The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-07-25
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
Forty-seventh Day.


1UESDA1s uIE IL
The House met at 10 O'Clock, the Presi-
dent Hon. w r. Castle, in the chair.
Absant: Ministers Green, Austin, Thurs
ton, Mobiles Wilder, Dowsett, Young,
Baldwin, Campbell. Widemann, Makee,
Wilcox, Reps. Hustace, Dowsett, C. Brown,
Kamai, Kinney Minutes read and con-
firmed.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
Rep. F. Brown announced the Finance
Committees report on the bill relating to
commercial paper, printed.
Noble Robinson read the report of the
Committee on Commerce on the bill pro-
viding for prevention of coffee leaf dis
eases, recommending that the bill pass.
Laid on the table to be considered with the
bill.
The same Noble read the report of the
Committee on Commerce on the petition
for an artesian well at KamalO, MOlOkai.
McCandless Bros. had sunk a well there to
the depth of over 400 feet, Mr.. Gulick being
then Minister of Interior, but the project
was then abandoned. Committee think
that in the present state of the finances of
the Government, it had better put what
sum is deemed necessary i'll something
tangible such as wharves or boat landings,
than to sink it in hole in the ground look
nag tor water that might not ever succeed
in coming to the surface, and do nOtreCOm-
mend that said petition be granted.
The report is Signed-M. Z. Robinson, J.
Wight, F. Gay, c. F. Horner, A. ?. Ka-
laukOa.
Adopted.
The same Noble read the report of the
Committee OF Commerce on the petition
from Lihue and KOlOa to make the ferry
free across the Wailua river. Committee
recommend that the fares be reduced one
half until the bridge proposed to be built
by the Government is completed. Adopted.
Noble Baldwin read report of the FL
nance Committee on the petition from
Puma, Hawaii, presented July 10Th. Com
mittee endorse the views of petitioners and
recommend that the petition be laid on the
table to be considered with the ApprOpria-
ton Bill. Adopted
Minister Ashford presented a supple
mentary report OF the Judiciary Commits
sion, showing expenses to have been: for
printing, 1920 so; translating and proof
reading, $150-total 1870 so.
Referred TO Committee on Accounts.
NEW BILL.
Rep. c. Brown read, first time, bill
to repeal Chapter xxx. of the session
laws of 1880, being an Act entitled IAN
Act to prevent fraudulent expectation of
Foreign as Hawaiian Produce to Ports of
the United States"
THE VETO MESSAGE.
The House proceeded to consider the
Kings veto of the Military Bill, passed
July I'd, and the Veto Message, received
July 14th.
Minister Thurston said this is the first
occasion on which the Legislature of this
Kingdom was ever called upon to consider
a Royal Veto. 1t is a turning point in
Hawaiian history. There are important
eras in the history of every people as there
are turning points in the lives OF indiyid-
uals, that decide their future conditions
WHAT makes this a turning point in our
history? Is it whether there shall be 20
men more or less in the Kings Guards
Is it whether the proposed Colonel shall
have a salary of $100f Is it whether de-
serters shall be tried by Police Courts or
by the military authorities? These ques-
tlOnS sink into lnSlgnltcance compared
with the issue before the House. The
principle of selt-gOvernment by the people
through their representatives is what we
have to pass upon. The question is repre-
sentative constitutional government as
opposed to personal deSp0tiC government
as expressed by the irresponsible will of
one man. The question has been seething
among nations for hundreds of years. Its
history is marked with blood in England.
The people of France have again and again
asserted their right and, although many
times defeated, have never allowed it to
rest. This is the principle for which we
were striving during the Gibson era. The
essential questions were not the eXpendI-
ture of $50, 900 on the KaimilOa, $40 900 on
the Board of GenealOgy and similar expen-
ditures. The underlying principle for
which we cOntended and which was the
motive power of the events eliminating
on the Both of June, 1887, and which the
King promised to carry into effect at that
time, was that he should govern scOnsttu-
tionally through his Ministers. This is
principle that ought to have the active
support and sympathy of every man who
has the interests of liberty and the pro-
gress of the country at heart. This day
will go down TO pOsterlty as a turning
point in the history of this country. Every
man having part in it will be remem-
bered. The vote taken to-day will show
that the people asserted their rights or
that, having the power in their hands, they
failed to assert their rights.
By the decision of the Supreme Court |
the King has the technical right of veto, in
the right of veto. In the case of Queen
Victoria, it is power held in reserve to be |
used only on extraordinary occasions. A
case might be imagined in which it would !
be for the welfare of the nation to exercise |
the right of veto without the advice of the
Cabinet, but even then it would be a revo-
lutiOnary act i'll that it would be contrary
to the fundamental principles of response
BILE government. The Kings veto to-day, |
contrary to the advice of his Ministers, is a !
revolutionary act, an act that if performed !
by Queen Victoria, she would be forced to |
retract or lose her throne.
The question is, shall we establish the |
that we are free people pos !
sessing a representative government or are |
we going to lapse into the old enslaving |
theory that we are not able to govern |
ourselves-that we must have some |
one man over us with despotic power
whether we are going to incorporate into
our constitutional system an attribute of |
slavery or of freedom. 1t may bes that
this is strange talk coming from "a Kings
Minister" The term is a misnomer, I |
am Kings Minister" only in so far as
the King is the representative of the peo-
pie, or as being my official superior The !
title Kings Minister" is not broad