, and to
reckon up the forces that may be mustered
on either side.
With regard to the questions at issue,
they are, it must be conceded, numerous
and of the first importance, when taken in
detail. such as the relationship of proposed
expenditure with anticipated revenue. an
accurate understanding of the national in
debtedness, and the ACCESSIBILITY of increas
ing or diminishing the debt, in what
directions liberal expenditure may be
WISE and where actual retrenchment is a
necessity.
AL these details however, resolve them
selves into the one great burning question,
how and by whom is this kingdom to be
governed, and its resources utilized, by the
Crown and one too powerful Minister, as
has been the case for a considerable pro
portion of the last two years, or vertically
and indeed by the four responsible Minis
tiers demanded by the Constitution.
During the biennial period now APP
preaching its close, not even the letter of
the Constitution has been adhered to. For
many months, from the resignation of Mr..
Preston to the appointment of Mr.. Neu-
mann. the important office of Attorney
General was worse than vacant. Interim,
occasionally. but not invariably sought fol-
and obtained trustworthy legal advice
which was or was not followed by interim
/ as seemed good to himself, and in many
cases seemed unmixed evil to every one
else Take for instance the Hilo affair
three men are shot, two fatally, the third
| dangerously, the local magistrate arrests
! the person who fired the shots an6
holds him for trial. Public opinion Is
aroused, meetings are held, resolution!
signed and forwarded TO the one-ma1
government, one party acquits th'
slayer, another condemns the actor
which led to SO fatal result. All partie.
unite in demanding the most thorough
investigation, public opinion viii in M
wise be satisfied without this. IEieriL
learns the outlines of the case, knows o
the keenness Of feeling aroused, and forth
with decides on refusing trial, the dea'
are buried, the prisoner set free, iustic
and the desires of the whole communit,
disregarded. This, a matter of life an
death is only one instance of the evil don
by illegally carrying On the government
In mere matter ofmoney take the Hadro
case, it is highly probable that the absenc
of qualified Acknowledgement may cos
this country some two score thousands c
, dollars. In mere abstract justice the II
, fusal OF a minister to lay before the Priv
Council petition for a lawfully demande
, charter, shows another sacrifice of til
rights of citizens to the partisan malice {
the Vizier. Instances Of mis- government
Of wantoa defiance of the Constitution, {
! reckless departure from the first principle