The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-08-25


ages of the ballot box, gwen by the
Constitution of Kamehameha V.
and it's amendments. have been
taken away, which is historically |
inaccurate, to speak mildly, for the |
facts are that the Constitution OF
Kamehameha III. gave to native
and to naturalized subjects and to
denizens free ballot for represen
tatives; by the Constitution of
kamehameha ", this voting privil-
ege was somewhat narrowed, being
made conditional upon the posses
sion Of certain amount Of property
or the receipt of certain money
income and the knowledge of read
ing and writing; ten years later,
an amendment left out the property
qualification; the present Constitu-
ton left the ballot for representa-
tives where it found 1t as to Ha-
waiians and extended the privilege
| to foreigners of certain nationali-
ties. In addition to this, the voting
privilege for representatives, this
Constitution created a new voting
privilege, which did not exist be-
fore, for the election of mobiles, and
this was made dependent upon a
property qualification; so that the
present Constitution, instead of
taking away the rights and privil-
eyes of the ballot box, as the petit
ton states, has confirmed the old
privileges and given new ones in
addition thereto. This disposes OF
the only specific charge made by
the petition against the present
Constitution, except that it was
forced upon the King, which is
true, but does not seem to have a
bearing upon its suitability. The
petition also hints at objections
which it does not specify, and
charges It with obstructlng all
manner of work and promotion OF
peace in the land as well as perfect
personal safety hitherto enjoyed, y
ETC., and complains that . Your
Majesty's subjects cannot bear with
patience it's troubles under the
present Constitution, and IN order
to wipe out these difficulties and to
set at ease the minds of your sub
jects, therefore, be it resolved" etc
1t would seem to have been worth
while in pressing for change sc
important, and so pregnant with
such vast possible consequences fol
good or for evil to the present anC
the future of the nation, to have
specified in some detail the troubles
and difficulties referred to, and tc
have set forth how and in what way
call manner of work and promotion
of peace in the land, as we'll as per-
feet personal safety" has been OBJ
structed by the present Constitution
But His Majesty and the Legislature
are left to guess what these genera
statements mean or to put them
down to mere rhetorical flourish.
| The reform movement is on tria
before the country, and whatever
may be our objections to it, or oul
prejudices against 1t, we are bounc
to award it fair and just criticism
This attitude is entirely absent from
the attack upon it in which the
petition to His Majesty may be re
garded as leading feature. AS has
been shown the main charge agains
the Constitution, as set forth in the
petition, is based upon misstate
/ ment of fact, and there is no othel
} charge which is specific enough fol
a body which considers things up
on their merits, to take hold of.
This absence of intelligent anC
ineligible statement in the docu
ment, together with the nonrepre
sentative character of the move
ment, makes it difficult to avoid tn,
conclusion that the whole thing il
the fruit, mainly, of the strenuou
efforts of few reactionary pollti
clans who have given direction t.
the feeling of political unrest which
has for some time existed among
Hawalians, and more especiall,
among those living In Honolulu
; Its objects, so far as they can b
ascertained, are similar to those o
the nsurrectionary movement O
last year. The King is in full sym
pathy with the enterprise, as ap
I. pears from the tenor of his messag
. to the Legislature, recommending
that the prayer of the petition b
granted, and this fact is full of sig
nificance as to the nature of tn
proposed constitutional changes.
} The calling of Constitutions
, Convention is measure SO fraugh
with uncertainty and danger, tina
it can only be justified by circum
stances of the gravest and mos
, critical character. Such circum
: stances cannot be said to exist a
the present time. The Constitution
contains provisions for amendmen
which are independent of royal in
reference. This is feature which
4 has not existed in any former Con
. stitution, and which makes tn
5 carrying through of reasonable
amendments far more feasible thar
formerly.
Something of the spirit in which
the movement under discussion II
5 pressed may be learned from on,
: of the addresses at the meeting OF