The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-31
ABOUT A PLEBISCITE.

Coming az time when the Demo
cratic party is about to repeal the
Federal election laws on the ground
that the United States Government has
no right to supervise electoral maChin-
cry at home, the statement that Mr.
Cleveland proposes to hold a genera
blebiScite in foreign land like Hawai-
becomes a tax upon the risibles. By
what constitutional right, let US ask the
Bulletin, could this sort of balloting be
enforced There is no American law
to provide for such procedure, and with
the Federal election issue standing al
Washington as it does it would be i'm
possible to pass one. If the President
wanted to make the trial of a military
blebiScite here where could he turn for
the right to do so and for the means
of carrying it out? Elections cost
money and all revenue legislation pro-
ceeds, not from the executive, but from
the lawmaking power. Indeed, no
official from the President down, can,
by section TX, article | of the Con-
stitution, draw money from the treas
ury but in consequence of appropria-
tions made by law. There is no Ha-
waiian blebiScite fund available, and
that none can be had at the hands Of q
body which is versed IN constitutional
ethics far better than the President
is himself; which is in session not to
throw money away, but to economic
it, and which, even if it designed lo
take such a course, could be kept from
doing 50 by Republican fiilibustering-
is a fact which simply goes without
saying. 1t must not be forgotten
meanwhile, that an order for a biebiS
cite would be an act of war upon a
friendly government confeSsedly basec
by the United States upon the alleged
ind scr, ton of its own minister. SuCf
procedure would be simple insanity
not to be expected of any enIight, nee
and civilized power; nor of any coun
try dealing with the interests Of It's OWL
citizens and with men OF its natlOna
blood and heritage. The mere sup
position involved becomes an amazlrs
defiance of the idea that man is {
rational being
1t may not be inopportune to repea
in these columns the conclusions @
the New York San upon the flebiscit
question-conclusion which bear the
marks of the gifted jurist who deals ii
the Sun with all questions of constitu
tiona law:
When we come to the practical work
ing of plebiscite instituted in Hawai-
at the instance of our Government
some difficult questions arise. The
Provisional Government, the only ex
isting authority in Hawaii, wants annex
alton. 1t has said so 1t has alread,
applied for annexation. The only pur
pose of such pl -biscite as Mr.. Bloun
and Mr.. Cleveland are said to desire
would be to pass the question over thu
head of the existing Government to thu
population of Hawai-, in order to as
certain whether the Provisional Govern
ment represents a majority Of the resi-
dents of Hawaii, native and toreigr
born. The Provisional q 'vernmen
would itself be on trial at the election
held to determine this question. Now
under the control of what authorlt
would the pie biscite be heldH Wh'
would determine the qualifications O
voters2 Who would say, for example
whether Japanese and Chinese coolle
resident in Hawaii should have tn
right to vote equally with the natlv
Hawaiians and the solid foreign-borI
residents and taxpayers of the country
Who would prescribe the electora
regulations Who would be in au
thority at the polIs1 AS there is to b
no foreign interference under any eli
cumstances, the supreme power IN dc
filming the suffrage and supervising tn
election must either rest with tn
present Provisional Government, a
ready committed to annexation an
itself on trial, or with the Government
of the United States, directly or IN
directly. If our Government makes
favorable vote by plebiscite condtlo
of further negotiations for annexation
will it not inevitably be compelled b
the logic of its attitude, to prescrlb
the conditions under which the pie BIZ
cite is heidi
In that event we should witness a
extraordinary and perplexlng spectacle
We should behold the Federal u 'verr
ment of the United States, which h'
not the constitutional power to regulll
State elections even here al hom
Regulating and supervising an electlo