The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-06
THE AMENDED SUFFRAGE.

the suffrage amendments to the Cul-
ION bill. In the letter which we pub
lished yesterday Mr.. Gilman said:
The elimination of the small prop
erty qualification for voters for Sena-
tors for the Hawaiian Legislature
seems to me most unfortunate IL
seems that the committee that prepar-
ed the bill for the new government
drew IL very wisely and well. for the
best interest of the whole people; but
it seems TO me, as an American even,
| cannot shut my eyes to the evils that
threaten from universal suffrage. We
have il in name, but here IL Is absurd d.
Intelligence, property, interest In the
material welfare of a community, call
for a discriminating ballot. There Is
a class here-and you have them
that call for free suffrage as the only
democratic way.
A discriminating ballot would prob
ably have saved the Southern States
from years of turmoil and improved
the condition of the negro, the I'M
ayoidable denial of whose right 10
cast a free ballot is the cause of his
unfortunate situation today and for
many years past. So, too, discrimi-
mating ballot would insure, or go far
to insure. honest government in great
cities-a condition which must be
brought to pass, else the very essence
of the American principle OF self-gov-
eminent will be poisoned. Naturally,
the prejudice of the thoughtless voter
and his agent, the time-serving legis-
iator. revolts against the idea of clas-
sified voting. These gentry pirate of
zone man, one vote" and regard 1t as
a guarantee of liberty and progress
that the ignoramus, the vagabond and
the demagogue should, in proportion
about the conduct OF government as
the wise man, the industrious citizen
and the publicist. Influences such as
these were TO blame for the suffrage
of the Cullom bill. but we
feel at liberty to doubt that they will
BE able to maintain those amendments
in the face Of the object lesson which
a recurrence of a native Legislature in
Hawaii and the existence of a native
government in this city
would imply.
So far as We can learn the objects
Of the Hawaiian politicians. they are
20 put the old native office-holding con-
tingent back into power wherever
power is to be gained at the ballot
box. Even the white ex-Royalists will
stand no show, for the native politi-
clan means TO look after his own kind
first, last and all the time. A particu-
lar object of these people is the con-
troll of the municipality of Honolulu.
They have already fixed upon a former
Royalist stipendiary as their choice for
Mayor and are said 10 have made a
slate for the other Offices that reads
like a muster of the Household troops.
OF course such a contamination would
mean bad government on a very prod
igal scale. There would be rings and
things and fine array" and a recrudes-
cence Of all the old scandals a regime
for the gambler and opium SNUG
gler and the public plunderer. All
that. which Mr.. Gilman foresees,
might not. however. be an unmixed
evil. Some startling example of the
folly of giving over the control OF ISL
and or city affairs to the least quail
fled citizenship may be the one thing
needed TO induce intelligent suffrage
legislation in Congress. Already the
Philadelphia Press, a newspaper of
President McKinley's official family.
talks Of the probability of supplement-
al acts to make good the defects in our
coming organic law. IL anything will
bring those supplemental acts to pass
and make them acceptable to the men
who have most at stake in the good
government of Hawaii it will be two
years of such rule as the native ex-
Royalist politicians threaten to inflict.
It was a saying of General Grants
hat the way to secure the repeal of
a bad law is to enforce it. BY parity
Df reasoning let us say that the way
20 get discriminating ballot in Ha-
vail is to let it be clearly shown for
once how much harm may be done
by a free ballot.
So Mr.. Gilman. Jet us bide our time
Generally in the history of Hawaii po-
itical evil has been overruled for
good. We do not believe that the fu-
-ure Will show any different result or
hat, in the final analysis, good citi-
zens will have reason to regret the
events which seem now to be impend-
ing.