The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-02-08
THE GOVERNMENT SUSTAINED.

in the House of Representatives,
which, with even or almost even
sides in the House of Mobiles, and
the votes of the Ministers them
selves, will make them strong enough |
in the next Legislative Assembly |
for any purpose. As the Govern
ment supporters returned are about
all otiice-holders, there can be no
doubt of their capacity for swallow.
ing any measure prescribed to them
by the Ministry. There is, however,
some hope for the country in the
consideration that the Ministry may
not he obliged to support every
hobby and injurious measure that
their dependent, irrational and re-
dictionary followers may drag to the
front. For it would he uncandid
not to admit that the votes of the
Ministers last session saved the
country from some very retrograde
legislation, such as the bill to have
the sale of opium legalized. They
would have been entitled to the
benefit of this admission in the late
campaign had they not failed to
suppress, or at least protest against,
the utterances of their recognized
spokesmen in favor of licensed
opium traffic. Now that the Minis
try has been given ample power in
the Legislature, it only remains for
the friends and advocates of good
government to appeal to their reason
and their patriotism, upon the matter
Just mentioned and everything else
that may become subject of legis-
lation. The verdict of the people
leaving out of sight how it may have
been obtained-makes the Govern
ment's past record closed volume,
except with regard to the Ministers
stewardship for the closing biennial
period, which will properly come up
for adjudication before the Legisla-
ture and the public at next session.
During the past campaign we have
supported the Independent candi-
dates, because the performances
and the promises of the Ministry
and their supporters presented them
selves to us as inimical TO the differ
ent interests of the Kingdom; be-
cause we believed that an independ-
ent Legislature would be the strongest
bulwark of national independence
and the surest guarantee of progress
and prosperity, and because the
men put forward as candidates by
the Government party were all but
universally unfit representatives of
the society, the commerce, the in
dustry and the wealth that give
Hawaii respectable position in the
family of nations. Events, how
ever, show that the electorate have
regarded matters in different light.
While, therefore, we bow to their
decision and shall henceforth address
ourselves, in discussing the admins
tration, mainly to the policy of the
Ministry as it may be unroled, we
must say that the new House of Re-
representatives. is a great disappoint-
ment to our estimate of the intelli-
gence and independence of the
electors of this kingdom. Let us
hope that there is lingering instinct
of self-preservation in the breasts OF
the ruling majority, which, together
with the power of u very able minor
ity, and the influence of an enlight
ened public opinion and an indie
pendent press, will save the country
from at least some of the retrogradt
and ruinous measures that the Gov
ernment campaign has given reason
to apprehend would be the outcome
of that party's triumph. Although,
however, accepting the defeat of the
cause of independence, we cannot
acknowledge that the fight has been
a fair one. Not only did the Gov
ernment party exhaust every means
of position unparalleled in consti'
tutional systems for giving advan-