The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-09-06

! and work it was returned to Us with certain
! changes. 1t was then carefully dlgested
! and discussed, and then referred TO an
| other committee. Again the most thorough
! work was done; and it came back some
what modified. After the members OF the
| House had had opportunity to reflect upon
| IL another serious discussion followed; the
| subject was discussed from every point OF
view, and once more 1t was referred TO a
| committee This last time radical modit-
| cations were introduced and now for the
| fourth time it is before US. Can there be
| any justification for the insinuation that
there has been a disposition TO do wrong /!
| Mr. President, if honest men have ever
| faithfully endeavored to work for what
| they deemed was for the good OF the state,
! honorable members of this House have
| done so in this case. will not review the
| various features of the amendment as 1t
now stands before US. But desire to call
attention to the extremely carefully guard
| ed provisions of the Constitution upon the
| subject of amending the Constitution
| Article 80, reads: " Any amendment or
amendments TO this Constitution may be
proposed in the Legislature, and II the
same shall be agreed to by majority of
the members thereof, such proposed
amendment or amendments shall be en-
| tered on its journal, with the yeas and
nays taken thereon and referred to the
next Legislature; which proposed amend
ment or amendments shall be published
for three months previous to the next cleo
ton of Representatives and Mobiles; ana II
III the next Legislature such proposed
amendment or amendments shall be agreed
to by tWO-thirdS of all the members OF the
Legislature, such amendment or amend
mentS shall become part OF the Constitution
of this Kingdom" Observe the caution,
and safeguards. First of all the amend
ment must be agreed to by a majority of
all the members Including Ministers);
then be entered upon the journal of the
House with the yeas and nays OF every one
who voted, so that the position and views
of each may be known; then the proposed
amendment must be published for three
months previous to the next election, so
that every sentence, every word, syllable,
figure and punctuation may be read by
every man, woman and child III the King
dom. When the new election comes the
will and voice of the people will be made
known and heard through the men they
elect. And then, twO-thirds of all the
members of the HOuSe-nOt tWO-thlrdS of
| the fOrty-eight elected members, as III case
Of vetO--but tWO-thirds of tifty-tWO. After
all this preCauuOn, care, and lapse OF time,
| thirty-fiVe out of fifty-twO must sustain it.
With what deliberatiOn may the people
approve or defeat the measure! | will
briefly again state my opinion that 1t Is
safer for the country to be able to regulate
and govern the Chinese after they are in
country than to be left solely to the one
power of restricting their immigration.
Not only do the interests of the state de-
mand that we be able to properly govern
a large class OF these people now in the
country, but the danger is ever present
that from time to time the pressure from
the industrial interests OF the country will
be so great that the restriction will have to
be partially or wholly removed The mo-
ment these people enter the Kingdom we
are pOWerleSS to control them. How many
efforts have been made this session to pass
measures to partially meet the case! But
each time, every way we could turn we
were met with constitutional difficulties
which rendered every effort abOrtiVe Our
only desire is, under carefully guarded
provisions, to remove the obstacle in the
way OF wholesome legislation upon the sub
ect. OF all people of the country, this
amendment is of more importance to the
native Hawaiian than to any other.
Rep. G. BrOwn-Being member of the
committee that reported back this amend
ment think it necessary to explain my
vote. thought, upon curSOrY reading
OF the proposed amendment, upon its
beng submitted to me by the committee
of which | was member (pOt having been
at the meeting at which it was adopted)
that it covered all the grounds contem-
plated by my amendments offered when
the matter was before the House the other
day, but after a closer study of the amend
ment and hearing the construction of the
AttOrney-General, l am satisfied that the
amendment as proposed IS unjust, as it
will authorize the enactment of laws debar-
into any other business than that in which
they were engaged at the time this amend
ment (if passed. would become law, and |
do not believe 1t proper or polite to give
such power to any Legislature especially
when we cannot know of whom it may be
composed, whether the members will be
conservative or radical. The amendment
not having, in my opinion, been sufficient
ly amended to cover the amendments
necessary to make it a Just thing as be-
IN q n 10 no Lodi
to vote against its adoption.
Noble Widemann said that between 1876
and 1888, this country enjoyed an eXcep-
tlonaI period of prosperity. Everything
was Inflated. Then the price of sugar fell |
imitation collapsed and times became dull |
He believed that the causes of depres-
sion were to be sought elsewhere than in
Chinese competition. With regard to the
previous amendment to the Constitution
submitted, he would have died rather than |
vote for 1t. This is comparatively a very |
mild measure
Rep. Nakaleka said the terms of the |
amendment are antagOniStic to other arti- |
cleS of the Constitution.
Rep. Kauhane said the amendment had |
been very carefully prepared. 1t was |
wrong idea entertained by some, that it !
was got up out of spite or iIl-feeling. That |
1t was not so devised is proven by the fact |
OF It's having been so many times referred |
back to committees.
Rep. kauhi favored the indefinite post |
pOnement He moved the previous ques- |
ton, which was put and lost,
Minister Green said this is virtually the |
same amendment as had narrowly escaped |
being laid on the table on previous day. |
The committee could not for very shame |
have done otherwise than to insert amend |
ments to the measure referred to them. |
He would ask the House not TO blot the |
Constitution with such an amendment as
this. If it is inserted we shall have one |
clause or the Constitution laughing at !
another. Members have spoken of great |
care having been exercised in drawing up
this amendment. The fact that whole |
sentence had to be transposed to make it |
read right did not bespeak much care. With
out any disrespect to the members of |
he could not but consider this
amendment to be nonsense. The Chinese