The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-09-22
STATE sovEREIe SrY.

There seems to be in the minds of
good many people some confusion of
thought in regard to the idea intended
to be expressed in the word Sovereign
ty, and the confusion covers also. the
exact political significance OF the word
State, or Nation. There is a mystical
theory of the personality of the State
which was advocated some years ago
by DR.. Milford in his book entitled,
THE Nation which had great popu-
larity at the time of its publication
The great advances in the knowledge
of the various forms of organic life in
recent years, and the analogy of the
body polite with it's differentiation
of forms and specialization of func-
tions," to the processes of organic life
have given FEASIBILITY and attractive
ness to this theory of the State as a
moral personality. But to argue that
because the State is made up of per-
sons, therefore the State itself must be
person, is as illogical a statement
as it would be, to borrow an illustration
from recent treatise, to say that the
iceberg and the ocean are alike in form
and function, because they are of the
same substance chemically.
Mr. Gladstone in one of his early
treatises, THE State in its Relations
with the Church." upholds the same
notion of personal entity, illustrating
it by the regard paid to the name and
authority of France, as something dis
dinct from the characteristics and acts
of the individuals composing the
French people. He took this ground
with the Interior idea in mind of find
ing in it the cause and justification OF
an established State religion. But
Macaulay in his criticism of Gladsone's
opinions, in the Edinburgh Review,
April, 1889, shows clearly that Glad
stones reasoning is incorrect, since the
principle which he advocates would
apply to all social combinations that
have a collective personality. Every
bank has a reputation as a corporation
entirely distinct from the honor and
credit of its individual stockholders.
What shall we regard as the person
atty in this mystical theory of State
sovereignty? Some go further in their
congratulations, and are loud in their
denunciations of the injustice and ty-
ranny of society. In the case of the ans
archists they plot to overthrow the So
ciaI system, which they hate, not indi
vidual members of it, by bombs and
dynamite. Is there such an entity as
State sovereignty? What is the recog-
nized seat and manifestation of au-
thority?
The theory of democratic government
is that all legitimate authority springs
from and is exercised by the people
But who are meant by the people? The
suffrage, by which one function of SOW
ereignty is supposed to be exercised, is
nowhere exercised by the people as a
whole The suffrage is privilege, not
right. Representation is privilege,
and is not concurrent with the payment
of taxes. Who grants these privileges
What sovereign authority has conferred
them? In the last analysis it must be
conceded that it is no mere concept OF
the imagination, but the dominant
power in any country that by virtue OF
| its predominance makes it practicable
for those who WELD it to do as they
will. All nations recognize this in rec
ognizing government de facto. AS the
stability of the government is recog-
nized more and more, the display OF
force is less and less necessary Insti-
buttons, customs, laws, become the ex-
ponents of the sovereignty of the State
The more complex this whole organ
ism becomes, the wider the scope of its
functions, the more difficult it becomes
to set it aside or to overthrow it. Sc
many interests are involved, commerce
tally, socially, politically in a case OF
insolvency even, that other people can
not afford to have a bankrupt dealer
put into the hands of a receiver. Sc
many interests are involved in main
tanning the present status of the Otto
man despotism that not even the most
diabolical abuses of Turkish misrule
have warranted the other great powers
of Europe, or any one of them, to put
a summary end to such atrocities as
have been committed in the name Of
independent state Sovereignty.
HIS FIRST POLITICAL SPEECH.
Gentlemen and TaIIoxu GitizapS-1