The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-12-12
Two Houses Or One.

NODl0S III SOu0 uduuoi Wu1CA
would make them the exponent Of
the more conservative sentiment of
the community, not for the sake Of
property holders, but for the benefit
of all" let me say that this is ques-
ton which has been found to be of
vital interest in every representative
form of government. While no one
pretends that ownership of property,
or the capacity to earn $500 year,
is necessarily measure of ones in
telligence, or is a thoroughly salts
factory requirement for an elector or
legislator, the difficulty is to find
any satisfactory requirements. Ed
vocational qualifications are easily
reduced to an absurdity, and, more
over, those who can read and write
may be the reverse of conservatives,
while it is essential to good govern
ment that in some way there shall
be check upon ignorant or hasty
legislation.
venture to suggest that the day
is not far distant when the question
will be discussed in this country of
the advantage of having Legislature
composed of two separate bodies,
and that such measure would prove
to be of general benefit. The lesson
which history teaches is that assem-
blies having but one house tend rap
idly to become either the tool of a
single despot or of the still more
despotic and irresponsible multi
tude.
If the law-making is done by any
one man or single body Of men, un-
checked and uncontrolled by others,
the result is absolutism, either of the
one or of the many, or else is anar-
chy. How then can the law-making
power best be checked or controlled?
Judicial restraint often is or may be
most valuable; but that may itself
be legislated away by amending the
fundamental law, which creates it's
power, if in no other way. The law
making powers should be so decided
as to check and control each other.
An assembly composed of but one
house, especially if its members are
all upon the same footing in respect
of qualifications and tenure of Office,
is practically independent, and all
independent power soon becomes
absolute and tyrannical. It is sim
ply suicidal, with single house sys-
tenn, to abolish all distinctions be-
tween the Legislators.
The provision in the constitution
of Kamehameha III which required
that the Mobiles and Representatives
sit in separate houses, was set aside
in the constitution of Kamehameha
V, which made but one house, for
the alleged reason, I believe, that
otherwise public business might
come to a stand-still. While I doubt
whether this was the reason for the
change, and am of the opinion that
it was made in order to nullify the
power of free and intelligent repre-
sentatives of the people, yet even if
1t were true that with two houses
many important measures would be
defeated which with a single house
would be carried, I contend that a
dead lock, or no law-making at all
is better than excited, ill-considered
legislation, done under undue pres
sure and in haste.
Whenever Hawaii shall return tC
it's earlier system of an assembly
composed of two houses sitting sep
arately, it is possible that longer
| tenure of Office for the members OF
the upper house will secure conserv
alive members, even with no prop
erty qualifications. Each house ther
has it's natural and healthy division
into two parties, and there is not the
danger which now exists, of divi
sion between property owners anC
the large portion Of every commun
ity who have nothing to lose, and
as they think, everything to gain by
radical changes. The latter condi
ton of public affairs is sure to dam
age any community, and to give
ample opportunities either for demo
goguism or absolutism, or If yor
please, for the rule of an oligarchy
It is a fair question whether the
time has yet come for the change
suggest. When that change shall
be made, local self-government may
perhaps be adopted, so that as far al
framework goes, the governmental
edifce will be in proper trim.
There are public questions Of keel
interest, and it is well to have then
discussed on their merits. I trus
and believe that intelligent Ha
waiians, especially the young Ha
waiians, of whom not a few are stu
dents of history, will prove them
selves capable of sustaining a free
representative government, and ap
preciative of its blessings.
It may be that I am wrong in say
ing that in the long run the Ha
waiian voters, with all their lack O
experience and traditions in self
government, will show that they Cal
reason and act and vote wisely, an(
not be misled by personal prejudice
but such is my opinion.
IT