The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-12-28

sections bearing on their duties. VI
course, this circumstance will make
no impression ON the anonymous,
nor on anyone else of his way of
talking. He and his loafers will set
the ministerial action down to hypo-
crisy or some deep laid missionary
scheme. That portion of the public
which still enjoys the possession of
sound wits, will know what to think.
The fact is, that the community
has every possible reason to believe
that the Government intends to do
everything in its power to secure an
honest election, and carrying out
of all the provisions of the new law.
Their opposition to its provision for
secret voting was to be sure little
enough to their credit, and got them
into the worst of political company;
but it is not open to any party here
to cast the fact in their teeth, be-
cause the secret ballot has few
friends here, of any political color,
and the Ministers opposition was
only In harmony with the general
sentiment. But that very opposition
proves the sincerity of their advo-
cacy of the other provisions of the
law.
Electoral reforms rarely have the
good fortune to command the SYM
pa,hies of a large class. Practical
politicians, even the honest among
them, are generally opposed to all
such reforms, and the average 'boss"
and political worker regards them
with horror The advocates of re-
form are Immediately labelled with
some contemptuous nickname, which
Time, indeed, with it's golden touch,
transforms into title of honor, but
which for the present is only the
badge of contempt. And yet the
complete electoral reform which
achieved such signal success in En-
gland and Australia so many years
ago. is sweeping in the full tide of
success, and in spite of the bitter
hatred and opposition of party lead
ers, ward heelers and barroom poll
ticians, one State of the American
Union after another 1t is the right
principle and is bound to succeed,
not merely in England, Australia
and the United States, but wherever
people care for honest elections. In
the present low state of public NOR
ais the purity of the ballot cannot be
secured without a strict election law.
Is it not worth while to consider this
fact before we give discomfort full
rein? No doubt some of the provis-
ions Of the law are calculated to
work some hardship. Some men
whom the present law debars from
taking any active part in politics, are
needed to help by their personal
energy and counsel, the party of the
constitution to victory at the polls.
The fact that the party is deprived
of their direct services is of course TO
be regretted; but the experience of
all free countries, as well as some
which are not Free. teaches unequiv-
ocally that the participation of Office
holders in politics is demoralizing
both to the public service and to the
Government. Our own history has
written this lesson in letters so large
that he who runs may read, and no
one who knows how to read at all
ought to need ever to hear the les
son recited again. We want to go
forward and not back, to guard the
good we have and not return to the
evil which bitter experience has
taught us to know so we'll. One of
the good things which we have
gained is an election law in line with
the experience of all the great free
nations of the world. Let us give it
a fair trial and not preclude our
selves from its benefits by condemn
ing it in advance.