The Daily bulletin., 1889-12-31
POLITICAL INCONSISTENCIES or
the DAY,

your issue OF 2Jd instant 10 GER
ain matters pertinent rs among the
acts of omission on the part OF all
parties now before the electorate
with their platforms and the
charge was made that these declar-
ations Of principle have thus far to-
tally ignored all intention or desire
to regulate, renovate, ameliorate or
reform our present antiquated sys-
tenn, so far rs the same touches
or rather does not touch--upon the
unequal taxation under which the
poor here struggle, enabling tile
rich to become richer at their eX-
pense; and the question of exemp-
lions, under certain circumstances,
from execution, to which subject no
one here ever seems to have given n
thought, though so important part
Of every other modern system of
laws. Taking the exemption ques-
ton alone, it's entire omission by the
Mechanics Union certainly lays that
body open to the charge put forth
from time to time by the BULLETIN
editorislIy, that this organization
has lost its possible position as a
public benefactor by ignoring
measures intimately connected with
heir own politico-economical well
are. The same accusation of course
holds against both the Kalaiaina and
the Government ''platforms," but
with this difference in favor of the
latter: that being-not in theory,
hut in fact-the representatives of
capital as contradistinguished from
labor, they would naturally shrink
from being the first to promulgate u
principle which favored labor at the
expense of capital; and, further,
having wisely (from party stand
point, and under existing conditions)
withheld their platform" till the
others were put forth, and there be-
ing no reference in the others to the
reformation of laws bearing une-
qually upon labor, it was fair to as
sumo, as a political argument, that
labor, as represented by the Me-
chanics' Union, would be satisfied
with such crumbs as their "plat-
form" in terms demanded; and
when the extent of such benefit as
these crumbs afford is measured bv
the most favorable results to be hop
ed for from Chinese exclusion, it
is difficult to see where the Mechan-
ics' platform is likely to better its
promoters, in face of the fact that
Japanese coolies are pouring in at 4
rate which sets the history of Chi
nese immigration in the dim and
distant background. so let the
blame rest where it falls; and let us
see what party will first come to the
front with platform designed to
further the well-being of labor, the
"bone and sinew' of this as of
every nation-for we can safely
trust capital to take care of itself.
As has been claimed, such po-
licy should embrace radical revi-
sion Of the tax system. In spite of
the sophistries often used in at
tempting to prove that we are a
lightly taxed people, the very oppo-
site is the fact. The argument that
our lands are only taxed per cent.
on lower valuation than the prop
erty would bring under the hammer
is simply cumulative proof that
taxation is unfairly distributed, and
that the large land owners do not pay
their share. The fact that certain
plantation managers have as matter
of record, filled with the Assessors s
sworn statements Gin some cases ac-
eepted) giving the values Of their
plantations rs less than the amounts
actually divided among the share
holders of said plantations as sin
gle years dividend, is much Sc
verer illustration of the grasping
dishonesty of capital which here en-
ables the rich to throw their share
of the burden on the poor. And to
add to the necessity for actual, as
opposed TO professed, reform, we
see Ministers who shout from the
housetOps the refrain, "rhese hands
Elaa - ontnoII,, N,,;,r, -, Al,