The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-12-06
MUNICIPALITY, OR CITY GOVERNMENT.

EDITOR BULLETIN: Ever since
Honolulu sprang into opulence and
became worthy of the name of city,
the press has advocated in favor OF
a municipality, or a body of city
fathers. That veteran public writer
and newspaper editor, the late Henry
M. Sheldon, when directing the
literary department of the =. T..
4 .tuerttscr, made forcible sugges-
tons time after time in favor of a
municipality. He pointed out in
language stronger than l can, its
advantages and its necessity. He
was not alone on the subject. The
Gazette joined issue with him, with
Colonel Mcdowell as its exponent.
At that time the 4ouertiser and
Gozcue had the field to themselves,
both being weekly papers, issuing
alternately on Saturdays and Wed
nesdays. Nevertheless they never
attained their object, the Interior
Department holding on like grim
death to that most important branch
of the bureau. Since the demise of
Mr.. Sheldon, his ideas on the sub
ject have been adopted by his sue
cessors and the successors of Colonel
Mcdowell. The tripartite party that
ran the Gazette for time when Mr..
Grieve first became proprietor OF
that influential journal, wrote pun
gent and common sense articles on
the same subject. The editorial
management afterwards passed into
the hands of Mr.. Alatau Il. Atkin-
son, the present editor, who sur
passed his predecessors in his out
spoken manner and fearless advocacy
of relieving the Interior Department
of what does not properly belong to
it. There was an interim in which
the -1tlrertiser was silent on the sub
ject. The interim commenced in
August 1880 when the advertiser
passed from the hands of Mr.. J. H..
Black into the hands of Mr.. Walter
/ Murray Gibson, not" lis EScellency"
then. He bought the paper for an
object. Municipal affairs were
beneath his notice. He dare not
NEEDLE with them. To do so would
conflict and interfere with his object.
He was then an aspiring and ambi-
tions politician. Though beset with
difficulties and opposition on all
sides, he gained his point, for which
/ say, "all honor to him." He soon
became Minister of the Crown
(l882) and has continued so ever
since. Hence his reticence or
municipal affairs, though the writer
has reason to believe he is in favor
of Municipal Council. He dare
not say SO in the columns of hi'
paper, hence his reticence. Ant
now comes the DAILY BULLETIN ant
re-echoes what was sounded severa
years ago.
One argument against munici
pality, principally by those whit
are in Office and those who know
little or nothing about its mode o
working) has always been, the ex
pense. The country is too poor
Honolulu cannot afford it. We &c
) along very we'll as it is. Our Roa
Supervisor knows all that is required
and has carte blanche to do as h
likes, and so on.
! deny that there would be an
, extra expense if the usual mode {
, forming Municipal Council wei
, carried out. In fact l believe theI
would be considerable saving {
money, and better work done a
Y round, particularly in the lighting (
: our streets, the scavengering, an
n the maintenance of good roads. III
Minister of the Interior, who at pre-
: ent, has all there things 10 attend t
e besides 1000 others, cannot do ju
l. tice to Honolulu and the 9th
l. islands. Our city is not, or Dug
n not to be, a political communi
i divided against itself. 1t ought
+ be corporation created by law f
IS the transaction of public business.
1t Without going into details
d would suggest that the formation
e municipality be here as elsewher
differing only according to circu'