The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-10-14
Parliamentary Politics.


Mr.. EDITOR: Any one who has
been carefully following the drift
of things in the present Legislature
must begin TO realize that true
party politics in this country are
impossible, and that what takes the
name of politics is nothing more
than personal pickering and per-
sonal chase after some kind of
spoils or some axe to grind.
Never before in Hawaii nei had
the whole population been so clear
ly, in appearance, divided into two
distinct parties, the Reform and the
National. The Legislature itself
started brilliantly on well marked
party lines, and the first votes, viz,
the election of the President and
the want of confidence, appeared
strict party measures. The last of
these was carried "a against "a,
one of the Nationalist voting over
with the Reformers. But as soon as
the Thurston-Ashford Ministry re-
signed, political principles disap-
peared, and the voting of the
members of the two parties
Immediately assumed its true char
acter of personal like or dislike" "
The only vote nearly unanimous
on record in the archives of this
session is the one asking for the
resignation of the President of the
Board of Health, which was 81
against 10, these last being 2 Ma
tionalists and s Reformers.
On all the other important meas
ures the House found itself divided
without consideration of party, and
in the most variable way. On the
Oahu Railroad Bill, which caused
the warmest discussion of the SEES
sion, the final vote gave % against
IS, divided in this manner: AR
x11N.x3Ministers, against 10N.-
XSR. The next vote to reconsider
that same bill gave 81 against IA,
divided into Observation-Disclosures
against 7.Rx7N. On the San Diego
steamship subsidy the vote was %
against 10, divided into 14R.x8N.-
xlMinister against "a .X11N.X1Min-
lister.
On the Civil Service Bill, which
was one of the planks of the Ma
tional party and ought to have
been strict party measure, but
which was in reality the question
"to be or not to be" for the system
of spoils in the administration, the
vote was more strange still: the
bill was indefinitely postponed by
vote of IS against IA, divided as
follows: Reformers, Messrs. J. NJ.
Horner, Hind, A. S. Wilcox, Rice
Anderson, Walbridge, Halstead,
Isenberg and Kanoa, together with
9 Nationalists, Macfarlane, Muller,
Berger, Paehaole, Hookano, Ka-
nealii, White, Kauhi and r. W.
Wilcox, against Z Reformers, c.
Brown, Knudsen, Parker, Waipul-
lani, Kauhane, Marsden and Corn
we'll, with 5 Nationalist, Nc
earthly, Widemann, Marques, Baker
and Phillips, and 2 Ministers, G.
Brown and ]. A. Cummins.
The House, however, is now evil
IDENTIFY getting tired of its own
chaotic condition, and wishes to
terminate its sterile labors as soon
as possible, even at the risk of
slaughtering the best measures, and
this was clearly shown by the
ludicrous vote on that most ex-
cellent bill on the Roads and Pub
Inc Highways" which was killed
by IA against 6, that is to say, by
less than the statutory number OF
members necessary to be present
for a quorum.
From these facts it can be seen
that the old Reform Party is badly
enough divided, and has made a
very poor political show, but the
National one is far worse still; in
fact it no longer exists but as
word, as a melancholy remembrance
of what had promised to be some
thing grand, and bursted as a mere
hubble of wind
AS for the House as whole, it
Is evidently the poorest in mental
capacity that has ever been seen
here, and the sooner it adjourns the
better it will be for the country.
At least such is the opinion of
T.