The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-01-19
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1894.
A LARGER COUNCIL.

puullC anu lhS pdl " olSaliHotA 'i''
are giving a great deal of thought.
The title which the Council now
bears is derived from the Commit
tee of Safety which was appointed
at an Annexation mass meeting.
So far as the original selections
went the Council was representa-
tive in a wide and popular degree.
Mr.. Damon, Mr.. Andrew Brown,
Mr.. Thurston, Mr.. Morgan, Mr..
Emmeluth, Mr.. McCandless,
Mr.. Ashley and Mr.. Nc
Chesney, stood for variety Of Ha-
waiian interests outside of sugar,
which had right to be heard in
the national legislature. Many Of
these men came directly from the
people and the Annexationists, and
the public was well content with
the services they were qualified to
render.
As time passed on many of
the popular representatives went
out of the Council and their places
were taken by men who invariably
stood, and not by virtue of coin
cidence, for single important in
dustry. So marked has been this
evolution that, as we now count
the membership Of the Advisory
body, there are ten out of fourteen
Legislators who are closely con-
nected, in one way or another, with
the interest which is now in evil
dence. That is to say, we are sub
iect to the same unfortunate state
of things that the common people
Of the United States would be if
the American House of Representa-
tives was controlled by railroad
men or importers. We say "un-
fortunate This does not mean
that the railroad men or importers
would not be wise and patriotic &C
cording to their lights but the
suspicion that they would pass
upon any question affecting rail
ways and imports in way to save
their own bacon would be so gen
eral that the people-at-large would
become subject to grave if not dan
gerous disaffections.
If the Provisional Government
is to continue in power until an
nexation shall have been achieved,
it is vitality important that conf
dence and loyalty should prevail
in its party. The preponderance
Of any one class, particularly a
minority and privileged class, in
the affairs of the nation is and must
ever be the fruitful source of dis
content. In that respect there is
no intrinsic difference between the
masses here and those of all other
countries, though in Hawaii the
effect of such untoward conditions
is aggravated by the fact that the
men who really made the revolt
ton a success and who give the
Annexation party so per cent.
of its members, are the ones who
must make way to the fortunate
and ambitious few. The wisest
craftsmanship would have sought
to avoid such perilous proceedings.
1T needs no ghost come from the
dead to tell us that, my Lord.
Let all feel assured that there is
no purpose OH the part Of any one
to cut down the present strength of
the planters party in the Council.
The gentlemen composing it have
awakened, so far as we know, few
private enmities; and their sagacity,
experience and personal honesty
entitle them to much consideration.
The only point at issue now is the
widening of the representative
feature, the introduction of men
into the Council who will represent
the many rather than the few, the
working class rather than the in
come class, the small merchant
rather than the large one, the pro-
fessional man who has no corporate
affiliations rather than the one who
lives by them. To do this, we
take it, is within the power of the
same sort of a mass meeting as that
which ordained the electoral college
of thirteen i'll the first instance.
Such a body could add ten
more citizens to the Legis |
lative branch of the Government,
to represent every loyal
class Of citizenship and buttress
the powers that be against all the
which long wait for
might involve. Is there
any reason, beyond a corporate
why this should not be
ione' Is there any good cause
why nearly six thousand loyal
voters should be DISTINGUISHED that !