Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-01
THE REPORTED HAWAIIAN TROUBLE.

Admiral Brown, of the Charleston, was
evidently misled by some one in Honolulu.
The papers of that city at hand for August
10th do not speak of any political move
ment in Hawaii that can be considered
revolutionary in the sense expressed by the
Admiral. There has been movement to
amend the Constitution. A new draft
was made and presented to the King, and
procession of people visited the palace
and asked Kalakaua to call a constitutional
convention to consider the proposed docu-
ment. The matter has been discussed in
the Legislative Council. But we cannot
discover from the daily press of Honolulu
that the Government or the people con-
slider the movement as at all dangerous
to the peace of the Island Kingdom, or
that it will be followed up by resort to
force.
The facts appear to be these. On the
morning of August 10th committee OF
forty-two persons, mainly native born and
tribal Hawaiians, headed by a brass
band, marched to the palace and presented
to the King petition for the CALI con-
stitutional convention. There appears to
have been good order and perfectly legal
activity. The King received the COM
mittee in state and addressed it from the
throne. He clearly stated his views on
the matter as being favorable to the move
ment and promised to lay the petition be-
fore the Legislative Council and advise af-
frmative action, which he did shortly after.
The petition recites that at a mass meet
ing held on August 9th the proposition for
a new constitution was debated and a reso-
luton adopted TO petition the King and
the Legislative Council in the premises.
The petition recites that the King had
been forced in 1887 to abandon the con-
stitution of Kamehamaha v, and to sub
nit another without proper time being
allowed for its consideration That such
action was disgracefnl to the Kingdom,
and that the King was driven to approve
the present Constitution under threats
that left him no resort but submission.
That the present Constitution limits the
suffrage right and the rights of the crown
TO an extent subversive of good govern
ment. That it is also Objectionable in
many other respects, as it endangers peace,
checks labor and infringes upon personal
liberty to an unwarranted extent.
The whole proceeding appears to have
been within the law and the right of pc
tition, and while it is true that it con-
templates radical reform of the substruc
tural laws of the Kingdom, we cannot dis
cover that the agitation is at all likely to
involve the Islands in civil war, unless,
indeed, the Legislature treats the petition
with such contempt as 10 greatly anger the
petitioners, who appear to represent con-
siderable body Of the Hawaiian people and
who are of class entitled to respect.
As to what the Legislative Council will
do with the petition is in doubt. The
reference to committee has been made,
and while the Advertiser thinks the Con-
stitution will be amended so as to answer
satisfactorily the objections to property
qualifications for electors in choosing
mobiles, the Gazette thinks nothing viii be
done and that the conservative element in
the Council will defeat any attempt tc
amend the Constitution, and that there
the matter will end.