The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1890-01-28


run by and for the benefit OF one
man and his favorites, to n Repre-
sentative Constitutional Government
controlled by and for the People.
L. II has taken the Civil Service out of
Politics and given to the People the
Power and the Right to conduct
Elections without the partisan inter
ference OF Government Officers.
The election for Mobiles and Represen-
tatives, held in September, 1887, was the
first since elections were inaugurated in
this country, in which Government Off
GERS did not exercise an active and more
or less controlling part.
Such control was exercised in greatly
increasing degree, as the years went by,
until it eliminated in 1886, when, almost
without exception, the Government Off
GERS throughout the country, even to the
Judges, were partizan workers, doing ac-
tive electioneering; and bringing all the
power of their positions to bear to assist
the administration IN power. To such
an intolerable extent had this been car
ried that in 1856 it was perfectly well
understood that retention in Office de-
pended upon subserviency and active
partizan support of the administration.
1t has been charged that the Reform
party, being in possession of the Govern
ment, is going TO hold it at all hazards.
THE HISTORY OF THE REFORM PARTY
proves that it proposes to remain in con-
troll only by and with the consent of a
majority OF the legal voters.
THE NUMBER OF VOTERS
in the country is less than $1,000. OF
these voters about 800 are Government
officials, or are in Government employ.
Any administration that goes into an
election, having under its control a
trained body of election workers, whose
bread and butter depends upon their
success, and who in numbers amount to
one-tenth of the entire electorate, has
manifestly an immense advantage over
an administration which does not possess
such nucleus OF power, and which re-
! lies entirely upon its record, its princi-
Piles and the voluntary support of electors.
Had the Reform party followed prece-
dent and availed itself OF the partizan
support of its officials, it would have done
no worse than its predecessors. But
right here is where the party claims the
right to its name.
"REFoRM" UNDER THE REFORM PARTY
MEANS SOMETHING.
| No sooner was the party i'll power
than public proclamation was made
that all public officials should refrain
from any partizan participation in
the approaching election, although no
law requires it, and at the same time
all officials were informed that they were
free to vote for whom they chose without
effect upon their tenure OF office.
THE CONTEMPORARY PEssINIsTs
Who have since developed into the pres
ent Re-actionary Opposition immediately
proclaimed that this was a spasm OF vir-
tue which would pass off before the next
election.
Again the Reform party gave them the
lie and earned its name, by passing at
the last session OF the Legislature a law
absolutely prohibiting all persons hold
ing positions OF either trust or profit
, under the Government from any par
tizan participation in elections whatso-
ever, under penalties SO severe as to
render an infraction OF its provisions one
of the most serious OF misdemeanors.
Under Section 1O2 of the Election Law
any person holding position OF trust or
profit under the Government who acts in
any manner as partizan, is liable to
l. A fine of 800; or
2. Imprisonment at hard labor for six
months; or
8. Both such fine and imprisonment in
the discretion of the Court
4. In addition to the above penalties the
office of such person is at once
vacated, and
5. He is disqualified from holding any
Government Office for three years !;
and
6. He is forever disqualified from voting
at any election; and
Z. He is forever disqualified from sitting
in the Legislature.
The Reform party has thus volun-
tarily put out of its hands a most pow
erful weapon for securing its retention in
control of the Government. A weapon
which in enlightened America is still
considered legitimate one for the Adj
ministration to use. The present poll
teal campaign is being conducted by the
Reform party without the support OF
official patronage and without a par
tlzan use OF the civil service. Whatever
the result of the election, it will be
reached by the people OF their own free
will, without coercion, and without any
| ,,pf.ir or no rfizan advanfaUa haino, 70 Lan