The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-02-13
THE LESSON OF THE ELECTION
Tho Honolulu Election.

The result of the election in this city surprised
some and disappointed many. twas hoped that
Mr.. Carter at least would be returned. The hope
was founded on the belief that many of both par
ties would vote for him. His vote was SO, exact
~ 800 behind Mr.. Kaulukou who headed the list
with 1l@9. II is worth considering whether the
result is one which the cabinet can be proud. at
which the independent electors need be disheart-
ened 1t is the first election in Honolulu, at least
since the constitution of 1864, when there was n
square contest between two parties. The result is
remarkable III that there was but one vote cast
which was not for candidates of either of the two
tickets. 1t straight combat, with very little
scratching. The total number of voters on the
qualified list was about 2140 of whom 1912 came
TO the polls, 500 short This great falling of is
partly accounted for by the unusually large ab-
sence of schooner and steamer crews who are near
IL all registered in Honolulu, and because many
old men who were registered this year through the
zeal of runners for both sides, failed to appear
and add their votes to those poled. Besides the
addition of old 10 the list, there has been an
| actual increase in the voting population OF Hon
olulu during the last two years. In spite of this
the palace party fell short of the vote polled by
| them at the election of 1882. Two years ago il
was generally surmised that the King and the gov
eminent did not work together at the election.
When this is so the number of votes commanded
by the government is much reduced below the full
| strength of the King and Ministry combined, and
| the large majority commanded by Mr. Gibson at
that election Is to be accounted for by the fact
that he proclaimed himself the peoples Moses and
was going to lead them straight to health, that he
| received large majority usually cast for the
| Ministerial ticket and that there was no reg
| ularly arranged effort to secure the election of
candidates representing the constitutional princi
| pies But whenever It so happens that the King
| and the Ministry are i'll accord as at the recent
election II is safe to say that at the very least 800
voters can be absolutely depended upon to vote
| for whatever candidate or dummy they choose to
| put forward. Honolulu is and will probably con-
tnue to be the stronghold of the palace party Here
are the recipients of the larger share of govern
l 49,
unteers and others of that class who are not likely
| TO have any very strong intelligent principles
| regarding government and who will vote as rule
with the government or King, because that thence
are they most likely to receive pecunary or other
| benefit. There are also the host of hangers on
of Royalty and those whose interests there. all
of whom make 4 considerable army and who are
| as certainly depended rs the sunrise. This
| year no doubt that number was increased to at
| least 100 lake this number or even 500 from the
1923 given to Kaulukou and where would that tick
| ct have beenI That is take from the government
ticket the vote of those who represent no iutelli
gent support and that ticket would have been i'll n
pitiful minority.
On the other hand who comprised the SD votes
for Mr.. Carter and the others on the independent
tcketI Ii Is not too much TO assume that not one
| of them voted that way i'll the hope of Office or
| other emOlument in case. of success. They were
| most emphatically free and independent voters,
| whose numbers have doubled since the election of
1882, whose vote means nm awakening of the peo-
pie to the fact of bad and unconstitutional govern
ment. The count of the ballots, also shows an
other fact the utter untruth of the friendly utter
ances of the AdreJtiser: Mr. Carter can coEgrat-
ulate himself that his defeat caused by solid
vote of the 4drcrtiseT and its friends against him.
He owes nothing to any of them. The worthless
ness of such friendship as theirs is demonstrated
more clearly by the count than it ever could have
been otherwise.
There were about 2l0 voters on the list of for
| eigners those of foreign blood of whom about
| 100 voted. Many of these were brought out only
by strenuous eXertions and nineteen out of twenty
voted the independent ticket without scratching;
a few ballots only changed. There was prac-
| tically no swapping.
The election means that Honolulu, as well as the
country districts, has opened its eyes and deter
| mines to have done with the Premier and those
who with him would undermine and destroy the
| Constitution, who would force upon us an abso-
lutism equalled only by the oriental chiefs.
The election means that the missionary party
the few sore heads the "small and Disconnected
minority" prated of by the government paper, and
SO constantly sneered at, is sect, clique, no
dissatisfied party of 'outs,' it is the country un-
iting against usurpation and corruption. 1t means
that if possible Hawaii shall yet stand in the line
of nations able to govern herself and to secure up
riShtness and justice to all.