The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-01-13


serting the "principleG by ejecting
the Cabinet. A first attempt at this
end failed. but the second was sue
cessful. The partisans of the three
Ministries previously dealt roughly
with, aided by tho handful of "prin-
ciple"-weightcd Liberals, mustered
the requisite twenty-five votes, and
so ends the G. n. Wilcox Cabinet.
AS regards capacity and good
standing, the Cabinet thus retired
was fairly acceptable to the com
munity. Whore it was weak was
that it represented only one element
of the majority that had cleared the
way for its appointment. 1t was
straight Reform combination accord
ing to individual antecedents, and
there has never been straight Re-
form majority available to sustain
Ministry in this Legislature. The
so-called principle" was therefore
ignored in the Cabinets existence.
In different acts, however, the Cabi-
net displayed independence of its
party, thus gaining in some quarters
considerable of popularity. One
fatal action, early in its career, was
on the other hand taken as straw
to show which way the wind was
likely to blow after the legislative
restraint was removed. This was
the appointment to the important
office of Superintendent of Public
Works of a man whose previous
career in the seme position was ono
of the chief grievances against the
Thurston administration which con-
tributed to the National Reform
landslide on Oahu in 1890. From
this act it was apprehended that
after the close of the Legislature
the Ministry, if it survived that
event, would install it's own party as
''victors" with free play among the
: "spoils." There is no doubt that
the. feeling SO created had large
part to do with the latest overturn
The lottery question had some
thing to do with the Ministry's de,
feat, but chiefly as handle by some
, of the opposition. 1t was available
as a weapon of ollense owing to the
facts Q) that the Ministry made it q
, distinct item of its formally present,
ed policy to oppose the lottery, and
(2) that majority of the House car.
ried the lottery bill in spite of the
ministerial policy. 1t did not re.
quire superior political craft then
for the opponents of the Govern
ment to appeal to the lottery against
f the Ministry in order to secure the
f requisite number of votes. Had the
, Ministers, however, appealed to the
| House on the lottery issue whenever
its policy was rejected thereon, the
case might and probably would have
been different. The full strength o.
r the lottery support was % votes, two
y less than required to oust the Minis
try. When the resolution of want
of confidence was under discussion
the lottery question was only
raised incidentally. Opponents O.
r both the Ministry and the lottery
y were not obliged to see it as the di
I rect issue. They were no more re
I quired to defend the Ministry or
that particular issue, than were the
= leading spirits in the assault on any
g preceding Cabinet to identify them
I selves with the many absurd side is
sues raised by their uncongenial as
q sociates in the movement. 1t would
p have been otherwise if the Ministr,
+ had accepted the passage of the lot
q terry bill as rejection Of their poll
4 cy, and challenged vote of want O.
! confidence on that issue then ant
v there. Then it would have been i'm
e possible for any of those who hao
l. voted against the lottery t.
t evade the issue. They would il
v all honor be obliged to supper
# the Ministry as against the lottery
@ AS it is, the retiring Ministry can
not claim the honor of having sacri
@ feed itself in defense Of the goot
= name of the country on the lotter
W question. 1t has simply gone dow
: before conjunction of factions tn
1t same as its predecessors, its owI
d party having begun the game @
# partisan reprisals which has bee
"a the chief characteristic of this long
u est session in the history of the Ha
n waiian Legislature.
"