The Hawaiian gazette., 1894-06-26
THE CONSTITUTION.

present, so that 1t Is not too early
to form general opinion upon it:
merits.
The Constitution, even as il
stands, affords most striking
proof Of the faith in liberal ideas
I 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 will 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
that 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. 1t vests
all legislative power in a legisla-
ture of two houses elected by the
people, the lower house by univer-
sal suffrage, the upper house upon
a moderate property qualification.
1t 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 forbidding bis re-elec-
ton, and places at his side, to keep |
him in closer touch with the peo-
pie, 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
taken to secure pure public SER
vice, and a non-partizan admins
tration of affairs. The only thing
in the whole Constitution in any
way unusual is the confirmation of
the President in Office, and this
was a step appropriate in itself,
and in harmony with the wishes of
the entire Annexation party, which
had and has but one candidate.
Probably nowhere in the world
would party emerging from a
successful revolution have acted
With more moderation. The course
Of the Convention in this particular
has simply been of a piece with
he spirit Of justice and concilia-
ion which has characterized the
of the Government from
he day of its beginning.
While the party and the cause of
are so strong that the
choice of the first President might
With safety have been left to the
Legislature, there was no obliga-
ion upon the Convention, either
egal or moral, to determine the
natter in that manner, and no one
has any right to complain because
t has been settled otherwise. In
new of the truculent disloyalty of