The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-09

The appointing power is divided and
distributed according to responsible
ity, yet with checks in most cases,
which extend the principle of respons-
ibility and assure deliberations: AS an
illustration. the President, with the
approval of the Senate, appoints the
Minister of Finance, who, with the
approval of the President, appoints
the Postmaster General, who appoints
postmasters and post office clerks,
probably often consulting with the
Minister of Finance in regard to such
appointments.
Then again the President, with the
approval of the Cabinet, appoints the
members of certain Boards. In a few
cases the President, without the ap-
proval of any other authority, makes
appointments.
As a result of this system, the Pres
ident is rarely troubled by Office seek
ers. and the heads of departments and
bureaus are really responsible and
recognize that fact.
BY the provisions that the passage
of a measure by the Executive Council
must include the Presidents vote, and
that the Ministry are members of the
Legislature without the right to vote,
we have hoped to evade the defects of
both the American and the French
systems; by these provisions the Min
istry as a body or an institution can
hardly be said to exist, and the Pres
ident is saved from tendency to be-
come a mere tigure-head. The Min
listers in the Legislature are not the
government, but are representatives
of the influential body known as the
Executive Council, a far safer and
stronger executive than one made up
solely of a President or of cabinet
of ministers could possibly be.
Under this arrangement efforts to
unseat the Ministry through votes of
censure or want of confidence, are un-
likely except for personal reasons, the
| Ministry not being the Government,
though holding a slightly higher posi-
| tion through their relation to the Leg
islature and their powers as members
of the Executive Council than that IF
the Secretaries of the President of the
| United States.
Moreover, the membership of the
|
Min. sters in the Legislature is of the
greatest value in the promotion of
Legislative work, and being without
the right to vote seems to be a priv
ilege that is unobiectionabie to the
other members.
| There is another feature of our gov
ernment which may be interesting 20
you: it certainly is of value to us,
especially as our Legislature holds
regular sessions only once in two
other times by the executive; ] refer
to the Council of State. This is de-
| Lucrative body of fifteen members,
| five of whom are appointed by the
llOuSe,nNe DN the senate ana nNe by
the Executive. They may be called to-
gether at any time and serve without
pay. They may, at the request of the
| Executive Council. make appropria-
tions when the Legislature is not sit
ting, in public emergencies. Such APP
preparations were made by them last
fall during the prevalence of cholera
IN Honolulu. They also advise the eX-
ecutive in regard to pardons and IN
other matters when called upon. The
members of the Executive Council sit
with them and take part in the de
bates but do not vote.
| need hardly say how full of thrill
ling interest this enterprise of organ
izing "A Republican form of govern
ment has been to every one concerned
| in it,
In my reading in connection with
this work found nothing more help
/ full than Professor Johr w. Burgess
book on "Political Science and Com
parative Constitutional Law"