The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-07-31
MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENT.
Demand for Local Rule
By People.
CRY FROM KAL|A, kauai
Correspondent Says Hawaii Should
be Divided Into Counties
and Townships.


to devote large sums which are neede
for public works to the salary roll, with
out getting any better government thai
wo now have"
While 1t is true that local self-govern
mcnt will add to the expenses of the ad
ministration of the general and local laws
we deny the proposition that we woul'
not have any better government than w
now have.
Local self-government Is one of the dis
tinguishing marks of the American form
Of government, following in this the Eng
lish example tnat the preservation o
health and order, the protection of lif,
and property. the actual administration
of the law of the State in nearly all tina
concerns the safety. peace, comfort ant
happiness of the citizen, is left to loca
authorities elected by the people of the
local community.
In the people of a State or Territory n,
a whole, resides the ultimate power anc
authority. limited only by the Consttu.
ton of the United States and by that
greater power which resides in the people
of the whole Union as a nation.
But the people of all the States In
framing their constitutions and estab-
fishing their governments. have every
where in accordance with the instinct
and traditions of the English-American
race. made provision for a system of To-
cal self-government. The people of each
county or township or city elect their own
officials for the application of the law and
the administration of the affairs of the
community.
Why after several hundreds of other
forms of government, did England adopt
local self-goVernment and stand by it, If
it is not the best far devised by man?
From the landing of the Pilgrims at Ply
mouth Rock to the present time 1t has
proved to be blessing and success in
America. Why will 1t not prove a sue
cess and correct the abuses in Terri
tory in which the government and power
are centralized and administered from a
single city remote from the people?
There must be local officials and the
more directly responsible to the people
they become for their acts, the better will
the people be served. We have had
enough of this reign of deputies" who
are always throwing their plumbers upon
the shoulders of the heads of depart
ments.
Let me cite an example and apply the
cure of local self-government and see
how II will work. We of this school DIS
trict have repeatedly In the last two or
three years petitioned the government for
better school accommodations for our
children. Those in authority have closed
their ears TO the prayers and petitions of
our people until it looks as If number
OF our children Wa. be denied the pr.vi-
lege OF attending school for want of ac-
commoda lions.
The writer is credltably Informed that
there have been in the primary depart
ment of the school which held it's ses-
sions In room twenty-five feet long by
twenty feet wide, over 100 pupils enrolled
for several months, under one teacher.
All or the other rooms were overcrowd-
ed ana neither the teacher nor the prin-
ciral had any legal authority to send
these pupils home, and only a health off,
Ger could have done SO on sanitary
grounds.
Could such a state of affairs exist I'M
der local self-government and against the
VIII of the people where the local officers
nave the establishment of police and san
itary regulations. the support and man.
agement of schools, the assessment and
CORRECTION OF taxes. the construction and
maintenance of roads. bridges and public
buildings. such as court houses, city halls
schooi houses, hospitals and jals? The
local officials who would be intrusted to
carry out the will OF the people and who
would IN any manner try to defeat that
VIII. would soon find themselves replaced
by pubic servants who would bow TO the
supreme power of the people.
We have no redress under the present
state or anairs. Our petitions have been
piBeoh-holed ana our prayers have gone
unanswered. but under local self-goyern-
ment. we. the people, would be ia SUI
prene control and have simple and
speedy remedy for these abuses-the bal 4
lot.
The old order of things is gone and we
nope that with II has gone the wanton
and reckless desire on the part of some
d those In power to squander the peo-
>le's money. A well-regulated local gov
would have made 1t impossible
or those In authority, during the quar-
intihe against the bubonic plague. to
rave escaped answering to the people for
ne misuse or the money intrusted to
heir care.
We now stand politically equal before
he law and as citizens having that equal
political right, we demand a lust and
egal proportion of the taxes for public
We have seen that which
vas legally and justly ours used in build
ng and maintaining roads in other places
Installing and operating large and cost
y water plants, In building and furnish
ng In elegant style costly school build
ngs: we have been taxed to furnish a
ana or music for the entertainment and
amusement OF others, all OF which is un-
nst to US. Give us our legal pro rata of
axes and we concede to others the same
ight We demand for ourselves, viz, 10
invest 1t as they deem most wise. II il
nanhestly unjust to tax us for the sup
ort OF roads. bridges. waterworks and
OF public entertainment and amusement
or others. n
Unless your correspondent 10 mistaken
the temper OF the people outside of ,
toneiulu' one OF the first acts of the
omins Legislature will be to divide these
Stands INTO counties and then proceed to {
nacs a county government bill, thereby /
living to The people OF this Territory thar /
inherent Anglo Saxon-born privilege Of
zeal seif-government o. L. r. N
keaiia. Kauai. July o. 1850.