The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-06-23
THE CONSTITUTIONS.

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several changes of importance in
the Constitution upon its second
reading, the general outlines of the
instrument viii remain as at
present, go that it is not too early
to form a general opinion upon its
merits.
The Constitution, even as 1T
stands, affords a most striking
proof of the faith in liberal ideas
and methods which characterizes
the dominant party in Hawaii.
With one or two necessary modifi-
cations, which will doubtless be
adopted upon the second reading,
it is a genuine charter of liberty,
vesting the power of Government
In the people. The royalists, of
course, have determined from the
outset not to be pleased with any
thing. They viii be satisfied with
nothing short of a transfer of all
power to themselves. What is
actually granted in the new Con-
stitution, however, is more than
has ever been granted before. The
native Hawaiians will be endowed
by it with ampler rights than they
enjoyed under the Constitutions of
Kamehameha III and V, or under
that of 1887. That their rights
will be larger than they would
have been if the ex queen had sue
ceeded in carrying out her coup
d'etat goes without saying. The
attitude of the Hawaiian sover-
eigns towards the native Hawaiian
is thus in striking contrast with
thato of the foreigners. The latter en-
larged the political power of the
natives in 1887, and they do it
again in 1894. A year and
a half ago Liliuokalani at
tempted to strip them of practi-
cally all they had.
The Constitution contains the
usual bill of rights, guaranteeing
the freedom of the person, of
speech and of the press. It vests
all legislative power in legisla-
ture of two houses elected by the
people, the lower house by univer-
sal suffrage, the upper house upon
a moderate property qualification.
It vests the election of the Presi-
dent in the legislature, carefully
defines his responsibilities and
limits his powers, which are far
less than those of the President of
the United States; as an addition
al safeguard forDidding his re-elec-
ton, and places at his side, to keep
him In closer touch with the peo-
pie, a Council of State, two-thirds
of whom are chosen by the legis-
lature. In this Council no extra
ordinary powers are vested beyond |
those which are usually conceded |
to such bodies.
The greatest precautions are
5aken to secure pure public SER
vice, and a non-partizan admins
ration of affairs. The only thing
IN the whole Constitution In any
way unusual is the confirmation of
he President in Office, and this
vas step appropriate in itself,
md in harmony with the wishes of
be entire Annexation party, which
lad and has but one candidate.
'robably nowhere in the world
Iould a party emerging from
uccessful revolution have acted
nth more moderation. The course
f the Convention in this particular
as simply been of piece with
be spirit of justice and concilia-
on which has characterized the
onduct of the Government from
ne day of its beginning.
While the party and the cause of
are so strong that the
hoice Of the first President might
18th safety have been left to the
legislature, there was no obliga-
on upon the Convention, either
gal or moral, to determine the
latter in that manner, and no one
as any right to complain because
has been settled otherwise. In
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