The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-10-23
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t2edpe6 to nettheY Sect nor Parry,
BIT established for the benefit of all.
FRIDAY, OCT. 23, 1891.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.

In this issue will be found officially
advertised the different amendments
to the Constitution, passed for the first
time at last session of the Legislature.
These amendments are mostly in the
line of changes proved at last cleo
ton to be desired by a majority of
the people. The first one is an
amendment to Article As, pertaining
to the veto of the Sovereign. 1t is
change in prescribina that when a
bill is passed by a two-thirds' vote
of the Legislature over the veto, be-
fore becoming law it shall be again
sent to the Sovereign for approval;
then, if the royal signature be again
refused, the bill shall become law by
virtue of such two-thirds' vote. The
idea is doubtless to give the Sover-
elgn an opportunity of placing him
self or herself in harmony with the
emphatic expression of the peoples
will through their representatives.
1t is not very important amend
ment, but involves delicate courtesy
to the Sovereign, therefore should
become law.
The next series of amendments re.
lates to the vexed question Of the
suffrage. 1t proposes serious
departure. Intended, doubtless, to
conciliate that native Hawaiian sent-
ment very sedulously cultivated by
political aspirants, that the natives
are practically DISTINGUISHED in favor
of aliens in the vote for Mobiles, it is
yet hard to say whether the amend
ments will please either the sup
porters of the franchise as it stands
or those who advocate abolition of
property qualifications altogether, or
even those who would adopt the
medium course of reducing the pro-
perty qualifications. In one way the
proposal is radical change, disfran-
chising large proportion of those
who have for two general elections
had the voting privileges of citizens,
and this not only in the election of
Mobiles but in that of Representa-
tives. On the other hand, while it
in the regard just mentioned leaves
door open--that of naturalization
for aliens to recover the franchise, it
does not help the Hawaiian who has
less than the present property quail
fication to obtain the privilege of
which it has been complained he has
been deprived. The amendments
indeed seem to be utterly guileless
of anything like policy. They invite
on the one hand the opposition of
the foreign voters whom they dis
franchise, and on the other hand that
of the Hawaiian voters whom they
disappoint in keeping up the qualif-
cations of voters for Mobiles. How
ever, these amendments were the
result of very careful deliberations
by select committee fairly mixed
as TO party. Perhaps they are the
best solution of the difficulty. The
BULLETIN reserves the opportunity of
discussing them more fully hereafter.
The remaining two amendments
should be acqulesced in by all parties.
One has been already endorsed by
the electors in the platforms of diff
ferent parties at more than one cleo
ton. That is the new Article pro-
viding for special legislation to
secure the adequate control of immi-
grants introduced to the kingdom
solely for agricultural labor. 1t is
an act of self-preservation for the
body polite as a whole. By it the
difficulties heretofore vexing the
Legislature on the labor question can
be dealt with by ordinary legislation
from time to time as may be deemed
expedient. The concurrence of the
Legislature in the MISUNDERSTOOD
wishes of the people has hitherto
been rendered impossible by the