The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-04-03
T H r
THE CONSTITUTION.

Ed. Z. T.. ADVERTISER-Slr The last
Gazette" gives your correspondents a
lesson III propriety, in connection with
an unfounded charge of luminosity
against the Reform movement" and it
takes you to task for allowing "discus-
sion of existing public issues.'
If there be public "issues" existing,
there must be difference of opinions,
and is discussion to be ruled out-one
side only to be heard? Is the Constitu-
ton 80 delicate and fragile that it may
not be examined, and SO sacred and holy
that it must be yelled from the vulgar
gaze OF common people?
Itself is not so modest and retiring,
but provide for the manner of it's own
amendment, which was superhuous
judging from past experience. There is
danger that certain style of constitu-
tional change or amendment may be-
come chronic and habitual.
Nor is the manner of it's procurement
above scrutiny, though its sponsors fon-
die it with such tender care, and all who
approach and look at it must do like the
Israelites did when Moses came down
from the Mount with the only perfect
code-they blinked, and he put on
veil.
Success may justify, but it cannot
reconcile the accounts of June Both with
provision of the last two and of the pres
ent Constitution. At some future day
it may not be pleasant reading: ''Arms
had been imported and every prepare
ton made" Outside the Rifles were
drawn up under arms with fixed bayon-
cts, each man carrying fifty rounds of
ammunition" On the platform one of
the soldiers "apologized for appearing in
uniform, but he had been so ordered by
his Commanding Officer" and presented
the resolutions. Later the same soldier
called the King coon up tree and the
meeting gun. "The last speaker APP
peared on the platform in uniform,
armed with rife and belt of cartridges,
under military orders and his comrades
marched in, who saw the shade of Min
isterial sashes under those two neat uni
forms, or the ernine near the temporary
chairman's seat.
To call things by the right name, we
have regency, not limited monarchy.
The King, even with the advice of his
Privy Council of State, cannot grant a
reprieve or pardon without the consent
of the Cabinet" and some are straining
for an oligarchy and Ministerial veto,
which would be unique and essentially
Hawaiian and hapa haole.
It might come to this sometime. An
Act might be passed changing some
what the duties of the Marshal, relieving
him from common police supervision
and responsibility for the safe keeping of
prisoners, and making him more spec
tally the officer of the Supreme and In
termediate Courts. A Cabinet Regent,
seeing his patronage infringed, and wish
ing to obstruct such legislation, could
say: "Here, sign this; then l will add
my signature and make it veto. Your
Majesty may feel assured, that sitting in
Parliament as l do, knowing the mem
bers as do, and voting with the seven
teen-the minority-as did, the major
ity-only thirty-one of them, can't get
one of the seventeen to change his vote
and to make sure, I will send away two
or three to prosecute the irregularities of
Molokini. Don't fear that my veto will
be overcome, for that would be want of
confidence in you, whose many very
pleasant qualities vouched for as long
ago as June 80, 1887"
Both Mobiles and Representatives
should be residents and qualified voters
in the districts and islands which they |
represent Honolulu should not have !
the power of four votes by the Ministers.
nine by the Mobiles and seven by Repre-
Henfatives, and several more by advice
of non-residents on other islands. We /
should have a strict construction. Six
Mobiles shall be elected from (not by) /
Hawaii. x.
Maui, March 80. 1888. !