The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-09-29

House 80 that it would ratify the
anne, dneuts.
Rep II. w. Wilcox moved that
when the committee rise it recon-
mend the indefinite postponement of
the majority report aud the passage
of the hill to enable constitutional
convention to be held. This was ,
one of the most important questions
that ever came before the Lrglea- /
ture. kamehameha V. held con-
stitutional convention. The present
Constitution was forced on the King
at the point of the bayonet. He
was given twenty four hours to sign |
it, under the alternative Of being
forced to abdicate, with the prob
ability of republic being declared.
If 1t was true that the Constitution
was promulgated by His Majesty |
under co,npulsion, then it ought to
he abolished anyway as being null
and void. In good many Euro
pean countries new constitutions
had been got by force, but that was
by the natives Of the country. 1t
was diifereht in this country in 1887,
when the Constitution was obtained
by handful of foreigners. The
local press, particularly the P. G.
Advertiser, had said that he was
advocating bloodshed. That was
all idle talk. He had never shed
any blood 1t was only the foreign
ers on the 30th of July, 1889, who
had shed blood. The question was
whether the natives should get their
rights in the peaceable manner pro-
posed, or be compelled to seek re-
dress as in other countries by force.
He would like to ask the foreigners
who favored the majority report
how they would like to have the
ruler in the country of any of them
reduced to the position of a figure
head. Coming to plain language
the way to deal with king who was
going wrong was, first, to remon-
slrate with him, and, if that was
unavailing, then ask him to step
down and out. 1t was no use COM
pairing this little country with the
monarchy of Great Britain. They
saw that the President of the United
States held almost absolute author
ily, while the Hawaiian King was
only mental to the Ministers.
When they asked him to sign bill
he had to do it.. This was not right
and he hoped the committee would
pass his motion.
Rep. Waipuilani said every mem
Der had taken an oath to support
the present Constitution. That oath
meant more than the oaths of their
ancestors to Pele and to the shark
god. The bill before them provided
for the election of delegates to a
convention to frame q new COnstitu-
ton. 1t was doubted if they had
the power to enact such law, after
swearing to support the present
Constitution. This Constitution pro-
vided the mode for its own amend
ment. If it was all true what had
been said about the manner of OBJ
tanning this Constitution, be did not
approve of it but doubted if all
those things took place. But after
it was promulgated they all took the
oath to support it, and it did not lie
in the mouths of any who had done
so then to object now. The time to
have opposed the Constitution was
when it was promulgated. 1t was
not true that the King acted entirely
under compulsion. Shortly after
.. the Constitution was promulgated q
deputation of natives called on His
Majesty to ask him to abrogate ii,
but he told them it was like shoe:
compared with the sandals worn by
their ancestors, and that the new
Constitution was more in keeping
with the advanced condition of the
nation than the old one. There was
not sufficient evidence that the Ha
waiians as whole wanted cLang'
now. The petitions for convention
> were signed by only 1900 people GU
of a population of 10000 natives
and 10000 qualified voters. HI
; had examined petition from Kona
s and found that many who had signe'
it were not voters. Both polltica
parties promised at the election t.
forward certain amendments TO tn
Constitution. He was elected o.
one of those platforms but was no
prepared to wipe out the Constitu
. ton at one stroke. Whatever othe
members thought be said on Tn
: street Corners, he as the represents
tive of Kona would vote against tn
bill.
= Minister Brown said that shortl
= after this Government took office
they had promised deputation q
:, the National Reform Party that the
!. would support the independence {
. the country. The time had no
- arrived for them TO redeem ths
:, pledge. If they looked at the ma
of the Pacific they would see thu
. these Islands were almost the onl
"A group that had not been taken po
session of by one or other of til
:, great Powers. We were beiu
II watched by the Powers perhaps viii
a jealous eye, and ii behooved us
guard our conduct carefully, so thi
le by no breach of public order wou
= the independence of the country
Do innarilIad IL had haon starlnl Z