The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-12-16
SIX-PAGE EDITION
ELECTION OF OFFICERS BY THE
PEOPLE.

a preliminary manner the election
of officers by the people, endeavor-
ing to show that it did not neces-
sarily follow that officers directly
elected were any more likely to
carry out the will of the people
than those who were appointed.
We now proceed to consider in de-
tail the advisability of electing GER
tain officers by the people.
There are two advantages to be
derived from the plan of direct
election. One is that it will in
volve an extension of local self
government. The other, that it
will decrease the patronage of the
Executive. We think these ad-
vantages important enough to war
rant an application Of the principle
to certain Offices.
Among those who may properly
L
be chosen directly by popular vote
are the country postmasters and
perhaps district judges, though as
to the latter we feel some doubt.
AS long as the material from which
these judges are drawn is no better
than at present, they might as we'll
be elected. The Offices of tax col
lector and assessor might be COM
bined, and each island elect it's
own. Any extension of the system
into the Police Department, how
ever, would be of very doubtful
adVisability. The police force re-
quires military dicipline and sub
ordination. Possibly constables
might be elected, power being re-
served to the sheriff to remove
them for cause.
The election of heads of bureaus
and their subordinates is simply
out of the question, and has not,
we believe, been proposed. The
election of heads of departments,
such as the Collector of Customs,
and Postmaster General, stands on
different basis. Experience alone
can determine which method would
secure the better results. These
departments require an efficient,
honest and non-partisan admins
tration. 1t is especially important
to keep them out of politics. With
the post Office and the custom
house the headquarters of party
politics the country would be up
to it's neck in q sea of troubles.
We do not think it would be wise
to attempt so radical an innovation
as the making of these offices elect
i've without preliminary expert
ment. 1t will be wiser and safer
to begin more modestly and await
results, before sending the country
bowling at full speed on a wrong
path.
We do not, at present, see any
reason why some members of the
Board of immigration and Board
of Health should not be elected by
ballot; but to make the whole of
the latter body, OF its president,
elective, would be to destroy the
sanitary system of the country
and deal the national pros
perity q blow from which it
would never recover as long as
the elective plan continued. We
do not believe that any true friend
of Hawaii or the Hawaiians would
ever suggest such plan.
The position of the Auditor
General is one of great Importance
and the proper method of select
ing this officer deserves the most
careful consideration. The present
plan, of nomination, by the Cab
met, seems highly Objectionable,
not to say positively absurd. The
Auditor is supposed to be check
on the Cabinet, and if so he should
of course be entirely independent
of that body. In what way he
should be selected however it is
not SO easy to say. Election by
the people in the present undevel-
oped condition of parties would be
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