The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-02-22
NEED OF PARTY GOVERNMENT.

The refusal of the Senate, on Satur-
day, to sustain the Government, IN
its measure for a special appropria-
ton for a school fund, may have been
lust on the merits Of the case, or 1T
may not have been. We do not dis
cuss it.
The action of the Senate, however,
opens up an important and, indeed,
vital question. Is the Government to
be backed by a party or is it not?
The vote of the Senate on Saturday
would have driven British ministry
out of office, as it would have been
vote of want of confidence" Our
political system is on the American
plan. which tends to prevent quick,
wise and business like legislation, and
hampers executive force. This condl-
ton of things is attracting the atten-
ton of American political writer's.
Our own Legislature can see the
evils of it, in the annexation mat
ter. President Mckinley and his Cab
met are strongly in favor of annexa-
ton. The Republican party should
back them up. Does it? No. Re-
publicans in Congress, like the mem
bers of our Legislature, refuse to fol-
low them. Senators Morrill,, Hoar and
Thurston, with Speaker Reed snap
hack at the Executive in these words
stYou shan't lead us. We will do as
we please. We want no leaders. We
follow you when we like to. We come
from the people, and lead ourselves
You want annexation? Well, what II
you do? You want money to bullo
a navy sufficient, as you say, for oui
commerce. Well, we know just al
much about the need of a navy as yot
do" Speaker Reed, especially, snaps
his fingers at the President, and says
Down here in the House, we are
right from the people. We do wha
we think best, and not what you thlnf
hest" If the Speaker were here, ht
would highly approve of the attitude
of the Legislature. There was this
same disposition to snub the Amerl
can executive, when Republican,
knocked out of the tariff bill, the pro
vision protecting the Reciprocity
Treaty.
We do not, for an instant, dispute
the right of the Legislative body t
do this very thing. 1t has 1t un
der the Constitution. The Minister
have no privileges. But the need o
party Government and leadership be
comes plain. 1t means nothing mor'
or less, than organized business
Without it, the Executive is crippled
in it's power to act efficiently, just a.
President Mckinley is now crippled
in the annexation matter.
We do not defend the Govern
ment. We are not in its confidence
and are not its organ. But there is
nrinciple of wise administration a
stake. If the Senate cannot trust tn
Government, then turn it down, if i
can.
We need here a strong Government
and there can be no strong Govern
ment if the Ministers are to be treat
ed as rats let loose in the legislativ
nit. TO be worried and bit by legisla
tive terriers No doubt there are oeca
sions when the Ministerial rats d
need to be shaken up by the dogs.
is done in the British parliament, an
it makes a serious crisis. But gov
eminent that is subject to crises a
the time. is never strong. The Spar
ish-American Republics are famou
like the Irish, for always, going agil
the government"
No one questions the patriotism,
the perfect honesty of the legislatlN
body. No one should question, Il
an instant, its desire to meet wisel
the serious questions that are befol
the country. But it is liable to erro
as many legislative bodies are, in i
policy. The reasons why it is liable
error, in critical times, are many an
natural.