The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-05-05
THIS EVENINGS DOINCS.
CITY GOVERNMENT.


Perplexing to citizens and puz-
zlc to strangers, the system under
which Honolulu is governed is one
of the unique characteristics of the
Hawaiian Kingdom. a capital city,
it has no head: community of
large and varied interests, it has no
corporate organization. 1t is city
without form and void as munich
pal entity. With the social order,
the proportions, and the require
ments of metropolis, it is ruled as
if it were pastoral village. The
city's wealth is levied upon to sup
port the whole machinery of state,
but the contributaries have but very
slight means of securing an equi-
table distribution of the general cX-
penditurc. There is neither preci-
sion nor directncss in administering
municipal affairs IN any department.
Every detail of local government
has to be sifted through the politi-
cal netting of Aliiolani Hale, and is
liable to be adulterated with parti-
san dirt in the process. Political
favoritism is thereby likely to per-
meate every ramifcation of the civic
service. Officials from the highest
to the lowest grade are proffered the
basest motives of conduct, and only
those of the most sterling character,
of which, happily, we have some,
can be long proof against the bane-
full influence. Nothing is more
natural than that officials who are
held responsible to the politicians
who gave them their places, instead
of to the people whom they are sup
posed to serve and who pay for
their services, should become, ,habltu-
p ally or upon occasions, arrogant,
corrupt, indolent, and oilicious.
The foregoing remarks apply more,
we would fain believe, to possible
rather than an actual state of affairs
under the present want of system in
city government. They are based
upon the experience of other COM
munities under irresponsible adj
ministraton, as much as upon a
growing ill-rcpute of this city's in
stitutions. That the natural results
of the existing regime are not visited
to the full upon this city, is due,
probably, to large extent to the
general good character of those who
have hitherto sought positions of
trust. Yet this is rather unsub-
stantial foundation upon which to
base hopes of good civic government
in the future, in view of the increas-
ing miscellaneousness of our popu-
lation as the city grows older.
Other cOmmunities-in 'some cases
with long, painful, and heroic
effort-have delivered themselves
from the tlraldom of irresponsible
government, and therefore there is
room for hope that Honolulu may
before Il great while be emancipated.
1t can hardly be disputed that
Honolulu is ripe for a suitable, self
contained system of civic govern
ment. The interests of the commu-
nifty have become too extensive aud
too involved to be properly managed
by means of the primitive and
cumbersome order-or disorder-of
things at present in vogue. A civic
organization is demanded, which
shall represent the intelligence and
wealth of the city; respond readily
to the throbs of enlightened public
opinion; be capable of dealing with
emergencies of the public health,
morals, or safety, when they arise ;
maintain civic service in all de-
partments according to merit instead
of favor; sustain the dignity and