The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-11
T H E
Pacific Commercial Advertiser
FRIDAY June 18th.
THE LEGISLATURE.

The Legislative Assembly yesterday
disposed of considerable business, but
nevertheless the Opposition leaders
managed to kill a good deal of time
without making any point Of value. An
Opposition has well-defined function
in every country under Parliamentary
Government. The leader of the Oppo-
sition is, or should be, the goad of the
Government conscience. He has be-
hind him a well-Organized and compact
body of men who act under his instruc-
tiOns, and his duty is to see that the
Administration does no wrong without
challenge and public trial in the Legis-
lature. This facilitates business. 1t
holds the Administration in check, and
guarantees good and efficient govern
ment. Under the American system this
is not possible. 1t is a Government by
the people direct, without the form
of ministerial responsibility to a repre-
sentative Assembly. In this Kingdom
we have a blending of both systems,
from the fact that the American idea
of direct-acting popular government was
superimpOsed upon the purely monarch
ical one. The result is that our institu-
tons embody in spirit what is best in
both systems, and it is solely the fault
of His Majesty's Opposition if the af-
fairs of the Kingdom are not managed
to perfection, or as nearly 80 as may be
within the compass of human knowledge
and experience.
Our complaint against the Opposition
members in the Legislature is because
they do not seem to understand their
proper function in the political system
of the Kingdom, and that they act as if
they were free lances in the arena of
politics. Guerilla tactics never accom-
plished anything permanent either in the
political field or in actual warfare. There
must be organization, a well-defned
plan of operations, and manly and per-
sistent fighting to accomplish any last
ing purpose. But the Opposition in the
Hawaiian Legislature is without leader
1t is wanting in organization, has no
y
procedure and responsibility. Hence it's
frequent and ludicrous plumbers, hurtful
to itself and wasteful of public time,
which Mr. Thurston values at a trife
over $S3 an hour. If the Opposition
were an organized party, with a declared
policy, it might accomplish some useful
purpose; as it is now, it Is simply en-
gagged in obstruction, without intelligent
purpose or cohesion.
The tactics of the gentlemen who OPP
pose the Government in the Legislative
Assembly were in keeping yesterday with
those of the preceding day, which we
condemned in our last issue. There was
nothing to be gained by their persistent
obstruction, except to string out the ses-
sion and weary native Hawaiian mem
bers who are away from their homes. A
long session is Of no consequence to gen
tlemen engaged in the practice OF law in
Honolulu, living at their own homes,
some of whom stretch the constitutional
provision (Article 26) to their own adj
vantage, and draw their salary for the
entire session in advance. 1t is not
usual in any other country to pay the
seasonal honorarium to members OF the
LEGISLATURE in advance, for the reason
that should member die or become dis
qualified, or be suspended during the ses-
sion, the country would be defrauded by
the extent OF the unearned balance OF
his pay. The practice is inconsistent
with common sense and repugnant to
the impulse of common honesty.
In the working moments of the Legis-
Iature yesterday the report of the Select
Committee on the petition against the
return of Mr. j. X. Nahale, for North
Kona, was adopted although Mr.. Dole
offered puerile objection. The report
was unanimous, the fact being demon
strated that were all which the petition
claimed true (which-is not the case) Mr..
Pihpo polled a minority vote. Where
fore there was no reason or purpose III
postponing the adoption OF the report,
except a malicious one to worry and an
nov gentleman who had defeated can
didate which the Opposition believed to