The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-02-21
RESPONSIBILITY AND REPRE-
SENTATl0N.

EpIToR BULLETIN:-The construc-
ton which the Attorney-General
puts upon the provisions of the new
Constitution involves serious mis-
application of language in his use
of the words irresponsible Govern
ment." While thankful, as we all |
may well be, for the good that has
been accomplished by the Reform
movement, the policy pursued by |
the leaders of the Reform Party is
certainly open to criticism to their
discredit in more than one instance.
The clamor of these people for
popular political rights seems to have
been in some few cases only the
means of securing the supposed per
sonal interests of clique, too small
to be called league. Added to the
feeling of irritation and distrust,
which such apparent insincerity
awakens, is the rudencss, almost
insolence, with which those are
treated, who may have favors to
ask, or who venture to question the
reasonableness of the convictions
which to these people are so clear.
"These people, are not "the peo-
ple' of the Islands. Their idea of
responsible government seems to be
such style of government by them
selves, that they can call other peo-
pie to account for presuming to have
ideas and wishes different from
theirs. But responsibility does not
mean power to compel others to do
what we wish them to do.
The construction put upon Article
4S, and so vehemently supported by
these people, seems to other folks
an thought, devised to meet a
sudden emergency. 1t is not what
was proposed and adopted. The
dissenting Judge in differing from
the opinion recently given by the
Supreme Court says that the grant
ing of veto power to the King
would be an obstacle to the secur-
ing of civil rights; and therefore
interprets the Constitution as nulli-
flying any such veto power. This
is perilously like the Jesuitical doc
trine that the end justifies the
means. The Committee of thirteen,
who framed the Constitution, and
gave Kalakaua the veto power, most
probably took the risk of comforting
such a right. Now, because they
cannot intlict q penalty on the King
for not doing as they want him to
do, these people think that they
have not secured responsible gov
ernment.'' Then they said Ha-
waiian sovereign: now, they say a
Hawaiian puppet. Article As comes
under the exception mentioned in
Article rs, "unless otherwise express
ed," for it tsaysexpressly, if the King
"approve he shall sign" The tad
vice and consent of the Cabinet" is
not essential to his approval, which
is and must be his individual act.
The leaders of the Reform Party
ought to stand by their own acts.
They gave the King the veto power
let them not risk the imputation OF
inconsistency and insincerity by
whiflling evasions to escape the con
sequences of the enactments they
themselves proposed and secured,
1t is these people who are doing
their best to destroy the principle OF
responsibility by refusing to be
bound by their own acts.
We call man responsible, wheI
we can assume that he will fuli
: agreements that he has made, OF
obligations he has assumed. Other
wise no person and no government
: is to be trusted. irresponsible peo-
pie, like lunatics, are not to be trust
ed: forwe don't know, cannot judge
what they will say or do next. The
3 Hawaiian people were held responsi,
Y BILE for the acts of their authorized
agents in negotiating the Englisl
loan. The responsibility could no
. honorably be denied. The charges
4 for expenses may have been out
l rageous. Yet such bill was al
n obligation TO be met, and it ought tt
q have been honorably met by &
special appropriation outside of any
realizations accruing from furnish
: ing the bonds as required by thu
G terms of the law authorizing thC
: loan. Instead of this, arrangement
of questionable legality was allowed
to pass, because all parties wanted tC
get out of the mess as speedily as
o possible, and save the credit of the
4 country.
1 But power to punish other people
o for not doing what we want them Il
!, do is not the essential idea OF "res
u ponsible government" That means
: rightly understood, a government
e true to the fundamental idea of al
G good government, the general gooc
of the body polite sought in fai
and equitable ways. The feeling
and welfare of the people, not of
e party nor clique, ought to be para
Q mount in determining the admins