The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-12-16
THE REPUBLICAN CHARTER COM
MISSION.

In declining the invitation of the
Independents for Joint action in the
appointment of committee to frame
a city charter for submission to the
legislature the republicans decided
to appoint a committee of thirty citi-
zens to prepare charter on behalf OF
the republican party. This is what
the committee said. but it should have
SAID that it proposed to appoint par
titan committee of republicans to pre-
pare a strictly partizan charter which
the independent members of the legis-
lature. as self-respecting men, would
be compelled TO refuse TO consider
The appointments have been an
nounced and a more partizan COM
mittee could not have been selected.
Personally the men named are good
citizens but collectively the appoint
ments are bad for the purposes for
which they were selected.
OF the entire list of thirty names
there is not a recent conner to Hawaii
IN the lot. Men fresh from life IN
cities of the mainland have been care
fully excluded, evidently upon the idea
that they might have some practical
knowledge of city government and in
the effort TO defeat municipal govern
ment by the executive committee, men
of this character were to be strictly
excluded. T. McCants Stewart is the
only man on the committee who mas
/ come to Hawaii within the last five
years. Sixteen of the thirty have lived
| in Hawaii practically ali their lives,
| all but one of the sixteen having been
| born here. and all of them know moth
ing whatever of municipal govern
ment excepting in the most theoretical
way and even the theoretical knowl-
| edge of a goodly portion is nightly
| limited. OF the remaining fourteen
members of the committee four are
| of European birth and have no knowl-
/ edge of municipal government in the
! United States. of which country Ha-
wall is believed to be part.
Not single merchant or grocer IN
t the retail district of the city is repre-
sented on the commission. not min
lister of the gospel in the number. and
not a mother of all the vast number Of
| capable women interested in Homo
i IL. S4l ~, 30, fr.ttr of
city, and in the conditions under
| which their sons and daughters shall
grow I'D. Such talented women as
Mrs. w. F. Frear. Mrs. Frank Damon,
! Mrs. w. W. Hall. Mrs. E. W. Jordan.
and many others. who might be men
| tened. are all omitted from this very
important committee W. c. Roe is
the only representative Of the labor
element Of the city on the committee.
| all the trades and crafts being con-
spicuous by their absence.
The republican committee has done
nothing but biunder upon the charter
question from the time it first discuss
ed il and it promises 10 continue TO
blunder as long as it allows itself to
be dominated by the avowed oppo-
nents of municipal government for
Honolulu several of wnom are upon
the committee as named
Let us hope that the independents
/ will show better judgement in the
selection OF their committee and win
select 3 list of names that viii insure
the representation of every interest
an- inuustry in the city. give the wo-
men representation and insure the
framing of a charter so broad and
| equitable that il cannot fail to com
mand the support of every fair-minded
man in the legislature.